Frequency of contact allergy to house dust mites in children with atopic dermatitis

Introduction
Frequency of contact allergy to house dust mites (HDM) in children with atopic dermatitis (AD) in terms of selected demographic factors: age, gender, and place of residence, showing the relationship between the severity of AD and the coexistence of contact allergy to HDM

Material and methods
Patients were divided into 3 groups. The study involved 85 children with AD up to the age of 5 years, in whom no elevated total IgE concentration was found and HDM IgE allergy was excluded. Comparative group I consisted of healthy children in the same age group, without a history of atopy (n = 25). Comparative group II included children with AD up to age of 5 years who had an elevated concentration of tot. IgE and/or sIgE against HDM (n = 37)

Results
Contact allergy to HDM was significantly more frequent in the study group than in comparative group I (p < 0.05). Contact allergy to HDM was more frequent in patients from the comparative group than in the study group. However, the difference did not turn out to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). Contact allergy to HDM was significantly more frequent in comparative group II than in group I. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The frequency of contact allergy to HDM in children does not depend on selected demographic factors such as sex, age, and place of residence. A statistically significant correlation was found between the occurrence of contact allergy to HDM and the severity of the disease assessed using the SCORAD scale. This relationship was found both in the study group and in the second comparative group.

Conclusions
Contact allergy to HDM in children with atopic dermatitis affects the severity of the disease. Patch tests with HDM should be recommended in all children with AD.