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Skin tests, T cell responses and self‐reported symptoms in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma due to house dust mite allergy
Author(s) -
Moed H.,
Gerth van Wijk R.,
De Jongste J. C.,
Van Der Wouden J. C.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.03130.x
Subject(s) - house dust mite , asthma , allergy , medicine , dermatology , immunology , mite , dust mites , respiratory hypersensitivity , allergen , biology , botany
Summary Background In allergic responses, a distinction is made between an early‐phase response, several minutes after allergen exposure, and a late‐phase response after several hours. During the late phase, eosinophils and T cells infiltrate the mucosa and play an important role in inflammation. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between allergen‐induced late‐phase skin responses and in vitro T cell reactivity. In addition, the relationship between allergen‐induced skin or T cell responses and the severity of self‐reported symptoms was studied in children with house dust mite allergy. Methods A total of 59 house dust mite‐allergic children (6–18 years) were recruited in general practice. These children or their parents rated their nasal and asthma symptoms on diary cards during 1 month. Allergen skin tests were performed and read after 15 min (early phase) and 6 h (late phase). Allergen‐specific T cell proliferation was determined, and Th2 cytokine (IL‐5 and IL‐13) secretion was analysed. Results The size of the late‐phase skin response correlated with in vitro T cell proliferation ( r s =0.38, P =0.003) but not with Th2 cytokine secretion ( r s =0.16, P =0.2 for both IL‐5 and IL‐13). Moreover, the late‐phase skin response and T cell proliferation correlated with asthma symptoms ( r s =0.30, P =0.02 for skin response and r s =0.28, P =0.03 for T cell proliferation) but not with nasal symptoms ( r s =0.19, P =0.15 for skin response and r s =0.09, P =0.52 for T cell proliferation). The early‐phase skin response correlated with the nasal symptom score ( r s =0.34, P =0.01) but not with asthma symptom scores ( r s <0.005, P =0.97). Conclusion In this study, the late‐phase skin test response correlated with in vitro T cell proliferation but not with Th2 cytokine secretion. We found weak or no correlations between late‐phase skin responses and symptoms of asthma or rhinitis in children with house dust mite allergy. This suggests that late‐phase skin responses reflect certain T cell properties but are of limited value for the evaluation of airway symptoms in atopic children.