Sensitization profile differences between non-severe and severe patients
Overall, we observed individual c-sIgE sensitization (at least one positive c-sIgE ≥0.30 ISU) for 51.4% of preschool children and 75.3% of school-age children.
Among preschool children, at the biological source level, 21.5% were sensitized to at least one food, 45.9% to at least one airborne, and 20% to at least one cross-reactive allergen (Table 2). Preschool children with NSRW more frequently had multi-sensitization (≥2 biological sources) than those with SRW (51.1% vs 24.4%, p=0.002), although there was no difference for food and cross-reactive components. Airborne allergen and house dust mite (HDM) sensitizations were more frequent among children with NSRW than SRW (60.9% vs 36.8%; p=0.010) and 53.2% vs 24.4% (p=0.001), respectively. At the component level, patterns of sensitization to individual allergen components did not clearly discriminate NSRW from SRW or NSA from SA (Figure 2). However, sensitization (concentration ≥0.30 ISU) to the HDM components Der f 1 (38.3% vs 26.4%, p=0.032), Der f 2 (42.6% vs 16.7%, p=0.003), Der p 1 (42.6% vs 19.2%, p=0.009), and Der p 2 (48.9% vs 17.9%, p<0.001) was more frequent among children with NSA than SA (Sup Table 1). There was no difference in terms of c-sIgE components ≥15 ISU (Sup Table 2).
Among school-age children, at the biological source level, 23.7% were sensitized to at least one food, 74.1% to at least one airborne, and 32.1% to at least one cross-reactive allergen (Table 2). The rates of multi-sensitization were comparable between children with NSA and SA (62% vs 61.3%, p=0.92). There was no difference in airborne sensitization profiles but sensitization to non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) was more frequent among children with SA than NSA (16.1% vs 3.7%, p=0.005). At the component level, the number of children with c-sIgE ≥0.30 ISU did not differ between children with SA and NSA, except for the food components Gal d 1/ovomucoid (6.5% vs 0%, p=0.032) and Cor a 9 (8.1% vs 0.9%, p=0.046), the airborne components Can f 1 (22.6% vs 8.3%, p=0.017), Can f 2 (14.5% vs 2.8%, p=0.01), and the nsLTP components Art v 3 (8.1% vs 0.9%, p=0.046) and Cor a 8 (6.5% vs 0, p=0.032) (Sup Table 1). The number of children with c-sIgE ≥15 ISU was comparable between SA and NSA (Sup Table 2).