Table 4.
Associations of Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) pollen sensitization with the severity and frequency of symptoms of allergic diseases among house dust mite-sensitized individuals in the Singapore/Malaysia Chinese population.
| HDM-sensitized individuals (n = 8089) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Elaeis guineensis Positive SPT |
Elaeis guineensis Negative SPT |
P-value | OR (95% CI) | |
| Case/Control (%Case) | Case/Control (%Case) | |||
| Asthma-related symptomsa | ||||
| Wheezing | 39/107 (26.7) | 261/1182 (18.1) | 0.0116∗ | 1.67 (1.11–2.46) |
| Wheezing with exercise | 26/120 (17.8) | 180/1263 (12.5) | 0.0581 | 1.55 (0.97–2.41) |
| Nocturnal cough | 41/105 (28.1) | 286/1157 (19.8) | 0.0150∗ | 1.62 (1.09–2.36) |
| Asthma-related exacerbationsa | ||||
| Daytime Asthma Attack | 34/112 (23.3) | 189/1254 (13.1) | 0.00107∗ | 2.02 (1.31–3.04) |
| Nighttime Asthma Attack | 36/110 (24.7) | 162/1281 (11.2) | 5.38 x 10−6∗ | 2.64 (1.72–3.98) |
| School Absence | 6/140 (4.1) | 73/1370 (5.1) | 0.389 | 0.66 (0.24–1.57) |
| GP/Specialist Visits | 31/115 (21.2) | 172/1271 (11.9) | 0.00207∗ | 2.08 (1.29–3.27) |
| A&E Admission | 7/139 (4.8) | 45/1398 (3.1) | 0.428 | 1.43 (0.54–3.31) |
| Hospitalization | 5/141 (3.4) | 15/1428 (1) | 0.0305∗ | 3.22 (1.01–8.77) |
| Any Exacerbation Eventb | 32/114 (21.9) | 183/1260 (12.7) | 0.00256∗ | 2.03 (1.27–3.19) |
| AR-related symptomsc | ||||
| Itchy nose | 239/54 (81.6) | 2361/702 (77.1) | 0.0415∗ | 1.38 (1.02–1.89) |
| Sneezing | 268/27 (90.8) | 2801/269 (91.2) | 0.933 | 0.98 (0.66–1.52) |
| Runny nose | 249/47 (84.1) | 2634/426 (86.1) | 0.293 | 0.84 (0.61–1.18) |
| Nose blockage | 240/55 (81.4) | 2493/563 (81.6) | 0.647 | 0.93 (0.69–1.28) |
| Severity of AR symptomsd | ||||
| Mild, n (%) | 73 (24.7) | 1022 (33.2) | ||
| Moderate-to-severe, n (%) | 223 (75.3) | 2053 (66.8) | 0.00266∗ | 1.53 (1.16–2.02) |
A&E: accident and emergency department of a hospital; AR: allergic rhinitis; CI: confidence interval; GP: general practitioner; HDM: house dust mite; OR: odds ratio; SPT: skin prick test. All data were evaluated based on skin prick test results of the Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) pollen allergen in a cross-sectional cohort of Singapore/Malaysia Chinese individuals with positive sensitization to house dust mite allergens (n = 8089). P-value, odds ratio, and 95% CI were calculated using a logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age and gender.
∗p < 0.05 is considered as significant.
Asthma-related symptoms and exacerbation: cases are defined as asthma-affected individuals with the presence of asthma-related symptoms or exacerbations in the past 12 months. Controls are defined as asthma-affected individual with the absence of respective symptoms or exacerbations in the past 12 months.
Any exacerbation event includes school absence, GP/specialist visits, A&E admission, or hospitalization due to asthma exacerbation.
AR-related symptoms: cases are defined as AR-affected individuals with the presence of AR-related symptoms or exacerbations in the past 12 months. Controls are defined as AR-affected individual with the absence of respective symptoms in the past 12 months.
Severity of AR symptoms: Moderate-to-severe AR was defined as AR-affected individuals having at least one of the following disturbances due to AR-related symptoms in the past 12 months: disturbed sleep, impaired daily activities including sport, leisure, impaired work and school, and troublesome symptoms. Mild AR was defined as AR-affected individuals with the absence of these disturbances