Prevalence and Manifestations of Doctor-Diagnosed Allergies in Bulgarian Families with Atopy

INTRODUCTION: Food allergy and atopic dermatitis are significant pediatric health problems in many developed countries. The prevalence of these conditions has been increasing over the past two decades in Western societies. However, there is a lack of epidemiological data for Bulgaria. PURPOSE: To study the frequency of different manifestations of doctor-diagnosed allergies among families with atopy in Bulgaria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,408 families with mothers of childbearing age hospitalized between 2017 and 2019 in the Maternity Ward of St. Anna hospital - Varna, Bulgaria. A direct individual questionnaire was applied to obtain information on social-demographic characteristics and manifestations of various forms of allergies. Data was analyzed with SPSS v. 21.0. RESULTS: The relative proportion of families with evidence of allergy on the side of the mother, father, or child was 11.63% (n = 280). The incidence of allergic diseases among mothers was 60.5% (n = 127), among fathers 38.6% (n = 8), and among children 57.8% (n = 63). Rhinconjunctivitis was the leading allergic manifestation in mothers (29.5%; n = 62) and fathers (24.8%; n = 52), and atopic dermatitis was the most common manifestation of allergy in their child (30.3%; n = 33). A significant relationship was established between atopic dermatitis in the family and the overall incidence of allergies in the child. CONCLUSIONS: The data resulting from our study may serve as a basis for further research so the mechanisms of atopy to be investigated better. Prevention strategies need to be developed to address the march of allergy, characterized by the initial manifestation of allergy in childhood with atopic dermatitis and moving to food and respiratory manifestations. KEY MESSAGES: • The incidence of allergies has been increasing in recent years both in the world and in Bulgaria. • Тhe development of preventive measures to reduce the risk of allergic diseases could be of great importance for public health.