Aeroallergen mapping in a pediatric pneumo-allergology consultation

Each pediatric pneumo-allergology consultation begins with a thorough medical history, followed by a complete clinical examination. After these preliminary steps, additional investigations may be requested. Records of 993 patients who attended the pediatric pneumo-allergology consultation at the UCL Namur university hospital (Godinne site) during the first semester of 2023 were reviewed and analyzed. Based on the medical history and symptoms, skin prick tests were performed for aeroallergens using the prick test method. Skin prick tests were conducted in 204 children between 7 months and 17 years and 3 months of age. Among them, 102 showed positive results. The distribution of sensitizations revealed a clear predominance of sensitization to house dust mites (58.8%), followed by cat dander (37.3%) and grass pollen (33.3%). Polysensitization was observed in over 60% of sensitized patients. In the management of pediatric respiratory allergies, allergen avoidance is the primary step, with a particular emphasis on environmental management. In the case of a positive test for an animal, avoidance remains challenging, even if a correlation between symptoms and the test result has been well-established and recognized by the family. Avoidance could not be achieved in the immediate environment in 68.4% of cases for cats and 66.6% of cases for dogs. What is already known about the topic? Respiratory allergies are expanding globally, partially attributed to climate and societal changes. These changes lead to substantial modifications in the composition and distribution of environmental allergens. What does this article bring up for us? This article presents regional epidemiological data on paediatric respiratory allergies in 2023. It also discusses challenges related to the implementation of avoidance measures for the implicated aeroallergen. Keywords Aeroallergens, epidemiology, cat dander, dog dander, dust mites, pollens, allergen avoidance