Pollen allergy or pollinosis

The warm season is a period of exacerbation of a very widespread allergic disease - pollinosis. Pollinosis (from pollen) is an allergic disease that is caused by an inadequate response of the immune system to pollen from various plants - pollen allergens. The term "hay fever" was introduced in 1819; hay was assumed to be the cause of seasonal eye disease. The link between allergy symptoms and pollen was established in 1873. 

Pollinosis occurs in all age groups, but usually the first symptoms begin to bother in childhood or adolescence. Pollinosis is a chronic disease; the symptoms of pollinosis recur annually at the same time. Seasonal (spring, summer) increase in symptoms is the most important diagnostic sign of pollinosis. The severity of an exacerbation of pollinosis depends on the concentration of pollen in the air (more pollen - a more pronounced allergic reaction), the spectrum and degree of individual sensitivity of the body to pollen allergens (the sensitivity spectrum determines the duration of the exacerbation, and the degree of sensitivity determines the intensity of symptoms).

The concentration of pollen in the atmosphere is related to air temperature, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed, which largely determines the intensity of the allergic reaction. In dry and warm weather, plants dust more intensively and allergy symptoms increase. On cold days, much less pollen is released, but the flowering period of plants is lengthened. The concentration of pollen in the air is significantly reduced during and immediately after rain and in calm weather. In the morning (from 5 to 11 o'clock) The intensity of dusting is maximum, it decreases in the evening, and is minimal at night. When leaving for another climatic zone where there are no allergenic plants, the symptoms of exacerbation of pollinosis are stopped within 2-3 days.

Pollinosis is caused primarily by pollen from wind-pollinated plants, which emit huge amounts of fine (20-60 microns) pollen carried by the wind over long distances - tens or even hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, the manifestations of the disease may be where there are no allergenic plants. In addition, pollen-producing plants should be widespread in the region. The body's ability to respond to pollen depends on a number of characteristics. For example, birch, timothy and wormwood pollen have a very high ability to cause allergies (allergenicity), but pine pollen does not.
The pollen of ragweed, wormwood, grasses and birch has the highest allergenic activity, but different allergens are "rampant" in different regions (in Japan, this is cedar pollen, in Ukraine - chestnut and oak, in Southern Europe - bedwort).

Allergenic plants.

Several groups of allergenic plants (trees, cereals and weeds) and several periods or seasons of exacerbation of pollinosis have been identified:

1. Spring,

2. Early summer

3. Late summer or summer-autumn)

In the classic case, an allergy develops to pollen of two or three plant species, and the exacerbation of the disease lasts about a month. However, cases of multiple sensitization (polysensitization) are not uncommon, when the exacerbation of the disease lasts almost all the warm season.

Woody plants.

The first period of exacerbation of pollinosis is spring (March - May). During this period, woody plants gather dust. Alder, hazel and birch are the first to bloom in March and April. At the end of April, it is the turn of willow, poplar, elm, ash, maple. In May - oak, lilac, apple, coniferous trees. The most significant allergen of this group is birch pollen. Later than all the other trees, the linden tree is gathering dust (in June).

Cereal (meadow) grasses.

Pollen of cereals is the number one pollen allergen in the whole of Kazakhstan, it opens the second period - early summer. Depending on the region, grasses bloom from May to the end of August. In the second half of May, foxtail and bluegrass begin to gather dust. In June, timothy, fescue and hedgehog join them. At the same time, the main cause of pollinosis is pollen of timothy, bluegrass, hedgehog, fescue, wheatgrass, rye grass, grasshopper, vole, foxtail and bonfire.

Weeds.

The third period of exacerbation of pollinosis is late summer (August - September). This is the flowering time of plants from the family of compound flowers and haze; wormwood and Orach have highly allergenic properties. In these families, there are plants that cause allergies at an earlier date: for example, dandelion, a close relative of wormwood and ragweed, already in May. Plantain, sorrel and nettle - representatives of different families - begin to gather dust in June and July; their dusting continues until autumn.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, pollen bronchial asthma.

During the period of pollen release (palination) of plants, pollen from the surrounding air settles on the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes and oral cavity, penetrates the bronchi together with the air, contacts the skin, and allergy symptoms occur in persons sensitive to it. They are caused by allergic inflammation, which develops as a result of contact of allergenic pollen with cells of the immune system.
The main nosological manifestations of pollinosis are seasonal allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis (seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis) and pollen bronchial asthma. You may be allergic to plant pollen (pollinosis) if you notice one or more of the following symptoms every year, around the same period of spring or summer:

uncontrollable sneezing (sneezing attacks), itchy nose, copious watery discharge from the nose (copious runny nose) or nasal congestion (allergic rhinitis, allergic runny nose);
itching and redness of the eyes, watery eyes (allergic conjunctivitis);
itching of the palate, tongue (allergic pharyngitis);
dry cough, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath or suffocation, wheezing in the chest (pollen bronchial asthma);
skin rashes, itchy skin (atopic dermatitis or allergic hives).

The condition with seasonal exacerbation of pollinosis resembles a "cold", but the temperature often remains normal. In the midst of the disease, common symptoms may occur - the so-called "pollen intoxication": irritability, fatigue, lack of appetite, weight loss, depression, migraine attacks are possible. If pollen enters the gastrointestinal tract, for example with bee products, nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain in combination with hives are possible.

If you notice one or more of the above symptoms, you should consult with a specialist allergist and conduct a blood test to detect antibodies to allergens – specific immunoglobulins E. This analysis can be done at any age, regardless of the presence or absence of an exacerbation of an allergic disease. In the OLYMP laboratory branches, you can be tested for all plant allergens, which include trees, grasses, and weeds. Thanks to the IMMULITE 2000 XPI automatic analyzer (Siemens, USA) the test for specific immunoglobulins E is performed quickly and is absolutely safe for health!