Allergies in Europe: regional differences in sensitisation profiles identified in children for the first time

Medicine & Science As part of a MedUni Vienna-led study conducted in cooperation with Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Krems, a comprehensive European allergy atlas has been compiled for the first time using a newly developed test method. Identification of molecular sensitisation patterns in around 2,800 children from northern, western, central and southern Europe revealed clear regional and climate-related differences in sensitisation to allergens, while also showing lifestyleand diet-dependent divergences. The study results are now providing the basis for new diagnostic and treatment procedures for allergies, in addition to new prevention strategies at the European level. The findings have just been published in respected journal Allergy. The comprehensive study revealed that sensitisation to the grass pollen allergen Phl p 1 and the main cat allergen Fel d 1 dominates in most areas of Europe, while sensitivity to house dust mite allergens (Der p 1, 2 and 23) varies greatly by region and is at its lowest in the north of the continent. Sensitisation to peanut allergens occurs only in a few regions, while adverse reactions to fruit allergens (Pru p 3, and Act d 1 and 2) are more prevalent in southern and central Europe. Although wasp sting and other insect allergens are the predominant allergen molecules in northern, western and central Europe, the same does not apply in southern Europe.