Asma alérgica, niveles de IgE total y exposición a los acaros del polvo casero en el municipio de Santiago de Tolú, Colombia

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of the asthma at world-wide level makes the investigation necessary of factors that influence their etiology and pathogenesis. In Colombia the prevalence of asthma is as high as in the industrialized countries. A study of clinical histories in the municipality of Santiago de Tolú (Colombia), showed to a high percentage of consultation by asthma and allergic rhinitis in the infantile population. With the objective to determine the frequency of asthma in the general population a descriptive study of cross-sectional was made, starting off of the information collected with a designed and proven questionnaire. A total of 316 people were asked, with representativeness of age groups and socioeconomic status. The diagnosis was confirmed by means of spirometry and measurement of the levels of total IgE in blood. As result, 8.9% of the people asked showed to clinical symptoms and positive spirometry for asthma with levels of total > IgE 100 UI/ mL, being the children between 5 and 15 years the most affected (71.5%). The survey allowed to evaluate sensitivity to environmental factors, being the house dust and smoke cigarette the most associated to the disease. The presence of mites in the accumulated dust in mattresses was confirmed, being  Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Blomia tropicalis the most frequent species.