Barn allergy among Scottish farmers

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that allergy to storage mites is a significant contributor to allergic disease among an isolated farming community in the Orkneys. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of disease due to storage mites among farmers on the mainland of Scotland. Of the 290 subjects employed on 102 randomly selected farms studied, eighty-seven (30%) reported allergic symptoms on entering barns or byres, and prick tests to storage mites were positive in 62 (21%). Rhinitis and conjunctivitis together were the more frequently reported symptoms, with less than half the subjects recording respitatory symptoms. Specific IgE antibody to storage mites was detected in 43% of subjects reporting allergic symptoms associated with hay dust. Specific IgE to storage mites was strongly associated with atopy in those subjects who reported allergic symptoms.