A multi-center analysis on the changes of sIgE in China from January
2020 to June 2021 under the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract
Background: As people in China travel less and consume less
imported frozen food during the COVID-19 pandemic, the composition ratio
of allergens may have changed. Objective: To investigate the
changes of composition ratio of 20 types of specific allergens from
January 2020 to June 2021 of 618 patients in China. Methods:
The 20 items of allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) detection includes
dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides farina, ambrosia
artemisiifolia, salix babylonica, dander of dog, alternaria, cockroach,
artemisia argyi, dander of cat, house dust, milk, hen’s egg, mutton,
cod, peanut, beef, soybean, shrimp, crab and wheat. The results of
detection were collected from patients of dermatology, pediatrics or
allergy department. They are from 17 hospitals in China from January
2020 to June 2021, and participants were required to have at least one
positive result of sIgE detection (≥0.35 IU/mL). The age ranges from 0
to 89 years old. Serum detection was performed by enzyme allegro-sorbent
test (REAST). Chi-square test and SPSS 22.0 software were used for
statistical analysis to understand the sIgE proportion changes of
different allergens. Results: The proportion of inhaled
allergens in 618 patients was significantly lower than that of ingested
allergens. Most of the inhaled allergens were indoor allergens. In the
first half of 2020, the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021,
the positive proportions of wheat, shrimp and crab were changed.
Compared with the same period in 2020, the positive proportion of wheat
and shrimp in the spring of 2021 significantly decreased, while that of
crab was significantly increased. The ratio fluctuation of
dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and dermatophagoides farina was related
to seasonal factors. There was no significant difference in the
proportion of other allergens. Conclusion: The special
historical background of the epidemic may have a certain influence on
the change of the proportion of allergens, but it is not the only
factor.