The polysensitization and the intensity of sensitization as risk factors in severe asthma

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma management has among its objectives to control symptoms and risk factors. 20% of adult patients and less than 5% of children with asthma suffer from severe asthma. Skin puncture tests are part of the etiological diagnosis of this disease. Polysensitization and the intensity of sensitization in asthmatic patients are elements to be evaluated in skin puncture tests. Objective: To identify in the bibliography consulted if polysensitization and the intensity of sensitization, evaluated through puncture skin tests, using mite extracts, were considered risk factors in the development of severe asthma. Method: A bibliographic search was conducted in the journals related to the topic to be investigated, during the year 2020. The journals that were at the time of the study in the top fifty positions of the scimago ranking were selected. Results: In the reviewed articles, polysensitization and the intensity of sensitization are not described as risk factors in severe asthma, but they do refer to dust mites as a risk factor related to the severity of symptoms and as a triggering factor for asthma and allergic reactions in patients with asthma. Conclusion: There is a gap in knowledge regarding the subject to be investigated.