Asthma Epidemics and Soybean in Cartagena (Spain)

Hernando-Arizaleta, Lauro; Navarro, Carmen; Márquez, M Giovanni; Zapatero, L.; Galván, Fernando

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(89)91405-0

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To date, only epidemic increases in asthma associated with aeroallergens derived from soybean dust25 26 or with special meteorological conditions such as thunderstorms in the presence of grass pollen20 have been reported. The results of this study suggest that, in our geographical environment and in usual meteorological conditions, exposure to high pollen concentrations (mainly grass pollen) is related to epidemic-type asthma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between airborne pollen and epidemic asthma in Madrid, Spain: a case-control study

Galán

Prieto

Rubio

et al. 2010

Thorax

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Despite the fact that airborne pollen is an important factor in precipitating asthma attacks, its implication in increases of epidemic asthma in usual meteorological conditions has not been reported. A study was undertaken to estimate the relationship between various types of aeroallergens and seasonal epidemic asthma in the region of Madrid, Spain. Methods A caseecontrol study was carried out in individuals aged 4e79 years who received emergency healthcare for asthma during 2001 in a base hospital covering a population of 750 000 inhabitants of Madrid. A skin prick test was performed with grass pollen, plantain pollen, olive pollen, cypress pollen, plane tree pollen, dust mites and Alternaria and the prevalence of skin reactivity was compared between subjects with asthma requiring emergency care for asthma within (cases) and outside (controls) the seasonal epidemic period. Data were analysed using logistic regression adjusting for age and sex. Results The response rate was 61.7% for cases (n¼95) and 51.6% for controls (n¼146). The OR of sensitisation to grass pollen for cases compared with controls was 9.9 (95% CI 4.5 to 21.5); plantain pollen: 4.5 (95% CI 2.5 to 8.2); olive pollen: 7.3 (95% CI 3.5 to 15.2); plane tree pollen: 3.6 (95% CI 2.0 to 6.4); cypress pollen: 3.5 (95% CI 2.0 to 6.2); dust mites: 1.1 (95% CI 0.6 to 1.9); Alternaria: 0.9 (95% CI 0.5 to 1.9). The association with grasses was maintained after adjusting simultaneously for the remaining aeroallergens (OR 5.0 (95% CI 1.5 to 16.4)); this was the only one that retained statistical significance (p¼0.007). Conclusions These results suggest that allergy to pollen, particularly grass pollen, is associated with the epidemic increase in asthma episodes during the months of May and June in the Madrid area of Spain.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between airborne pollen and epidemic asthma in Madrid, Spain: a case-control study

Galán

Prieto

Rubio

et al. 2010

Thorax

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Other outbreaks of asthma caused by soybean dust pollution have been documented in the Spanish cities of Tarragona and Cartagena [149,150]. In Naples, Italy, w100 patients were admitted to hospital for asthma in a single day in December 1993 [151].…”

Section: Plant-derived Allergensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor air pollution, climatic changes and allergic bronchial asthma

D’Amato¹,

Liccardi²,

D’Amato³

et al. 2002

Eur Respir J

223

158

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Both the prevalence and severity of respiratory allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma have increased in recent years. Among the factors implicated in this "epidemic" are indoor and outdoor airborne pollutants. Urbanisation with its high levels of vehicle emissions and Westernised lifestyle parallels the increase in respiratory allergy in most industrialised countries, and people who live in urban areas tend to be more affected by the disease than those of rural areas. In atopic subjects, exposure to air pollution increases airway responsiveness to aeroallergens. Pollen is a good model with which to study the interrelationship between air pollution and respiratory allergic diseases. Biological aerosols carrying antigenic proteins, such as pollen grains or plantderived paucimicronic components, can produce allergic symptoms. By adhering to the surface of these airborne allergenic agents, air pollutants could modify their antigenic properties. Several factors influence this interaction, i.e., type of air pollutant, plant species, nutrient balance, climatic factors, degree of airway sensitisation and hyperresponsiveness of exposed subjects. However, the airway mucosal damage and the impaired mucociliary clearance induced by air pollution may facilitate the penetration and the access of inhaled allergens to the cells of the immune system, and so promote airway sensitisation. As a consequence, an enhanced immunoglobulin E-mediated response to aeroallergens and enhanced airway inflammation favoured by air pollution could account for the increasing prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases in urban areas.

show abstract

“…Hernando reported similar asthma epidemics likely caused by airborne soybean dust in Cartagena, Spain (Hernando et al, 1989) as did Alvarez-Dardet and colleagues in Valencia, Spain (Alvarez-Dardet et al, 1989). Hernando reported similar asthma epidemics likely caused by airborne soybean dust in Cartagena, Spain (Hernando et al, 1989) as did Alvarez-Dardet and colleagues in Valencia, Spain (Alvarez-Dardet et al, 1989).…”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Soybean aeroallergen around the port of New Orleans: A potential cause of asthma

Swanson

Rando

et al. 1996

Aerobiologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There have been reported epidemics of severe asthma in Barcelona, Spain, linked to a 10 kDa low molecular mass (LMM) allergen from soybean hulls that became airborne during unloading of ships. As a preliminary probe of the potential for dispersion of this allergen in USA cities, four automated air samplers were placed around a grain elevator in New Orleans and operated continuously from May to October 1990. The allergen was extracted from the filters and immunochemically assayed for soybean aeroallergen. On 31 separate days, the airborne allergen concentration in at least one of the samples was over 10 000 U/m -~, similar to those observed in Barcelona on some epidemic days. Areas North and East of the elevator were most affected. Serologic studies showed that of 50 asthmatics from New Orleans who were participants in an unrelated clinical study 4 or 8% demonstrated elevated titers of lgE antibody to LMM soybean allergen. Only 1 of 475 control sera (half of which were also asthmatic) obtained elsewhere in the US was positive for LMM soybean IgE antibody. Based on the findings in this study, there is a great possibility that on some days there is enough soybean allergen in the air and a sufficient frequency of soybean aeroallergen RAST positive asthmatics in New Orleans to warrant further investigation of the contribution of soybean aeroallergen to asthma around the port of New Orleans.

show abstract

Asthma Epidemics and Soybean in Cartagena (Spain)

Cited by 25 publications

References 1 publication

Association between airborne pollen and epidemic asthma in Madrid, Spain: a case-control study

Association between airborne pollen and epidemic asthma in Madrid, Spain: a case-control study

Outdoor air pollution, climatic changes and allergic bronchial asthma

Soybean aeroallergen around the port of New Orleans: A potential cause of asthma

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About