Title: A New Tool That Fingerprints Allergens in Homes to Individualize and Improve Patient Care
Abstract: Evaluate the clinical utility of a novel air-sampling device by fingerprinting allergen exposure in patient homes. 22 allergy patients were recruited based on ownership of cats, dogs or both; given two Inspirotec air samplers, with instruction sheet and questionnaire; and asked to run devices in their bedrooms for 24 hours and 7 days. Patients returned devices and questionnaires. Capture cartridges were shipped to Indoor Biotechnologies for immunoassay analysis of common household allergens, molds and pollens. Values for each allergen were normalized as a ratio to the median value for the group ("exposure index"). Regression analysis was performed using SAS to correlate patient variables with allergen levels. Each home was found to have a unique allergen fingerprint, and profiles for each pair of times were internally consistent. Exposure index was consistent with patient reports on degree of pet bedroom access. Non-pet allergens: dust mite, mouse, pollens and molds were found in 13 cases. There were no positives for cockroach, rat or birch pollen, reflecting socio-economic group and season. Review of fingerprints together with individual medical records showed actionable information in 17 cases: new patients, children and individuals on mid-course immunotherapy benefited the most. Areas of utility included discovering unanticipated allergens; prioritizing triggers for environmental management; encouraging individualized and targeted allergen avoidance activity; and improving patient compliance. The capability of patients to run simple allergen exposure fingerprints unsupervised in their own homes provides physicians with individualized data to make evidence based decisions on patient management.