Allergenic pollen and pollen allergy in Europe

Abstract

Pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Europe, and there is a body of evidence suggesting that the prevalence of respiratory allergic reactions induced by pollens in Europe has been on the increase in the past decades (1-6). However, recent findings of the phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema for European centres with the existing high prevalence among the older children (7). The prevalence of pollen allergy is presently estimated to be up 40%. Exposure to allergens represents a key factor among the environmental determinants of asthma, which include air pollution (8). Since airborne-induced respiratory allergy does not recognize national frontiers, the study of pollinosis cannot be limited to national boundaries, as obviously happens with most diseases that can be prevented by avoiding exposure to the causative agent. In Europe, the main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to five vegetational areas (Table 1).The allergenic content of the atmosphere varies according to climate, geography and vegetation. Data on the presence and prevalence of allergenic airborne pollens, obtained from both aerobiological studies and allergological investigations, make it possible to design pollen calendars with the approximate flowering period of the plants in the sampling area. In this way, even though pollen production and dispersal from year to year depend on the patterns of preseason weather and on the conditions prevailing at the time of anthesis, it is usually possible to forecast the chances of encountering high atmospheric allergenic pollen concentrations in different areas.Aerobiological and allergological studies show that the pollen map of Europe is changing also as a result of cultural factors (for example, importation of plants such as birch and cypress for urban parklands), greater international travel (e.g. colonization by ragweed in France, northern Italy, Austria, Hungary etc.) and climate change. In this regard, the higher frequency of weather extremes, like thunderstorms, and increasing episodes of long range transport of allergenic pollen represent new challenges for researchers. Furthermore, in the last few years, experimental data on pollen and subpollen-particles structure, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants, gave new insights into the mechanisms of respiratory allergic diseases.

Exposure to grass pollen – but not birch pollen – affects lung function in Swedish children

“…Pollen allergy has a significant clinical impact in Europe, and several studies indicate that the prevalence has increased in the past decades 1, 2. Up to 40% of the European population is presently estimated to be sensitized to some type of pollen, and the cost of allergic diseases and symptoms is very high in terms of impaired work performance, sick leave, consulting physicians and medication 1.…”

“…Up to 40% of the European population is presently estimated to be sensitized to some type of pollen, and the cost of allergic diseases and symptoms is very high in terms of impaired work performance, sick leave, consulting physicians and medication 1.…”

“…Birch ( Betula spp. ), which is considered to be the main cause of pollen allergy symptoms in Scandinavia 1, typically blooms between late March and early June. The native pollen season in Scandinavia usually ends when grass (Poaceae) and mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ) have stopped blooming in August/September.…”

Light-induced protein nitration and degradation with HONO emission

“…Primary biological aerosols, or bioaerosols, including proteins, from different sources and with distinct properties are known to influence atmospheric cloud microphysics and public health (Lang-Yona et al, 2016;D'Amato et al, 2007;Pummer et al, 2015). Bioaerosols represent a diverse subset of atmospheric particulate matter that is directly emitted in form of active or dead organisms, or fragments, like bacteria, fungal spores, pollens, viruses and plant debris.…”

Ragweed pollen production and dispersion modelling within a regional climate system, calibration and application over Europe

“…Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is a highly allergenic and invasive plant in Europe. Its pollen can be transported over large distances and has been recognized as a significant cause of hay fever and asthma (D'Amato et al, 2007;Burbach et al, 2009). To simulate production and dispersion of common ragweed pollen, we implement a pollen emission and transport module in the Regional Climate Model (RegCM) version 4 using the framework of the Community Land Model (CLM) version 4.5.…”