Allergenic pollens and pollinosis in Italy: recent advances.
The authors have mapped the occurrence of allergenic pollens throughout Italy and defined their most common clinical symptoms. To obtain an accurate aerobiological and clinical picture of such a geographically complex country as Italy, a detailed investigation was carried out involving 80 data-gathering stations and 40 clinical centers nationwide. Three main pollination periods can be distinguished: winter-pre-spring (January to March) for Betulaceae, Corylaceae, Cupressaceae, Salicaceae and Ulmaceae: spring-summer (April to June) for Gramineae, Urticaceae, Oleaceae, Plantago, Fagaceae, Pinaceae and Polygonaceae, and summer-autumn (August to September) for Urticaceae, Compositae and Chenopodiaceae. Examination of 49,660 patients affected by pollinosis (conjunctivitis, rhinitis, asthma, with positive skin tests or IgE-specific serum determination: RAST, ELISA) throughout Italy revealed sensitivity to Gramineae in 64.6%, to Parietaria in 36.7% to Olea in 15.8%, to Compositae in 13.2%, to Betulaceae-Corylaceae in 7% and to Fagaceae-Cupressaceae-Plantago in 4%-10%; marked regional variations were observed. The patients suffered from rhino-conjunctivitis (55.7%), rhino-conjunctivitis plus asthma (31.6%) and asthma (12.7%). In monosensitised individuals, Parietaria was seen to be the main cause of the asthmatic syndrome (though our preliminary data also implicate Olea) followed by Gramineae.
Negrini
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Servizio Autonomo di Allergologia, Ospedale S. Martino, Genova, Italy.
Arobba
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D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010944:Plants / Q000276:immunology; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012621:Seasons
D000485:Allergens