title: Potential health risk of allergenic pollen with climate change associated spreading capacity: Ragweed and olive sensitization in two German federal states.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Global climate changes may influence the geographical spread of allergenic plants thus causing new allergen challenges.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Allergy patients from two German federal states were compared for their status quo sensitization to ragweed, an establishing allergen, olive, a non-established allergen, and the native allergens birch, mugwort, and ash.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 2011 and 2013, 476 adult allergy patients per region were recruited. Patients completed a questionnaire, participated in a medical interview, and underwent skin prick testing and blood withdrawal for analysis of specific IgE to allergen components (ISAC technology). Data on regional pollen load from 2006 to 2011 were acquired from the German Pollen Information Service Foundation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prick test reactivity to ragweed and ash, respectively, was lower in Bavaria than in NRW (ragweed: p=0.001, aOR=0.54; ash: p=0.001, aOR=0.59), whereas prick test reactivity to olive was higher (p=0.000, aOR=3.09). Prick test reactivity to birch and mugwort, respectively, did not significantly differ. 1% (1/127) of patients with prick test reactivity to ragweed showed sIgE to Amb a 1, and 65% (86/132) of olive-but-not-ash reactive patients showed sIgE to Ole e 1 (NRW: 67%, Bavaria: 65%; p=0.823, OR=0.91). Regional differences in sensitization pattern were neither explainable by cross-reactivity to pollen pan-allergens nor non-exposure variables nor by reported plant population or pollen data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spread of ragweed and particularly olive may result in prompt occurrence of allergic symptoms. Early identification of invasive allergens due to climate change does need time and spatial close meshed measurement of respective indicator allergens and sensitization pattern.
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: conny.hoeflich@uba.de.
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Höflich
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balakirski
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Zuzanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hajdu
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens Malte
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Czaja
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Merk
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gerdsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Strassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bas
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bier
authors.affiliation: Department for Environmental Medicine, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dott
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Guido
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Mücke
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Straff
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany; Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University and Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaker
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Röseler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D031164:Ambrosia / Q000276:immunology*; D019306:Artemisia / Q000276:immunology; D029662:Betula / Q000276:immunology; D057231:Climate Change; D005260:Female; D031661:Fraxinus / Q000276:immunology; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D031658:Olea / Q000276:immunology*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D012306:Risk; D012882:Skin Tests; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Allergy; Climate change; Olive; Pollen load; Ragweed; Sensitization