Is it important to perform pollen skin prick tests in the season?

Background: Seasonal exposure to pollens causes the characteristic symptoms of respiratory allergy as well as an increase in specific IgE levels and i nflammatory mediator release. However, little is known about the effect of natural allergen exposure on the skin test reactivity of patients with seas onal allergy. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the monthly variation i n skin test reactions with pollen allergens during pollen season and its re lation to pollen counts. Methods: Fifteen subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis and/or asthma (4 male,ll female) between the ages of 13 and 52 (mean 33.9 +/- 2.9) who lived in Ankara, Turkey were selected for this study. Patients were monitored fr om the beginning of March to the end of September 1997, and skin prick test s were performed using 5 grass, 12 tree, and 5 weed pollen allergen extract s every month. Atmospheric pollen grains were counted in the Ankara area be tween January and December, 1997. Results: There were small but statistically significant increases in tree p ollen-induced wheal sizes in May when compared with other months (P < 0.05) . Skin test reactivity was correlated with tree pollen counts (r = 0.978, P < 0.05). There was not a significant difference in skin test reactivity to grass and weed pollens between months. Conclusions: Although skin test reactivity may be slightly greater to tree pollen during the tree pollen season, the timing of skin testing is not a c ritical determinant in patients with pollen allergy.