[Sensitization to house dust and storage mites in allergic adults from the South of Mexico city].

BACKGROUND

Mites are the most common cause of respiratory allergy. Sensitization to house dust mites is estimated at 30%. Families Euroglyphus and Dermatophagoides, are the most important. Recently, storage mites, from the families Acaridae and Glyciphagidae, have become more important as a cause of allergic respiratory diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify sensitization to house dust and storage mites by skin tests in adult patients with allergic respiratory diseases.

METHODS

This is a descriptive study in patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis, with the approval of the local research committee 2009-3601-46. Patients underwent skin prick tests, with seven standardized extracts of mites (IPI ASACR). The results were analyzed with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 150 patients, 109 women and 41 men, with an average age 31 years (±11) were studied. The more common allergic diseases in this group of patients were: asthma and rhinitis 72 and 26%, respectively, and asthma plus rhinitis 3.2%. Positive skin tests for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae were 82.1% 71.5%, respectively, and for storage mites: A. siro 51.7%, Tyrophagus 47.4%, Glycyphagus 47.7%, B. tropicalis 39.7% and Lepidoglyphus 39.1%. Storage mites produced greater sensitization than house dust mites, 32% vs 10%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that adult patients with respiratory allergy, in southern Mexico City, have a higher rate of sensitization to storage mites than the one reported in the literature.