OCCUPATIONAL RHINOCONJUNCTIVITIS AND BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA DUE TO PHOENIX CANARIENSIS POLLEN ALLERGY

We report a case of occupational bronchial asthma and rhinoconjunctivi tis caused by Phoenix canariensis (PC) pollen. The canary palm is a ty pe of palm tree, belonging to the Arecaceae family, which is widely di stributed in frost-free regions as an ornamental tree. Our patient was referred because he suffered symptoms of bronchial asthma, rhinoconju nctivitis, and contact urticaria when pruning dried leaves from PC dur ing the pollination months. The skin prick test (SPT) with a PC pollen extract was positive, as was the specific IgE to PC pollen determined by Phadezym RAST, indicating an IgE-mediated sensitization. The nonsp ecific bronchial provocation test (BPT) performed with methacholine di sclosed a mild bronchial hyperreactivity, and specific BPT with PC pol len elicited an immediate fall of 25% in FEV(1) with respect to baseli ne. On PAST inhibition studies, a significant cross-reactivity was fou nd between PC pollen and date palm (P. dactylifera) pollen. These resu lts suggest that PC pollen could be a potential allergen in PC-growing areas.