A questionnaire for clinical diagnosis of house dust mite allergy

In this video, Prof Dr Angelica Tiotiu presents the development of a brief questionnaire designed to support the clinical identification of patients with suspected house dust mite allergy. Although house dust mite allergy is highly prevalent worldwide, no standardised screening questionnaire is currently available for routine practice.

Using a Delphi consensus process, a scientific board of 19 allergology experts from 14 countries evaluated an initial set of 15 items. Following several validation rounds, including input from 247 allergy specialists across 27 countries, eight questions were retained. These focus on the occurrence or worsening of symptoms in situations associated with house dust mite exposure, such as dusty environments, bedrooms, carpets, curtains, stuffed animals and cleaning activities, as well as persistent or predominantly nocturnal symptoms.

The final questionnaire uses simple yes-or-no answers, with one point assigned to each positive response. A total score of at least five was proposed as highly suggestive of house dust mite allergy. The tool may offer a practical approach for screening in clinical practice, although prospective studies are still required to validate its diagnostic accuracy.