Aeroallergen Sensitization in Adult Allergic Respiratory Disease: Insights from the Middle Black Sea Region of Türkiye
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Aeroallergen sensitization is influenced by local environmental and climatic conditions, resulting in considerable geographic variation in allergic respiratory diseases. Understanding regional sensitization patterns is essential for guiding diagnosis, allergen avoidance, and allergen immunotherapy. However, contemporary data from the humid Black Sea coastal region of Türkiye are limited. This study aimed to describe aeroallergen sensitization patterns in adults with allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma and to explore their relationship with clinical phenotype and asthma severity. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study included 754 adults diagnosed with AR and/or asthma who underwent skin prick testing at a tertiary allergy clinic between January 2023 and October 2024. Sensitization profiles were analysed according to demographic characteristics, disease phenotype, and asthma severity. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between major aeroallergen sensitization groups and asthma severity, with mild asthma as the reference category and adjustment for age and sex. Results Overall, 377 patients (50.0%) were sensitized to at least one aeroallergen, and 53.8% of sensitized individuals showed polysensitization. Among the 377 sensitized patients, pollen was the most common allergen group (60.5%), followed by house dust mites (50.9%), animal dander (44.6%), molds (24.9%), latex (21.0%), and cockroach (18.3%). Among individual allergens, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (35.3%) and Dermatophagoides farinae (28.6%) were the predominant sensitizers. Cockroach sensitization was significantly more frequent in patients with concomitant AR and asthma than in those with isolated AR. In contrast, sensitization to house dust mites was more common in patients with mild asthma than in those with severe disease (71.4% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.02). In multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, severe asthma was associated with lower odds of HDMS sensitization than mild asthma (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11–0.81; p = 0.02). Conclusions Adults with allergic respiratory disease living in the Black Sea coastal region of Türkiye demonstrate a distinct aeroallergen sensitization profile characterised by frequent house dust mites sensitization, extensive pollen co-sensitization, and a high prevalence of polysensitization. The observed association between house dust mites sensitization and milder asthma highlights the heterogeneity of asthma phenotypes in routine clinical practice. These findings support the development of region-specific diagnostic allergen panels and may help guide more individualized approaches to allergy diagnosis and management.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Ordu University
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology and Allergy
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Ordu Üniversitesi
OpenAlex ID: W7204164992