THE SEX DIFFERENCES OF SENSITIZATION TO FORMALDEHYDE IN ADOLESCENTS OF INDUSTRIAL CITIES WITH HEREDITARY CHEMICAL BURDEN

Abstract

The number of people with sensitization and allergies increases annually. The occurrence of allergopathology can be influenced by external effects on the body of children, exposure of parents to chemical compounds in the period preceding birth and the sex of the child. The purpose of the work was to identify the sex differences in sensitization to formaldehyde in adolescents of industrial cities with hereditary chemical cargo. A survey was conducted of 800 boys and girls living under conditions of various inhalation loads with formaldehyde. The parents of these teenagers were exposed to chemical factors or were not exposed to it in the production activity. A total of 340 adolescents met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (Ig E) and the content of formaldehyde in urine were determined in them. The sensitization to formaldehyde was assessed by the leukocytes migration inhibition test (LMIT) with this compound. For these high school students the personalized hazard indices of formaldehyde exposure (HQ) were calculated due to its inhalation intake from the air. Among adolescents without hereditary chemical burden, the migration index in LMIT in the group of boys was higher compared to the group of girls. Atmospheric air pollution with formaldehyde (HQ1) increased the relative risk of sensitization to this toxicant by three times in the group of young men whose parents had no industrial contact with chemical compounds during the pre-gestation period. Thus, the sensitization to formaldehyde was more common among boys aged 14-17 years than among girls of the same age. Higher levels of Ig E were typical for male adolescents. The presence of sex differences in the sensitization of the body of adolescents to pollutants confirms the need to take into account sex for the development of diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic measures aimed at preventing the development of allergopathology and preserving the health of the population.