HYPERSENSITIVITY TO PARIETARIA-OFFICINALIS POLLEN IN NEWCOMERS TO THEAREA WITH THE PLANT

Hypersensitivity to Parietaria officinalis (wall pellitory) pollen and other environmental allergens was studied in pollinosis patients alle rgic to P. officinalis pollen who were born in areas without P. offici nalis and later moved to the city of Split, where P. officinalis is re sponsible for some 65 % of pollinosis cases. Highly significant positi ve correlations were found for both the intensity of skin test reactio n and concentration of specific serum IgE with the length of residence in the area. In contrast, the respective data on subjects hypersensit ive to P. officinalis pollen allergen, but born and living in the area of Split, revealed a tendency to negative correlation between age and intensity of hypersensitivity to P. officinalis. A number of patients from both groups were tested for presence of serum IgE antibodies spe cific for 14 common environmental allergens. Hypersensitivity to P. of ficinalis pollen was associated with hypersensitivity to olive, mugwor t, and birch pollen in newcomers; hypersensitivity to birch and, to so me extent, olive pollen was significantly more frequent in newcomers t han in autochthonous patients who were allergic to P. officinalis poll en. Regardless of whether the patients were autochthons or newcomers t o the area with P. officinalis, hypersensitivity to P. officinalis mos tly excluded hypersensitivity to Dermatophagoides farinae and D. ptero nyssinus, and vice versa.