House dust mite sensitivity among rural and urban allergic rhinitis and asthmatic patients of Punjab, India.

House dust mites (HDM) belonging to the order Astigmata are generally the principle mites found in dust from human dwellings. During present study, 550 patients (290 from rural area and 260 from urban area of Punjab) with allergic rhinitis and asthma who visited ENT department of Rajindra hospital, Patiala from 2014 to 2016 were considered. Of the 550 patients, skin prick tests were performed on 200 patients (100 from rural and 100 from urban area) who were diagnosed with allergies. Of these 200 patients, 185 patients were found to be sensitive to HDM. Of these 185 sensitized patients, 100 were from rural area and 85 were from urban area. Whereas 15 patients did not give any response to the allergens. They all belong to Urban area. In the present study house dust mites belonging to the genus Dermatophagoids were abundant in the homes of allergic rhinitis and asthmatic patients residing in urban as well as rural areas of Punjab. The total mite density and the Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus mite density was somewhat higher in dust samples collected from rural areas whereas Dermatophagoides farinae mite density was higher in dust samples collected from urban areas. In regard to skin test reactivity, it was noted that urban patients were more sensitized to Dermatophagoides farinae allergen and rural patients were more sensitized to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergen.