House Dust Mile Sensitivity in the Respiratory Allergic Subjects in Korea

House dust mite is one of the most important causative antigens in bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis in many countries. In recent years, Dermatophagoides mites are proved to be major antigenic producers of house dust allergy. The identification of offending allergic diseases depends upon clinical assessment, provocation test and if available. evaluation of immunological responses in the serum detected by in-vitro technics. The provocation test currently used in allergen identification are skin tests, nasal provocation tests and bronchial-inhalation test. So we used prick test with house dust mite extracts, which was supplied from Bencard Allergy Division in England. It was Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus extract, this was cross-reactant with Dermatophagoides farinae which is most popular distribution in Korea. We concluded that hyperseusitivity to house dust mite plays a important role in allergic respiratory disease in Korea. So we must pay attention to the control measure of house dust mite, such as avoidance or hyposensitization. The results of this study were summerized as follows. 1) Study group was composed of 147 patients of bronchial asthma. 58 patients of allergic rhinitis and 22 patients of bronchial asthma with allergic rhinitis. and the study group was compared with 121 cases of normal health control group. 2) Among the study group of allergic respiratory disease, positive reactants to the house dust mite extract were 26.0%. Compared with positive reaction of 0.8% in health control group. this result was statistically significant positive rate. 3) There is significant high positive reaction to house dust mite in the group of bronchial asthma with rhinitis. 50%. In other disease group, positive rate was as belows, bronchial asthma 22.4%. allergic rhinitis 25.9%. 4) There is significant relation between the age of patients and positive reactant to house dust mite especially higher incidence of positive reations was [ound in the younger age group and. no significant relationship between the severity of skin hypersensitivity to house dust mite antigen and degree of asthmatic symptoms