N. Scichilone, A. Sanfilippo, C. Sorino, L. Giuliano, M. Misseri, V. Bellia DipartimentodiBiomedicinaeMedicinaSpecialistica,SezionediPneumologia,UniversityofPalermo,Palermo, Italy-E-mail:nicola.scichilone@unipa.it AllergensensitizationsinsouthernItaly:a5-year retrospectivestudyinallergicrespiratorypatients Summary Theassessmentofthedistributionofallergenskintestsensitizationsishighlyrecommended fortheoptimalmanagementofallergicrespiratoryconditions. Weaimedatevaluatingthe distribution of allergen sensitizations in individuals with asthma and/or rhinitis in the SouthernregionofItaly,andatexploringwhetherchangesinthefrequencyofallergensen- sitizationsoccurredaftera5-yearperiod.Demographicdataandskinpricktestsensitiza- tions to allergens from asthmatics and/or rhinitis attending the Division of Respiratory Diseases,UniversityofPalermo,Italyin2005(Phase1)andin2010(Phase2)wereex- trapolatedandretainedforanalysis.Atotalof2033allergicrespiratorypatientswerein- cluded(1002inPhase1and1031inPhase2).Inbothinvestigations,themostprevalent allergensensitizationwastowardsParietaria;however,asignificantreductionintherate of prevalence after 5 years was recorded (from 60% to 48% of skin test positive patients, p<0.0001).UptooneoutoftwosubjectsshowedsensitizationtodustmitesinbothPhases. Interestingly, Cypress pollen sensitization almost doubled from Phase 1 (17%) to Phase 2 (29%;p<0.0001).Overall,themeannumberofskintestsensitizationsforeachpatientin- creased from 2.7±1.6 in Phase 1 to 3.1±1.8 in Phase 2 (p<0.0001).The present findings confirm the prevalent role of Parietaria sensitization in the allergic population of the MediterraneanareaofSouthernItaly,anddocumenttheincreaseofCypresssensitization. Theseobservationscouldcontributetoapropermanagementofchronicallergicrespiratory conditionsinthisregion. Key words Allergy,asthma,rhinitis,skintest. Corresponding author NicolaScichilone, DipartimentodiBiomedicinaeMedicina Specialistica,SezionediPneumologia, UniversityofPalermo,Palermo,Italy, viaTrabucco180,90146Palermo,Italy. Ph:39-091-6802655, FAX:39-091-6802842 E-mail:nicola.scichilone@unipa.it Introduction Allergen sensitization is commonly recognized as an im- portant risk factor for the development of asthma and rhinitis(1-9).Inaddition,theacuteexposuretoallergens towardswhichthesubjectissensitizedmayberesponsible fortheexacerbationofupperandlowerairwaysymptoms. Mostimportantly,allergen-specificimmunotherapyisthe onlytreatmentthatmodifiesthenaturalcourseofallergic respiratorydiseases.Thus,theidentificationoftheaeroal- lergen skin test sensitization becomes mandatory for the optimal management of allergic respiratory conditions (10). Skin prick testing with allergen extracts is recom- mended as first-line method to detect sensitivities to inhalant allergens. However, the nature and number of aeroallergens differ according to geographical variability, vegetation characteristics and seasonal changes, even within the same region, thus making the application of preventiveandtherapeuticstrategiesaratherdifficulttask (11).Forthesereasons,theknowledgeofthepatternand distribution of aeroallergen sensitivities in a specific geo- graphic area is a pre-requisite for the choice of the most Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol VOL 45, N 3, 97-102, 2013 ORIGINAL ARTICLE