Early Atopic Sensitization to House-Dust Mite in Children with Recurrent Wheeze—A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives To determine sensitization to house-dust mite (HDM) antigen in under-five children with recurrent wheeze, compare it with nonwheezers, and assess atopic comorbidities in them. Methods A cross-sectional study was done in the Pediatric department of a teaching hospital in North India, in 190 children aged 1–5 y. Out of these, 127 had recurrent wheeze (RW), and 63 had no wheeze (NW). Sensitivity was done by skin prick test (SPT) for two dust mites antigens: Dermatophagoide farinae and Dermatophagoide pteronyssinus antigens. In addition, atopic comorbidities like atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis were assessed. Results Mean age of the study population was 34.52 ± 20.50 mo. SPT positivity for either of the dust mites was 97 (76.4%) in RW and 13 (20.6%) in NW which was significant ( p