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Prevalence of asthma and atopy in sarcoidosis
Author(s) -
WILSHER MARGARET,
HOPKINS RAEWYN,
ZENG IRENE,
CORNERE MEGAN,
DOUGLAS RICHARD
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
respirology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1440-1843
pISSN - 1323-7799
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1843.2011.02066.x
Subject(s) - medicine , atopy , asthma , wheeze , sarcoidosis , allergy , immunology , population , cohort , environmental health
Background and objective: We hypothesized that the prevalence of allergic disorders, characterized by the release of type 2 cytokines (IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐10), would be lower in sarcoidosis in which there is a dominant type 1 immune response (IL‐2, interferon‐gamma). The objective was to measure the prevalence of atopy and self‐reported asthma in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Sarcoidosis patients ( n = 136, 72 M, age range 22–75), recruited in the outpatient setting, completed a modified European Community Respiratory Health Survey. 123 of these patients provided blood for allergy testing. Results: For the cohort as a whole the self‐reported prevalence of asthma ever (21.5%) and asthma attack in the last 12 months (7.5%), was high as was wheezing (42.1%), breathlessness with wheeze (22.3%) and use of an asthma medication (13.1%). The prevalence of atopy was 34%. These data are not different from the previously reported prevalence of asthma and atopy in New Zealand. Conclusions: The same prevalence of asthma symptoms and atopy as in the normal population suggests that the immune system is not skewed away from mounting T helper type 2 immune responses in sarcoidosis.