[Occurrence of atopy in asthmatic children].

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among children. The prevalence of asthma among adult and children has systematically increased for the last thirty years. It was hypothesized that atopy was a strong background predisposing to asthma. The aim of the study was to assess the occurrence of atopy in children suffering from asthma. Two groups of children were examined. The study group consisted of 24 children aged 3-7 suffering from asthma and 26 children with bronchitis. Data about each patient's personal and family allergic history were collected. Each child had skin prick tests with common allergens made, total and specific IgE level was measured and blood eosinophil count and spirometry were performed. The result showed that asthma in 88% of the children had an atopic background. Above 70% of the children had allergic diseases other than asthma--the most common was allergic rhinitis (54%) and atopic dermatitis (37.5%). Skin tests revealed that the examined children were mostly sensitized to the allergens of house dust (85.7%), house dust mite (66.6%), and grass pollen (33.3%). Atopic features were also found in children suffering from recurrent bronchitis.