Trends of Sensitization to Inhalant Allergens in Korean Children Over the Last 10 Years.

Purpose: Climate and lifestyle changes increase an individual's susceptibility to various allergens and also the incidence of allergic diseases. We aimed to examine the changes in sensitization rate for aeroallergens over a 10-year period in Korean children.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 4493 children who visited the allergy clinic at a tertiary hospital in Korea for allergic rhinitis or asthma from January 2009 to December 2018. The serum specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were measured to confirm the sensitization against (), , weed and tree pollen mixtures, as well as cat and dog dander through ImmunoCAP test.

Results: was the most common sensitizing aeroallergen (45.9%) during the 10-year span. The sensitization rate for tree pollen mixture ( for trend <0.001), weed pollen mixtures ( for trend <0.001), dog dander ( for trend=0.025), and cat dander ( for trend=0.003) showed ascending trends during the 10-year study period. Furthermore, the sensitization rate for multiple allergens (≥2) in 2018 increased significantly compared to that in 2009 ( for trend=0.013). Compared with children without sensitization to , those with sensitization to showed higher sensitization rates to other aeroallergens ( for interaction <0.001).

Conclusion: Children's sensitization rate to cat and dog dander and weed and tree pollen mixtures significantly increased during the 10-year period in Korea. Children with sensitization to are likely to be sensitized to other aeroallergens as well.