Allergy and asthma.

An increased prevalence of sensitization to inhalants in asthmatic children is well known. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness is regarded as a major characteristic of bronchial asthma and is partly acquired during life as a result of a permanent airway irritation to inhaled allergens. We investigated 704 schoolchildren of two different climate areas for existing bronchial hyperreactivity (cumulative carbachol test) and sensitization to ten common aeroallergens (by skin prick test). Additional information on residential factors, passive smoking, and clinical symptoms for asthma was obtained by a standardized interview and compared with the clinical results. Among 35 of 704 children who were considered as asthmatics, 83% demonstrated a sensitization to one or more allergens. On the contrary, only one third of the nonasthmatic population (n = 669) showed sensitization in the skin test. The relative risk for allergy in children with bronchial hyperreactivity was increased (odds ratio 3.0). Therefore we regard sensitization to common inhalants as an important predictor of asthma in childhood.