Characterization of a Cohort of Storage Mite Sensitized Subjects

Purpose Storage mites (SM) are ubiquitously found close to human habitation and are a source of allergic reactions ranging from allergic rhinitis and asthma to anaphylactic reactions. Methods Data on 3997 patients with suspected allergic rhinitis were included. We performed correlation of intradermal testing and specific IgE-test results using Cohen’s kappa and univariate logistic regression to evaluate the probability of symptoms and the point of time symptoms were reported. In some patients nasal provocation was performed to prove allergic rhinitis. Results Patients with storage mite sensitization show a high degree of cross reactivity between different storage mite species. Cross reactivity of storage mite species with house dust mites (HDM) was found in 56% and is only slightly higher than that of other common allergens such as grasses (45%) or birch (42%). A correlation of intradermal testing and specific IgE testing could not be found. The most common symptoms of sensitized subjects were nasal obstruction and hyposmia and symptoms were dependent on presence of chronic sinusitis. Nasal provocation was positive in 16 to 33% of subjects tested. Conclusions SM are a common sensitization in the study population and should be included in standard skin prick test arrays. Cross sensitization to house dust mites is limited and nasal symptoms are most frequent. Nasal provocation testing is necessary to secure clinical diagnosis of allergy and further research is needed to evaluate the clinical relevance of the high sensitization rates found for intradermal testing.