Background:

Symptoms of allergic diseases are a common cause of consultation during childhood.

Objective:

To describe the profile of a population of Colombian preschool children seen in an allergology department and assess possible risk factors.

Methods:

Descriptive, cross-sectional study of patients younger than 5 years who were assessed for one year. A complete medical history was obtained and allergology workup was carried out with skin prick tests as appropriate for each case. Risk factors were assessed by means of multivariate analysis.

Results:

A total of 674 patients were included, out of which 382 (52.7%) were males. Median age was 34 months. The reasons for consultation were cough or recurrent wheezing (54.3%), rhinitis (48.7%), and eczema (32.2%). Skin prick tests were performed with aeroallergens in 299 patients (48%) and with food in 170 (27%), with positivity being found in 114 (38%) and 16 (9.4%), respectively. Main sensitizers were dust mites and egg. A direct association was found between eczema and prematurity (OR = 0.496; 95 % CI=0.289-0.823)>, between recurrent cough/wheezing and family history of allergy (OR=1.837; 95 % CI = 1,306-2,586), and between recurrent cough/wheezing and history of bronchiolitis (OR = 2.646; 95 % CI = 1.812-3.886).

Conclusion:

Respiratory symptoms represented the main cause of consultation. Dust mites were the most commonly identified allergens. Family history of allergy and bronchiolitis appear to risk factors.

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