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When a comprehensive European allergy atlas was first produced, clear differences were found in children’s sensitization to allergens. These are regional and climate-related, but also depend on lifestyle and eating habits, the MedUni Vienna reported on Thursday.

The results form the basis for new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for allergies and for new prevention strategies at European level. In most European regions, sensitization to the allergen grass pollen and the major cat allergen dominates.

Sensitivity to house dust mite allergens, on the other hand, varies greatly by region and is lowest in the north. According to the MedUni, sensitization to peanut allergens only occurs in a few regions, while fruit allergens predominate in southern and central Europe. Wasp and other insect allergens are the predominant allergen molecules in Northern, Western and Central Europe, but not in Southern Europe.

New test method

The research team led by Rudolf Valenta from the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at MedUni Vienna came to these conclusions in collaboration with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the Karl Landsteiner Private University for Health Sciences (KL) in Krems. To this end, a new test method (allergen microarray) was developed and used to investigate IgE sensitization patterns in different geographic regions in Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe. IgE (immunoglobulins E) are antibodies whose presence in the blood indicates an allergic hypersensitivity.

As the study now published in the scientific journal “Allergy” found, children who grew up in hot and dry regions of a country showed IgE sensitization less than half as often as children from areas with a temperate climate.. “Understanding sensitization patterns in different regions is important for accurate diagnosis of allergies and forms the basis for new treatment and prevention strategies across Europe,” explains Valenta. The primary focus here is on precision medicine approaches, ie allergen-specific immunotherapy as well as food and allergen avoidance measures that can be tailored to the molecular sensitization pattern. (sda/apa/oee)