Pollen of Parietaria officinalis causes season-associated respiratory symptoms. In Southern Croatia (Yugoslavia) we found 65% patients with rhinitis and/or asthma to be allergic to this pollen. They showed positive cutaneous reactions and had specific IgE antibodies to the respective isolated allergen. The finding represents the first report on Parietaria officinalis-induced allergy on the east Adriatic coast.

The levels of IgE antibodies specific for toluene-diisocyanate (TDI), diphenylmethane-diisocyanate (MDI) and hexamethylene-diisocyanate (HDI) were determined in eight workers with an unequivocal history of professional asthma, all having been exposed to isocyanates in the working atmosphere. Five workers were examined at the clinical onset of asthma. They had serum IgE antibodies specific for TDI, MDI and HDI, and depressed pulmonary ventilation parameters. In contrast, three workers, who had only a mild bronchial obstruction at the time of testing, had no anti-isocyanate IgE antibodies. The results indicated that asthma was induced by type I allergic reaction, but other pathogenetic mechanisms of bronchoobstruction could not be completely ruled out.

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