Grass pollen, aeroallergens, and clinical symptoms in Ciudad Real, Spain.

BACKGROUND: In allergic individuals, onset of symptoms is related to atmospheric pollen grain counts and aeroallergen concentrations. However, this relationship is not always clear. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the correlation between grass pollen grain and aeroallergen concentrations in Ciudad Real, Spain, during the year 2004 and establish their association with symptoms in patients with allergic asthma, rhinitis, or both. METHODS: Two different samplers were used to assess allergen exposure: a Burkard spore trap to collect pollen grains and a high-volume air sampler to collect airborne particles. Individual filters were extracted daily in phosphate-buffered serum and analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on serum containing high titers of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E to grasses. The study population comprised 27 grass-allergic patients whose symptoms and medication were recorded daily. RESULTS: Grass pollens were detected between April 28 and July 18. There was a positive correlation between pollen grain counts and symptoms (r = 0.62; P > .001). Grass aeroallergens were detected not only during the grass pollination period, but also before and after this period. There was also a very significant correlation between aeroallergen levels and symptoms (r = 0.76; P < .0001). The threshold level for grass pollen was 35 grains/m3. CONCLUSIONS: Grass-related allergenic activity is present throughout the year, demonstrating the existence of aeroallergens outside the pollen season. Symptoms in allergic patients may be related to airborne particle concentrations. This fact should be taken into account in the clinical follow-up and management of allergic patients.

Pollen-induced allergic asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis: differences in outcome between seasonal and nonseasonal exposure to allergens under real-life conditions (The LANDSCAPE Study)

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Eosinophilic esophagitis: personalized treatment with an elimination diet based on IgE levels in children aged <16 years

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Non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis and idiopathic eosinophilic esophagitis

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Occupational allergy in a holm oak pruner

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Decompensation of pollen-induced asthma in two towns with different pollution levels in La Mancha, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Allergic diseases have increased in industrialized countries and this increase is associated not only with genetic factors but also with lifestyle and environmental factors such as air pollution. Our hypothesis was that asthma in pollen-allergic patients from two towns with very different pollution levels in La Mancha (Spain) could be affected to a very different degree. OBJECTIVE: Our objectives were to assess the risk factors associated with decompensation of pollen-induced asthma in the two towns and to perform a comparison between the patients from Puertollano (high pollution level) and Ciudad Real (low pollution level) with respect to daily symptoms, medication used and peak-flow measurements. METHODS: We designed a cohort study with 137 patients (66 from Puertollano and 71 from Ciudad Real), conducted over 3 years (1999-2001) and including two pollen seasons. The two populations presented similar demographic and clinical characteristics. The variables studied included: area of residence, sex, age, smoking status, asthma symptoms and positive prick tests. Clinical decompensation was monitored by symptoms recorded on diary cards, twice daily peak-flow measurements and the use of protocolized medication. RESULTS: There was a clinically relevant relationship between the place of residence and clinical decompensation. The risk of clinical decompensation in patients from Puertollano was up to three times higher than that of patients in Ciudad Real (P=0.034). Furthermore, patients from Puertollano and patients with moderate asthma presented more rapid decompensation compared with patients from Ciudad Real (P=0.020) and patients with mild asthma (P=0.049). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, pollen-allergic asthmatics in Puertollano present a poorer clinical course and become decompensated earlier than those from Ciudad Real and it could be due to air pollution.

Air pollution and seasonal asthma during the pollen season. A cohort study in Puertollano and Ciudad Real (Spain).

BACKGROUND: Many studies have demonstrated a positive association between air pollutants and emergency visits for asthma. However, few studies have included pollen when analysing this relationship in mild-moderate asthmatic patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the importance of the pollutants such as ozone (O(3)), particles (PM(10)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) in the clinical course of mild-moderate pollen-allergic asthmatic patients from two Spanish towns in La Mancha: Puertollano (high pollution levels) and Ciudad Real (low pollution levels). METHODS: We used a Poisson regression model to study a cohort of 137 patients from Puertollano and Ciudad Real during two pollen seasons (2000-2001) and analysed the relationship between air pollutant and pollen levels and daily symptoms, the medication used and peak-flow measurements. RESULTS: The number of asthma symptoms and the mean values of the PM(10), SO(2) and NO(2) levels were higher in Puertollano than in Ciudad Real. In Puertollano, the risk of asthma increased by 6% with a 3-day lag for PM(10), by 8% with a 3-day lag for O(3), by 4% with a 1-day lag for SO(2) and by 15% with a 3-day lag for O(3) when its values exceeded the health threshold (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The air pollution levels in Puertollano were associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in pollen-allergic asthmatic patients com pared with a similar group from Ciudad Real.

Anafilaxia poco frecuente y adenoma suprarrenal funcionante / Rare anaphylaxis and functioning adrenal adenoma

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