Self-Reported Survey on Allergy Symptoms Among First-Year Students in Veterinary Medicine: A Preamble to the AllergoVet Cohort Study.

Self-Reported Survey on Allergy Symptoms Among First-Year Students in Veterinary Medicine: A Preamble to the AllergoVet Cohort Study. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020 Mar 14;: Authors: Lehnert M, Beine A, Hoffmeyer F, Taeger D, Brüning T, Raulf M Abstract Practical work in veterinary medicine provides exposure to various allergens which could increase the risk of sensitization. With the ongoing prospective "AllergoVet" study, we are investigating patterns of allergic symptoms and sensitization among veterinary students. Here, we report the results of the introductory self-reported survey on the presence of allergies in the first-year students of veterinary medicine, who had begun their studies in the years 2013-2016. The survey included 553 students who answered a questionnaire (63% response rate, 83% female ratio). The median age was 20 years (IQR: 19-22 years). About half of the responders indicated an interest in participating in the prospective study ("candidates"). Those who were uninterested in participating were termed "noncandidates". A doctor's diagnosis of any kind of atopic disease was reported by every fourth student. Hay fever was reported by 71 (13%) and allergic asthma by 38 (6.9%) students. The prevalence of hay fever in "candidates" (n = 294) and "noncandidates" (n = 259) was 13.5% and 12.2%, respectively. Allergic asthma was reported by 9.9% of "candidates" and 3.5% of "noncandidates", the difference being significant ...
Source: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology - Category: Research Tags: Adv Exp Med Biol Source Type: research