Overview

Allergy is defined as a condition characterised by an immune system response to an exogenous antigen, involving the production of IgE antibodies against it. Due to the similarity between the immune response to helminths and IgE-mediated allergic diseases, there is intense debate regarding the relationship between these parasites and allergy. We assessed 404 children in the town of Veríssimo, in both urban and rural areas. The occurrence of atopic conditions (asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis) was clinically assessed using the ISAAC questionnaire, serum levels of total IgE and specific IgE against the allergens Der p1-2, Per a7 and tropomyosin from Ascaris and dust mites. The concentration of total or specific IgE did not vary in any of the allergic conditions analysed or between individuals from rural or urban areas. However, we observed a positive correlation between the concentration of total IgE and that of anti-Der p1-2 IgE. There was a positive correlation between IgE production against Per a7 antigens and Ascaris tropomyosin antigens. The lack of difference in the parameters analysed between the populations may be because the city studied is a rural municipality, where there are no significant discrepancies between rural areas.

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