MEDICATION REQUIREMENTS AND HOUSE DUST MITE EXPOSURE IN MITE-SENSITIVE ASTHMATICS

To better understand the clinical consequences of exposure to house dust mites (HDM), we investigated the relationship between treatment requirements to control symptoms in mite-allergic asthmatic patients and HDM-allergenic levels in their mattresses. This study included 49 asthmatic subjects recruited from an outpatient clinic. The protocol consisted of a questionnaire about the number of asthma attacks and treatment requirements in the last 3 months. Patients provided a sample of house dust collected from their mattresses by a standardized vacuum cleaning procedure, Mean antigen P1 equivalent defined as the sum of major allergens Der pI and Der fI (Ag P1 Eq) level was 1.34-mu-g/g dust in patients who had no treatment, 5.4-mu/g dust in patients who took puffs of beta-2-agonists only when required and 17.8-mu/g dust in patients who required daily long-term treatment. Similar relationships were demonstrated between mean Ag P1 Eq levels and the number of asthma attacks. These data support the clinical role of allergenic exposure in HDM-allergic asthmatics.