Objective: To study the pathogenesis of the patients with allergic rhinitis diagnosed by Skin Prick Test (SPT), especially about the epidemiologic data of the involved allergens.
Method: The data was collected from 958 patients referred to the listed three allergy center and subsequently diagnosed as allergic rhinitis by SPT.
Result: The intermittent mild type was more prevalent in male patients (40.5%); comparably the intermittent moderate type in female patients (70.0%); in the infant patients the moderate-severe type dominated (73.7%). The positive results of SPT comprised mainly of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der. p, 98.3%), Dermatophagoides farinae(Der. f, 96.8%), and Blomia tropicalis (Blot, 73.8%). Only 1.7% of the patients was allergic to single allergen, in contrary ,the majority of patients were allergic to multiple allergens. The positive rate to Der. p and Der. f was reversely increasing with age of the patients; and contrarily the number of positive allergens was increasing along with the age of the patients. The allergy to outdoor allergen was less common, and the positive rate in skin prick test was lower than the previously reported rate in North China ,such as timothy (3.9%), birch (2.7%), ragweed (2.0%), and mugwort (1.2%).
Conclusion: Dust Mite is the predominant allergen for patients with allergic rhinitis in Guangdong province; and the positive rate to outdoor allergen is lower than that in North China.