Study Profiles Allergen Sensitization Patterns Among Symptomatic Children in Wuhan

A retrospective observational study investigating childhood allergen sensitivities in Central China found that 63.0 percent of symptomatic pediatric patients tested positive for allergen-specific immunoglobulin E. Researchers Ziwei Liu and Dan Lu analyzed laboratory records to characterize regional sensitization patterns across food and inhalant triggers among children undergoing evaluation in Wuhan from 2023 to 2025. Across the entire cohort, milk and egg white emerged as the most prevalent food allergens, whereas house dust mite species dominated inhalant allergen profiles.

Understanding regional epidemiology of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E, or sIgE, is essential for optimizing localized clinical prevention and guiding individualized pediatric care. Because global rates of childhood allergic diseases continue to climb steadily, local clinical management relies on mapping the specific environmental and dietary antigens driving immune sensitization within distinct geographic areas. The authors sought to provide clear baseline evidence regarding how sensitization frequencies shift across different demographic and temporal categories.

To evaluate these patterns, the investigators established a study cohort of 6,873 children, comprising 4,264 boys and 2,609 girls who underwent quantitative allergen-sIgE testing between 2023 and 2025. To ensure valid statistical comparison, the methodology retained only the first test episode recorded for each child. This design choice meant each participant contributed a single entry to every evaluation, maintaining independent observations across the dataset. The research team evaluated positive rates across 23 distinct allergens using the chi-square test to examine differences categorized by sex, age bracket, calendar year, and sampling season.

Food allergen evaluations revealed that milk was the most common dietary sensitizer, yielding a positive rate of 41.4 percent based on 924 positive results out of 2,232 children tested. Egg white followed closely as the second most frequent food allergen, showing a positivity rate of 32.0 percent from 696 positive tests among 2,177 tested individuals. Sensitization to these primary dietary proteins did not display statistically significant differences between male and female pediatric patients.

Among inhalant allergens, two common house dust mite species accounted for the highest overall positivity rates across the tested population. Dermatophagoides farinae produced positive results in 49.0 percent of tested subjects, representing 2,207 positive cases out of 4,508 children. Similarly, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was positive in 46.6 percent of subjects, with 2,099 positive tests recorded among 4,507 tested patients. Unlike the dietary triggers, inhalant sensitization showed notable sex-specific disparities, with boys displaying significantly higher positive rates than girls across nine separate inhalant allergens, including both mite species, mold mix, and most tested pollens.

Patient age played a clear role in shaping the trajectory of allergic sensitization across childhood. Positive rates for both egg white and milk peaked during the toddler period before progressively declining in older cohorts. In contrast, sensitization to house dust mites increased steadily with advancing age, maintaining elevated frequencies throughout school-age children and adolescents. These divergent patterns highlight a distinct developmental progression between early-life dietary allergens and later-emerging respiratory exposures.

Sensitization rates also exhibited marked seasonal fluctuations tied to the time of sample collection. Sensitization to sesame, peanut, and soybean registered higher positive rates in spring, while positive reactions to most plant pollens also reached their peak during the spring months. Conversely, sensitization to house dust mites reached its highest levels in samples collected during the summer season, reflecting distinct temporal variations across different allergen classes throughout the calendar year.

Evaluating correlations among sensitization grades via Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated a close correlation between Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae responses. However, because the testing protocol utilized whole-extract allergen assays rather than molecular allergen components, the authors emphasized that these correlated grades indicate co-sensitization rather than laboratory-confirmed cross-reactivity. Confirming true immunological cross-reactivity requires component-resolved diagnostics.

The study authors concluded that milk, egg white, and house dust mites represent the primary sensitizing allergens among children evaluated in Wuhan, with distributions shaped by age, sex, calendar year, and sampling season. Because allergen-specific immunoglobulin E levels reflect cumulative immune sensitization to whole extracts rather than definitive clinical reactivity or active symptomatic disease, the findings must be interpreted alongside each child’s clinical history, developmental age, and sampling timing.

Subject of Research: Allergen-specific IgE sensitization patterns among symptomatic children in Wuhan

Article Title: Analysis of sensitization characteristics and correlation of common food and inhalant allergen-specific IgE among children in Wuhan from 2023 to 2025

Article References: Liu, Z., & Lu, D. (2026). Analysis of sensitization characteristics and correlation of common food and inhalant allergen-specific IgE among children in Wuhan from 2023 to 2025. BMC Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-026-07993-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12887-026-07993-y

Keywords: allergen sensitization, specific IgE, pediatric allergy, Wuhan, food allergens, inhalant allergens, cow milk allergy, egg white allergy, Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, house dust mites, seasonal variation, childhood allergies, co-sensitization, observational study, toddler health, pollen sensitization