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Exploring allergen sensitization profiles in children with respiratory allergy

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Created On: 17/07/2026

Respiratory and allergic diseases in children

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Key take away

House dust mite remains the leading inhalant allergen in pediatric respiratory allergy, while total IgE reflects the overall burden of allergen sensitization.

Background

Childhood allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma are becoming increasingly common worldwide, and both conditions are closely linked to sensitization to inhaled allergens such as house dust mite (HDM), pollens, and animal dander. Because these triggers often shape symptom patterns, disease burden, and treatment response, understanding sensitization profiles can provide important clues for more precise diagnosis and personalized allergy care.

This study sought to describe the pattern of inhalant allergen sensitization in AR and asthma-affected children and to explore whether age, sex, disease type, and serum total immunoglobulin E (tIgE) levels influenced these profiles.

Method

A retrospective observational study was executed in children aged 3–14 years diagnosed with AR or asthma. Demographic characteristics, clinical variables, serum tIgE, and specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) responses to 15 common inhalant allergens were analyzed.

Sensitization patterns were compared according to age group, sex, and diagnosis. Statistical analyses incorporated chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, t-tests, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Spearman correlation analyses. Multiple comparisons were adjusted utilizing the Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate method.

Result

Overall, 107 children were included, consisting of 51 with AR and 56 with asthma.

HDM was the most common sensitizing allergen, affecting 57.9% of participants.
The next most frequent sensitizations were mixed house dust and cat dander. Age influenced sensitization to mixed tree pollens and dog dander after false discovery rate adjustment.
Sex-based differences were largely absent, except for a higher prevalence of Timothy grass sensitization among boys.
Comparisons between AR and asthma showed nominal differences for cockroach and cat dander sensitization, but these did not remain significant after multiple-testing correction.
The levels of total IgE showed a significant positive correlation with the number of sensitized allergens.
Higher total IgE was independently linked with sensitization to HDM, cockroach, cat dander, and mixed house dust allergens.

Overall, the findings showed that indoor allergens dominated sensitization patterns, while tIgE reflected the cumulative allergen burden in these children.

Conclusion

HDM was the dominant inhalant allergen in children with respiratory allergy. Sensitization varied by age for selected allergens, while sex and diagnosis had limited influence. The tIgE mirrored overall sensitization load, underscoring the requisition for comprehensive allergen testing in pediatric allergy care.