Department of Internal Medicine and Subspecialties, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; Pneumology service, Yaounde Jamot Hospital, P.O Box: 4021, Yaounde, Cameroon.
South African Medical Research Council & University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
World Allergy Organ J. 2014 Aug 19;7(1):22. doi: 10.1186/1939-4551-7-22. eCollection 2014.
German cockroach or Blattella germanica is commonly found in homes across the inter-tropical region. The contribution of sensitisation to Blattella germanica in people with asthma in sub-Saharan Africa has not received attention. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and investigate the predicting factors of sensitisation to Blattella germanica in patients with asthma in Yaounde, Cameroon.
This was a cross-sectional study conducted between January 2012 and June 2013. All patients (aged 15 years and above) with asthma, receiving care at the Yaounde Jamot Hospital and the CEDIMER medical practice during the study period and who had received a prick skin testing for perennial aeroallergens were included in the study.
The final sample comprised 184 patients including 123 (66.8%) women. The median age (25th-75th percentiles) was 38 (24-54) years. Prick skin test for Blattella germanica was positive in 47 (25.5%) patients. Sensitisation to Blattella germanica was associated with a sensitisation to mite in 41 (87.2%) patients, a sensitisation to Alternaria in 18 (38.3%) patients, and a sensitisation to cat or dog dander in 7 (14.9%) patients. Independent predicting factors of a sensitisation to Blattella germanica were the sensitisation to Blomia tropicalis [adjusted odd ratio (95% confidence interval) 4.10 (1.67-10.04), p = 0.002] and sensitisation to Alternaria [3.67 (1.53-7.46), p = 0.003].
Sensitisation to Blattella germanica is present in about a quarter of adult patients with asthma in Yaounde. Sensitisation to Alternaria and Blomia tropicalis appears to be a powerful predicting factor of sensitisation to Blattella germanica in this setting.
德国蟑螂或德国小蠊常见于热带间地区的家庭中。在撒哈拉以南非洲，人们对哮喘患者与德国小蠊过敏的认识尚未得到关注。本研究旨在评估喀麦隆雅温得哮喘患者中对德国小蠊过敏的患病率，并探讨其预测因素。
这是一项横断面研究，于 2012 年 1 月至 2013 年 6 月进行。所有在研究期间于雅温得 Jamot 医院和 CEDIMER 医疗实践中心接受治疗的哮喘患者（年龄≥15 岁），并接受过常年气传过敏原皮试的患者均被纳入本研究。
最终样本包括 184 例患者，其中 123 例（66.8%）为女性。中位年龄（25 至 75 百分位数）为 38（24-54）岁。47 例（25.5%）患者对德国小蠊皮试呈阳性。对德国小蠊过敏与对螨类过敏相关（41 例，87.2%）、对交链孢属过敏（18 例，38.3%）和对猫或狗皮屑过敏（7 例，14.9%）相关。对德国小蠊过敏的独立预测因素为对热带无爪螨过敏[调整后的比值比（95%置信区间）为 4.10（1.67-10.04），p=0.002]和对交链孢属过敏[3.67（1.53-7.46），p=0.003]。
在雅温得的成年哮喘患者中，约有四分之一存在对德国小蠊过敏。在这种情况下，对交链孢属和热带无爪螨过敏似乎是对德国小蠊过敏的强有力预测因素。
