Messages from the Aalst Allergy Study.

Background: The prevalence of sensitization and allergic disease has increased significantly worldwide. The aim of the "Aalst Allergy Study" was to document prevalences of sensitization and allergic symptoms, and to evaluate the effect of personal and environmental influences on these prevalences in an unbiased Belgian pediatric population.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in an unbiased population of 2021 Belgian schoolchildren (3.

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence: prevalence in a population with clinical suspected otosclerosis-type hearing loss.

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) can present with a variety of symptoms that can be predominantly auditory, predominantly vestibular or both. It can mimic a wide range of otological disorders, in particular otosclerosis-like stapes fixation. Our study revealed that, in 5.

Montelukast does not prevent reactive airway disease in young children hospitalized for RSV bronchiolitis.

Aim: To evaluate the long-term effect of montelukast on symptoms of cough and wheeze following RSV bronchiolitis.

Methods: Fifty eight patients (aged < or = 24 months) hospitalized with a first episode of RSV bronchiolitis were enrolled in this double blind prospective randomized trial comparing montelukast (n = 31) vs placebo (n = 27).

Results: During the 3-month treatment period, there were no statistical significant differences between the two groups for symptom-free days and nights (48.

The prevalence, characteristics of and risk factors for eczema in Belgian schoolchildren.

Childhood eczema is common in infants, but its nature and extent during later childhood remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study we examined the prevalence and characteristics of eczema in an unbiased community population of 2,021 Belgian schoolchildren, aged 3.4 to 14.

Exposure to pets and the association with sensitization and allergic disease in Belgian schoolchildren.

Prolonged domestic exposure, from birth on, to dog allergen may protect against sensitization.