The Association of Month of Birth with Allergic Sensitization in Pediatric Patients with Asthma in Mureș County, Romania

Objective: To demonstrate a link between the allergy disease and birth date, starting from the hypothesis that the season of birth may affect the future development of allergy.
Methods: Our prospective study included eighty-six asthmatic children, with ages between 1 and 18 years, who were admitted to the Clinic of Pediatrics I from Tîrgu Mureș, Romania, between October 2008 and June 2010. We analyzed the age, month of birth, sensitization to a given antigen (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, milk proteins, egg, mold, dog epithelium, cat epithelium, soya, carrot, potatoes, peanuts, tomato). Specific IgE serum levels to allergens were measured. RAST equal or higher than class 1 was considered as positive. This data was combined with the presence of different types of allergens during the year. The study was extended to the intrauterine period, when the fetus is also faced with different type of antigens, and maternal antibody.
Results: We observed the appearance of three “waves”, in February, April, September and early October the incidence of allergic sensitization was higher than in other months.
Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that the first few months of life represent a sensitive period, during which protection from exposure to pollen allergens may be associated with decreased sensitization to pollens.