Atopic disease presentation in northeastern China: a 10-year retrospective study

This study was designed to investigate the prevalence pattern and characteristics of atopic disease in patients in the second largest allergy clinic in China. All clinical data associated with 103,370 patients treated at our allergy clinic between January 2001 and December 2010 were analyzed. There was a 3.4-fold increase in allergy cases over this 10-year period, with significant increases in hospital visits associated with asthma (43%), rhinitis (31.6%), and urticaria (11.7%), in particular. The highest incidence rates occurred in August, followed by September, and then July. Of 57,887 positive SPT (skin prick test) patients (positive rate of 56%), the main allergens identified were Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (77.8%), D. farinae (75.1%), Artemisia vulgaris (40.5%), Ambrosia elatior (22.3%), dog dander (10.9%), and Humulus scandens (1.9%). About 65.5% (22,253/33,974) of SPT positive patients responded to at least one type of allergen in serum specific IgE (sIgE) tests. Approximately 18.2% of the patients seen were tested for sIgE reactivity for differential diagnosis purposes although they did not exhibit any signs of atopic disease. Our observations provide allergists with current data for patients in China, which will improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of atopic diseases.