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The clinical significance of the pollen calendar of the Western Thrace/northeast Greece region in allergic rhinitis
Author(s) -
Katotomichelakis Michael,
Nikolaidis Christos,
Makris Michael,
Zhang Nan,
Aggelides Xenophon,
Constantinidis Theodoros C.,
Bachert Claus,
Danielides Vassilios
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.21623
Subject(s) - medicine , pollen , botany , biology
Background There are major differences in the clinical pattern of allergic rhinitis (AR) patients among countries, reflecting local aerobiological conditions. We analyzed the correlation between airborne pollen concentrations of the Western Thrace/northeast (NE) Greece region with symptoms scores in AR patients. The above data is the first provided for the Mediterranean climate of Greece and reflects the clinical significance of pollen calendar in everyday clinical practice. Methods An annual pollen calendar of the most important outdoor aeroallergens (grasses, trees, and weeds) was developed, using a Burkard volumetric spore trap. A total of 168 AR patients were studied and asked to evaluate their symptoms and main seasonal appearance. Sensitization prevalence to pollen species was detected by skin prick tests. Symptoms were evaluated by Total 5 Symptoms Score (T5SS) and correlated to aerobiological data. Results As far as the pollen calendar is concerned, the highest total percentages of pollens were recorded for olive (24.02% of total), oak (13.74%), grasses (9.08%), and cypress (7.63%). Regarding patients’ sensitivities, the most prevalent ones were to grasses (56.0%), olive (43.5%), wall pellitory (24.4%), and cypress (16.7%) antigens. A strong significant correlation between total pollen counts and patients’ T5SS ( r = 0.874, p < 0.001) was observed. Moreover, strong significant correlations between T5SS and pollen counts were also found for the most prevalent species, including grasses, olive, and Parietaria allergens ( r = 0.627, p = 0.029; r = 0.695, p = 0.012; and r = 0.656, p = 0.021, respectively). Conclusion Patients’ symptoms scores were found to be significantly correlated to pollen counts. Given data are important for the management of AR patients who live in similar Mediterranean climate conditions.