Asthma is a common disease characterised by airway inflammation with a high prevalence worldwide, about 300 million people suffering from the disease. 1 Among these patients, 5%-10% of them may have severe, unstable and uncontrolled symptoms, which are defined as severe asthma by the World Health Organization. 2 These patients required hospitalisation more frequently due to acute exacerbation at night or with poor symptom control despite Step 4-5 treatment based on GINA guidelines, which seriously reduces their quality of life and constitutes heavy financial burden to their families. 3 Clinically, it has been observed that patients with severe asthma may have breathing difficulty, wheezing and chest

Background The prevalence of allergies has increased significantly in the past decade. Further research on allergic diseases caused by furry animals is of great importance for the clinical prevention, diagnosis and treatment of allergies. Objective To identify the sensitization profile and clinical association of various furry animal crude extracts and components based on component resolved diagnosis (CRD). Methods A total of 211 patients with allergic rhinitis with sensitivities to cats and/or dogs were recruited, and the specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) against various furry animals (such as dog/cat extracts and their components, pigeon, parrot, duck, chicken, sheep, rat, mouse, goose, cow and horse extracts) were measured to analyze the sensitization profiles, cross-reactivity and clinical relevance with regards to allergies. Results A total of 91.67% of cat-sensitized patients were sensitive to Fel d 1, while only 16.03% of cat-sensitized patients responded to Fel d 2. Can f 1 and Can f 5 were the major components of dogs, and the positive rates were 23.53% and 16.18%, respectively. Twenty percent of patients were sensitized to 10 other furry animals, and the positive rate was between 0% and 19.12%. There was a significant correlation between components (Can f 1–5 and Fel d 2) and 5 furry animals (mouse, sheep, Horse, rat, cow), especially between serum albumin (SA) (Can f 3, Fel d 2) and furry animals. Most of the animal crude extracts and components sensitization rates in patients who were SA-positive were significantly higher than that of patients who were SA-negative. In particular, for sensitization to mice, sheep, horses, rats and cows, more than 10-fold higher in patients who were SA-positive than in patients who were SA-negative. The VAS of symptoms and life of quality (LoQ) in the SA-sensitized patients was higher than that in unsensitized patients, and the patients with lipocalin sensitivities had a worse LoQ. Conclusion Serum albumin Fel d 2 and Can f 3, as minor allergens in cats and dogs, but not lipocalin or prostatic kallikrein, is associated with other furry animals presumably due to serum albumin cross-reactivity. Patients sensitized with serum albumin had a significantly higher risk of sensitization to other animals and had a higher rhinitis VAS score.

Background: High prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma (AS) produces a considerable burden on patients and society, and it has negative impact on patients’ life, daily activities and work productivity. Methods: A total of 270 patients withallergic rhinitis were recruited, of whom 177 (65.6%) combined with asthma (AR&AS). All patients filled out a standardized questionnaire againstrespiratory allergic diseases. Skin prick test (SPT) and or serological specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) test for 9 common inhalation allergens. Results: House dust mites (HDMs)were the main aeroallergen in patients with respiratory allergic diseases, and the positive rates were all more than 60%. The age of AR&AS patients was higher than that of AR patients (P < 0.05), and the patients with AR only are more likely to have a family history of allergy. Almost all (94%) of patients with AR only develop nasal and eye symptoms when exposed to cold air. The reporting rate of rhinitis symptoms caused by pollen exposure is 33.33%~44.07%, while the reporting rate of rhinitis symptoms caused by furry animal exposure were about 25%. The incidence of rhinitis symptoms in moderate to severe patients was higher than that in mild patients (all P<0.05). 41.94% of patients reported symptoms of cough in AR patients, and among the patients with AR&AS, 97.18% reported the symptoms of wheezing, 70.06% reported chest tightness and 75.14% reported cough. The reporting rate of AR&AS patients was higher than that of AR patients. And the percentage of pulmonary symptoms reported by children was significantly lower than that of adults. Conclusions: HDMs are the main allergen causing respiratory allergic diseases. The introduction of different types of AR will help to better understand the risk factors and progress of patients with AR, and may help to put forward more targeted prevention strategies and treatment.