EVALUATION OF SKIN PRICK TEST RESULTS IN PATIENTS WITH RESPIRATORY TRACT ALLERGY SYMPTOMS IN THE KADIKÖY DISTRICT OF ISTANBUL

¹İstanbul Bayındır Hastanesi, KBB, İstanbul, Turkey
²İstanbul Kemerburgaz Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, KBB, İstanbul, Turkey
³Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Okmeydanı Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, KBB, İstanbul, Turkey Allergic diseases are the result of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors include nutrition, domestic and external respiratory allergens, cigarette smoke, infections, and air pollution. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a disease characterised by reversible obstruction due to chronic airway inflammation, caused by environmental factors interacting with genetic susceptibility. This study evaluated the prevalence of allergic sensitisation to common allergens, based on SPTs conducted in the Kadıköy District of Istanbul, Turkey. The main goal was to determine the prevalence of skin positivity to different aeroallergens in patients with AR in Istanbul to improve management strategies. This retrospective study included 1,200 patients diagnosed with AR clinically and seen between June 2010 and June 2016 in the Bayındır İçerenköy Clinic. We retrospectively evaluated epidermal SPT results in patients with clinically evident AR residing in Istanbul and its suburbs. We found that 66% of the subjects had at least one allergic reaction. This result is important for allergists aiming to determine strategies for allergy prevention in this region. Keywords : Allergy, skin test, allergic rhinitis