[Prevalence of allergy to cockroaches in the African intertropical zone. Review of the literature].

The epidemiology of environmental allergens and their role in respiratory pathology remains poorly understood in sub-Sahara Africa. The aim of this work was to measure the frequency of sensitivity to cockroach allergens of subjects with chronic respiratory affections in the Ivory Coast. We recruited consecutively 140 patients, adults and infants, who had asthma, rhinitis or sinusitis over a period of 20 months, in a hospital environment. The patients were prepared by a clinical questionnaire on atopy (personal and familial antecedents), systemic prick tests for common environmental allergens (cockroaches, mites, moulds). Our results indicated that the mean age of the children was 8 years and that of the adults 26 years (with extremes of 3 and 53 years). The proportion of patients with positive prick tests to cockroaches was 30.7% (43 cases). In asthmatics it was 16.5%. When asthma was associated with an ORL focus, 41.9% was found and in isolated ORL pathology 19.5%. Existence of familial atopy was found in 72% of cases. Discomfort from domestic dust was shown on questioning by 88.4% of cases. In 81.4% of cases positivity of the prick test to cockroaches was accompanied by a positive reaction to mites. Those who were only sensitive to cockroaches were less than 10%. Types II and III asthma were 2/3 in the asthmatic patients. In conclusion, the cockroaches were in the second rank of pneumoallergens that are implicated in sensitization and in the perpetuation of allergic respiratory symptoms, after the mites. These two factors were often associated in our patients and are consequently seen with a strong allergenic potential that is exercised by the interior environment.