Effects of Allergen Avoidance at High Altitude on Children with Asthma or Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

Patients with atopic diseases benefit from a high-altitude climate, the effectiveness of which may be related to established house dust mite allergy. A relationship between these variables and disease severity as well as inflammatory activity has not been previously studied. The study objectives were: (1) to assess changes in inflammatory levels for children and adolescents with asthma or atopic dermatitis during a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation stay at high altitude, (2) to examine the role of house dust mite sensitization, and (3) to compare the results for the two diagnostic groups. A total of 115 children and adolescents aged 10-16 years were enrolled in the study: 60 suffered from asthma and 55 from atopic dermatitis. The prevalence of house dust mite sensitization was 36.52%. Urine and blood samples were collected on admission to an inpatient rehabilitation clinic and at their discharge 1 month later. Urinary eosinophil protein X (U-EPX) and serum eosinophil cationic protein (S-EPC)-levels were ana...