[Determination of the morbidity due to inhalation allergies in Viennese schoolchildren (author's transl)].

According to the medical literature there is a huge variation of between 0.4 and 49% of the population reported to suffer from inhalation allergies. In general, however, reference is made time and again to the increasing incidence of allergies, particularly in children. In the present study 3,158 Viennese schoolchildren of three different age groups (8, 12, and 16 year-olds) were tested for inhalation allergy. Precise case histories were elicited and skin tests carried out in all children, and if one of these criteria was positive an immunological examination was performed in addition, in order to detect any specific antibodies in the serum. A point system was used for the diagnosis of allergy. The tests showed that 17.6% of the schoolchildren have an allergic predisposition, 10.1% suffer from clinically manifest allergy and 7.5% show a subclinical form. With advancing age the percentage of children suffering from allergies increases significantly: While among the 8 year-olds only 13.6% show a predisposition to allergy (6.8% manifest, 6.8% latent), the incidence among the 16 year-olds is as high as 22.1% (14.2% manifest, 7.9% latent). Among the allergy patients pollen sensitization was found to exist in 71.7% of cases, sensitivity to household-dust mites in 23.1% and 5.2% reacted to multiple allergens. The results of this study are discussed and compared with internationally obtained data.