Conny Höflich1, Galina Balakirski2, Zuzanna Hajdu3, Jens Malte Baron2, Lorraine Kaiser4, Katharina Czaja2, Hans F Merk2, Sarah Gerdsen2, Ulrich Strassen3, Murat Bas3, Henning Bier3, Wolfgang Dott5, Hans-Guido Mücke4, Wolfgang Straff4, Adam Chaker6, Stefani Röseler2. 1. Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: conny.hoeflich@uba.de. 2. Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. 3. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. 4. Federal Environment Agency, Section II 1.5 Environmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Berlin, Germany. 5. Department for Environmental Medicine, University Hospital of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. 6. 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.
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.
BACKGROUND: Global climate changes may influence the geographical spread of allergenic plants thus causing new allergen challenges. OBJECTIVE:Allergypatients 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 allergypatients 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: Jeremias Götschke; Pontus Mertsch; Michael Bischof; Nikolaus Kneidinger; Sandhya Matthes; Ellen D Renner; Konrad Schultz; Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann; Hans-Werner Duchna; Jürgen Behr; Jürgen Schmude; Rudolf M Huber; Katrin Milger Journal: PLoS One Date: 2017-10-18 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Conny Höflich; Galina Balakirski; Zuzanna Hajdu; Jens Malte Baron; Katharina Fietkau; Hans F Merk; Ulrich Strassen; Henning Bier; Wolfgang Dott; Hans-Guido Mücke; Wolfgang Straff; Gerda Wurpts; Amir S Yazdi; Adam Chaker; Stefani T M Röseler Journal: Clin Transl Allergy Date: 2021-10-04 Impact factor: 5.871