[Pollionosis: I. Findings on the clinical aspects and the pollen spectrum in 1565 pollen-sensitive patients]

Abstract

Case histories are analyzed of 1565 hay fever patients first attending an allergy unit. The mean age of the test persons was 19.5 years. 40% were in the age group 5 to 15 years. The sex distribution showed a slight but statistically significant prevalence of males (56.6%). 56.8% had a positive family history of allergies and 44.2% had other allergic conditions such as atopic dermatitis (31.6%), perennial rhinitis and perennial asthma (19% each), urticaria, food allergy and drug allergy (5% each) and insect sting allergy (3%). A clear cut peak both for rhinitis and for asthmatic symptoms %30.5% and 20.2% respectively) was found in the age group 5--9 years. Up to the 14th year the symptoms of pollen allergy were already exhibited by 68.5% of the patients. 97% of the pollen allergics suffered from rhinitis, 95% from conjunctivitis, 40% from bronchial asthma and another 20% from tracheobronchitis or asthmatic bronchitis. As additional symptoms of pollen allergy due to haematogenous spread of the pollen antigens we observed a seasonal form of atopic dermatitis in 3%, a seasonal urticaria or angioedema in 3.5%, migraine in 6.3% and arthralgia, gastro-intestinal troubles and fever in fewer than 1% each. Almost 98% of the patients were sensitized to grass or cereal pollens. However, only 18% suffered from an isolated grass pollinosis (summer hay fever). The other patients were additionally clinically sensitized by other pollens with different blossoming periods, i.e. 35% by three pollens responsible for the so-called spring pollinosis, and 50% by weeds (plantain, nettle, mugwort) the cause of late summer pollinosis. Only 13 patients suffered from an isolated spring pollinosis (hazel, alder, birch, willow). In 14 patients (not quite 1%) with a clear-cut history and clinical symptoms of pollinosis, all the skin tests were negative. In these cases the sensitization was probably restricted to the respiratory tract. Despite the new in-vitro methods such as the RAST, carefully performed skin tests linked to a knowledge of the pollen calendars of the region and the allergological history remain the most reliable and cheapest procedure for the specific diagnosis of pollen allergy.