TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of sensitization to Cupressus sempervirens
T2 - A 4-year retrospective study
AU - Papa, Giuseppe
AU - Romano, Antonino
AU - Quaratino, Donato
AU - Di Fonso, Marina
AU - Viola, Marinella
AU - Cristina Artesani, Maria
AU - Sernia, Sabina
AU - Di Gioacchino, Mario
AU - Venuti, Alberto
PY - 2001/4/10
Y1 - 2001/4/10
N2 - In the last few years Cupressus sempervirens has been identified as the cause of an increasing number of cases of late winter-early spring pollinosis in Mediterranean countries. We conducted a 4-year retrospective study of a large group of subjects with documented allergic respiratory disease in order to determine the prevalence, clinical significance and annual rate of sensitization to C. sempervirens pollen. Anamnestic data and skin prick tests (SPT) with common aeroallergens and C. sempervirens extract were collected from 1397 subjects (712 male and 685 female) resident in Latium, a region in central Italy, with complaints related to upper- or lower-respiratory-tract disorders or conjunctival disease. Two hundred and forty-three subjects (17.4%) showed positive results to C. sempervirens extract; 47 (19.3%) of them were monosensitized. The annual sensitization rate of SPT positivity to C. sempervirens varied from 7.2% in 1995 to 22% in 1998. All the subjects monosensitized to cypress pollen had symptoms from January through April. Our study suggests that sensitivity to C. sempervirens is responsible for respiratory symptoms in an increasing percentage of subjects. Further studies are needed to determine its frequency at the national level.
AB - In the last few years Cupressus sempervirens has been identified as the cause of an increasing number of cases of late winter-early spring pollinosis in Mediterranean countries. We conducted a 4-year retrospective study of a large group of subjects with documented allergic respiratory disease in order to determine the prevalence, clinical significance and annual rate of sensitization to C. sempervirens pollen. Anamnestic data and skin prick tests (SPT) with common aeroallergens and C. sempervirens extract were collected from 1397 subjects (712 male and 685 female) resident in Latium, a region in central Italy, with complaints related to upper- or lower-respiratory-tract disorders or conjunctival disease. Two hundred and forty-three subjects (17.4%) showed positive results to C. sempervirens extract; 47 (19.3%) of them were monosensitized. The annual sensitization rate of SPT positivity to C. sempervirens varied from 7.2% in 1995 to 22% in 1998. All the subjects monosensitized to cypress pollen had symptoms from January through April. Our study suggests that sensitivity to C. sempervirens is responsible for respiratory symptoms in an increasing percentage of subjects. Further studies are needed to determine its frequency at the national level.
KW - Cypress
KW - Pollinosis
KW - Skin prick test
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U2 - 10.1016/S0048-9697(00)00795-6
DO - 10.1016/S0048-9697(00)00795-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 11327403
AN - SCOPUS:0035836614
VL - 270
SP - 83
EP - 87
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
IS - 1-3
ER -