THE INCREASE OF POLLEN-ASSOCIATED ORAL AL LERGY SYNDROME - THE MARKEROF A CHANGE IN POLLEN ALLERGY

The histories of pollen-associated food intolerance were obtained from questionnaires of patients with pollinosis at a hospital for allergie s and diseases of the airways. The comparisons were made between 300 c onsecutive individual cases examined between 1979 - 1983 and again 300 cases between 1995 - 1996. The prevalence of oral allergy syndrome (G AS), particularly that produced by apples, nuts, stone and kernel frui ts was 17,3% 15 years ago as opposed to 58,3% for todays figures. Almo st no difference was to be observed in non-pollen-associated food into lerances. The pollen skin test showed the same frequency of tree polle n sensitization in both groups (267 : 264). Whilst particularly trival ent sensitizations to trees, herbs and grasses were found (238) 15 yea rs ago, this was evident in only 133 cases for 1995 - 1996. However, t he monovalent sensitization to trees alone increased from 2 to 55 (0,6 % to 18,5%) and bivalent sensitization to tries and grasses showed an increase from 5,7% to 22,1%. Additionally, a high percentage of those patients with mono and bivalent sensitizations to trees also suffered from GAS, caused by the high identity of Bet vl and the major allergen s in apples and nuts. Thus the observed increase of OAS conforms with a higher potency of tree pollen allergy manifesting itself in mono and bivalent form - even in patients less disposed to allergies. This ass umption is backed by the fact that a higher percentage of older patien ts had monovalent pollen allergy, grown ''forced'' over years whereas the younger patients of extreme allergic disposition more frequently s howed a trivalent sensitization. In 1995 - 1996 the PRIST value was de termined in 167 patients with pollinosis. This demonstrates that the l evel of total IgE is nor significant for GAS. A heightened exposure to sensitizing tree pollen is probably of more significance today. Thus OAS is a marker syndrome indicating a change in pollinosis today more often due to tree pollen allergy whereas sensitization to grasses and herbs almost remained the same within the lime period of comparison.