Background Skin prick tests (SPT) are the gold standard for determining atopy. In epidemiological studies of childhood allergy, questionnaire responses are often used to define atopy and predict sample size. Questionnaire-reported hayfever symptoms have shown 28-76% sensitivity and 21-94% specificity compared to SPT. We evaluated how questionnaire definitions of atopy affect sensitivity, specif...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of childhood asthma and of atopy varies widely between countries. However, few studies have compared the pattern of diagnosis and management of asthma, or the role of atopy in predisposing to asthma between a less affluent country and a more affluent country. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of symptoms, diagnosis, and management of asthma, and the p...

OBJECTIVE Schizophrenia is associated with atopy and increased inflammatory markers. We report a population-based longitudinal study of the associations between childhood atopic disorders, subsequent serum inflammatory markers, interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and the risk of psychotic experiences (PEs). METHOD PEs were assessed at age 13 years (n=6785). Presence of clinicia...

BACKGROUND In the latest decades, epidemiological studies on allergic disorders in children, including atopic dermatitis, rhinitis and asthma, demonstrated a continuous increase in prevalence. However, such studies are usually performed by questionnaires and, sometimes, by skin prick test or in vitro IgE tests, while the portion of allergy sustained by the cell-mediated mechanism is neglected, ...

OBJECTIVE The prevalence of Th-2 cell-mediated diseases, such as atopic diseases, has been noted to be low in Th-1 cell-mediated diseases. This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of atopy and atopic diseases in Behçet's disease (BD), a Th-1 cell-mediated disease, and to investigate the clinical association between the atopy and the development of severe manifestations in BD. METHOD...