Respiratory allergies and skin test reactivity in high school students in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

The prevalence of skin test reactivity to 22 aeroallergens and of allergic respiratory diseases was determined in 501 high school students on the island of Tenerife, Spain. Two hundred seventy-seven students (55.2%) had at least one positive prick skin test (wheal > or = 2 mm). Two hundred sixteen students (43.1%) had symptoms of upper or lower respiratory tract allergies [24 (4.7%) had asthma with or without rhinitis and 192 (38.3%) seasonal or perennial rhinitis alone]. Two hundred eighty-five students (56.8%) were asymptomatic. One hundred per cent of the students with asthma, 87.5% of the students with rhinitis and 27.7% of the asymptomatic students had at least one positive skin test. The prevalence of positive skin tests was significantly higher in symptomatic than in asymptomatic students (p = 0.0001). One hundred seventy students (33.9%) had a family history of respiratory allergic diseases. The prevalence of positive skin tests among these students was significantly higher than in students without such history (p = 0.0001). Thus, there is a high prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases and skin test reactivity to aeroallergens among high school students in Tenerife. Significant correlations were found between family history, positive skin tests and respiratory allergic symptoms.