Abstract
Objective: To determine the interaction between factors such as atopy, environmental exposure, and urbanization and helminthic infections in modulating asthma among adult asthmatics in Urban setting in Nigeria
Methods: A random sample of 22 (10M, 12F) consecutive asthmatics, seen in the outpatient pulmonary clinic of University College Hospital Ibadan and 27(13M,14F) age and gender matched controls underwent evaluation which included blood tests for eosinophils, serum IgE, allergy skin tests to 8 common environmental allergens and spirometry. The modified version of the questionnaire of the International study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) Phase III used by the same study group of researcher in Nigeria was used to assess the asthma symptoms. Wilcoxen sign-rank tests were used to compare eosinophil counts, percentage eosinophil and allergic skin test between the two groups, while paired t test was used to compare spirometry variables
Results: Asthmatics had significantly more positive skin reaction to house dust mite, mould, than controls (P<0.05).
Total serum IgE was also significantly higher in asthmatics than in controls (mean 210 vs.60 IU/ml; P=0.003).However no significant differences were observed in total eaosinophil counts. No significant difference in the degree of intestinal helminth infection in the two groups. Which means stool parasitism was similar. FEV1% was significantly lower in asthmatics (p=0.02) but FEV1 was similar between the 2 groups (P=0.02)
Conclusion: The elevated levels of IgE and positive skin reactions to some of the common environmental allergens suggest an important role of atopy in the expression of asthma in this developing country’s urban setting.
- © 2013 ERS
