Allergic sensitization of asthma patients in the city of Niamey

Study aims. - To investigate allergic sensitization in an asthmatic population at the Lamorde National Hospital (LNH) in Niamey (Niger). Patients and methods. - This was a prospective study of 123 records of patients with allergic asthma seen at the allergy unit of the Lamorde National Hospital (LNH) over a one-year period. Results. - The average age was 27.10 years, with 22.76% of patients aged between 31 and 40 years or higher. Female predominance was noted (52%). Identification of the allergen in question was based mainly on skin prick testing (100%). Students and teachers were the most widely affected, with 42.27% and 11.38% respectively. The personal history of allergy identified was as follows: allergic rhinitis (68.29%), conjunctivitis (40.65%), atopic dermatitis (9.75%), food allergy (9.75%) and drug allergy (2.43%). Regarding family history, the most frequent cases encountered were asthma (63.41%), rhinitis (43.08%) and conjunctivitis (20.32%). Symptoms were dominated by cough (71.54%), dyspnea (56.91%), rhinorrhea (55.28%), nasal obstruction (39.83%), sibilance (39.83%), sneezing (36.58%), nasal pruritus (34.95%), anosmia (24.39%) and ocular pruritus (8.94%). The most common environmental factors were the presence of carpets (82.92%), passive smoking (11.38%) and active smoking (4.06%). Asthma was intermittent in 81.30% of cases. The main allergens identified were: cockroaches (47.15%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus mites (40.65%), Dermatophagoides farinae mites (37.39%), shrimps (24.39%), locusts (19.51%), cat hair (18.69%), Blomia mites (12.19%), groundnuts (4.87%), grasses (4.87%), dog hair (4.06%), whole eggs (3.25%), Alternaria (2.43%) and Aspergillus (0.81%). Conclusion. - Allergic asthma is common in sub-Saharan Africa. In our cohort, we showed sensitization predominantly to cockroaches, followed by D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae mites. Certain environmental factors as well as lifestyle played a role. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.