Allergen sensitization and polysensitization pattern of adults and children in an urban Sub-Saharan African setting (Libreville, Gabon)

BACKGROUND: It is believed that allergic diseases are increasing in Africa. However, the health sector in Africa has yet to catch up with this paradigm shift. We looked at the number of patients referred to us for allergy testing and investigated allergen sensitization. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done on 97 serum allergen–specific IgE results collected from patients suspected of having allergies in Libreville from 2018 to 2021. Specific IgE responses to 180 allergens were investigated. The general sensitization patterns were analyzed. Also analyzed were sensitization patterns for adults and children. The difference in the IgE-binding allergen positivity rate between groups was calculated by using the chi-square (χ2) test. RESULTS: The allergens most commonly causing sensitization were from mites (65%), barley (48%), peach (48%), dog and/or cat dander (44%), house dust (44%), peanut (39%), tomato (39%), cockroach (37%), crab (36%), garlic and/or onion (34%), rye (34%), egg white (32%), shrimp (32%), kiwi (32%), soya bean (32%), citrus mix (29%), cheese (27%), milk (27%), walnut (27%), ox-eye daisy (24%) and orchard grass (24%). Moreover, 60% of patients (36 of 60) were polysensitized to inhalant allergens, 53% (31 of 58) were polysensitized to food allergens, and 29% (14 of 48) were polysensitized to inhalant and food allergens; 65% of patients (53 of 81) were sensitized to allergens originating from mites, fungi (including Candida albicans, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium herbarum, and Pennicillium notatum), or bacteria (staphylococcal enterotoxin B). CONCLUSIONS: The sensitization pattern of allergens in our setting is rich and varied, with a high prevalence of polysensitization.