Cekic S, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2021 Nov;36(49):e339. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2021.36.e339

Aim: The protective effect of allergen immunotherapy against a new allergic sensitization is controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effect of allergen immunotherapy on new allergic sensitization in children. Materials and Methods: The study included 50 patients who received immunotherapy for at least 3 years, and whose skin prick tests were repeated at intervals of at least 3 years (31 patients for house dust mite immunotherapy, 19 patients for pollen immunotherapy), and 69 controls with similar characteristics. Results: The number of patients who developed a new sensitization was similar both in the groups of patients who received house dust mite and pollen immunotherapy, and the control group. There was no significant difference between the first and last skin prick tests of the patients who received house dust mite and pollen immunotherapy; however, in the control groups, a significant increase in sensitivity to tree pollens (n = 2, 5.4%; n = 8, 21.6%) and weed pollens (n = 7, 26.9%; n = 14, 53.8%) was detected (P = .031 and P = .039). While allergen sensitivities in the first tests of the pollen immunotherapy group and the control group were similar, weed pollen sensitivity was significantly higher in the last tests of the control group (n = 14, 53.8%; n = 4, 21.1%, P = .027). It was determined that the presence of weed pollen sensitization (OR: 8.1, 95% CI: 1.5-42.4) and having asthma (OR: 3.5, 95% CI: 1.3-10.8) increases the risk of new sensitization in all groups. Conclusion: Allergen immunotherapy has been found to protect against new sensitization to tree and weed pollens. However, this effect was insignificant in the multivariate analysis. Weed pollen sensitization and the presence of asthma are related to the development of new sensitization. Cite this article as: Çekiç Ş, Canıtez Y, Çiçek F, Ocakoğlu G, Sapan N. The effect of allergen immunotherapy on the development of new sensitization in children. Turk Arch Pediatr. 2021; 56(4): 374-379.

Background: It was aimed to investigate the relationship between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), eosinophil-lymphocyte ratio (ELR), serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) values and allergy test positivity in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: The study is a descriptive study with a retrospective design. Data on patients aged 0-18 years with a diagnosis of AR were investigated retrospectively. Age, gender, hemogram parameters (leukocyte, eosinophil, lymphocyte, thrombocyte), total IgE values, allergy history and allergy test positivity were evaluated. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered as a statistically significant result. Results: In the study, the data of 230 pediatric patients with AR were analyzed. The median age of the children was 13 years (10-18). Of the patients 57.4% (n=132) were male, 42.6% (n=98) were female. All laboratory values, except PLR, of the patients with positive allergy test were higher than the patients with negative allergy test. This elevation in WBC, neutrophil, absolute eosinophil, eosinophil percentage, total IgE and ELR values was statistically significant (p<0.05). When the cut-off point for ELR is 0.066; sensitivity was 78.8% and specificity was 70.4%. When the cut-off point for total IgE is 134.5; sensitivity was 75.8%, specificity was 74.1% (p<0.001) Conclusions: According to study results, 3 out of every 4 patients with positive allergy test can be detected by ELR and total IgE values. Since allergy tests cannot be performed in every clinics, it is extremely important to evaluate the success of more practical and accessible blood tests in predicting allergy test positivity.

This study aimed to evaluate and compare changes in the posterior segment of pediatric asthma patients, potentially associated with asthma or inhaled corticosteroids. A retrospective analysis was conducted on children aged 7–17 diagnosed with atopic asthma. The participants were categorized into groups: Group 1 (no inhaled corticosteroids) and Group 2 (inhaled corticosteroid treatment). A control group of healthy children was also included. Demographic data, clinical findings, and laboratory results (e.g., eosinophil count, IgE, CRP levels) were collected. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) were used to measure posterior segment parameters. Asthma patients demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in subfoveal choroidal thickness, the superficial capillary plexus in the superior and nasal quadrants, the choriocapillaris in the foveal quadrant, and the peripapillary vascular density in the inferior and superior quadrants compared to controls. Inflammation markers such as eosinophil count and CRP showed significant correlations with changes in vascular density. Asthma, as a chronic inflammatory and hypoxic condition, can significantly affect posterior segment parameters, leading to potential visual function impairments in children. Regular monitoring with OCT and OCTA can help detect early microvascular changes, allowing for timely interventions to preserve visual health.