Sensitivity to House Dust Mites Allergens in Patients with Allergic Asthma in Erzincan Province, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sensitivity of allergic asthma (AA) patients to house dust mites (HDM) by conducting skin tests, measuring total and specific IgE antibodies to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae mites, and examining HDM fauna in patients' homes.

METHODS: The study included 25 patients with AA and 31 healthy controls, who were challenged with Der p and Der f allergens; serum levels of allergen-specific lgE and total IgE were measured. Dust samples were collected from the homes of all participants, and mite species and the number of mites per gram of dust were investigated.

RESULTS: D. pteronyssinus was found in the homes of 94.7% patients with positive Der p reactions in the skin test (p<0.001). D. farinae was found in the homes of 22.2% patients with positive Der f reactions in the skin test (p>0.05). D. pteronyssinus-specific IgE was detected in 75% patients in whose homes D. pteronyssinus was also found, while D. farinae-specific IgE was detected in 16.6% patients in whose homes D. farinae was also found.

CONCLUSION: A part of AA patients residing in Erzincan are sensitive to HDM allergens, and high numbers of mites leading to allergic sensitization are found in their homes.