Climate and aeroallergen levels in asthma: a 12 month prospective study

Epton, Michael; Martin, I. R.; Graham, Patrick; Healy, Pat; Smith, Haller J.; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswami; Harvey, I. C.; Fountain, David W.; Hedley, James; Town, G. Ian

doi:10.1136/thx.52.6.528

Cited by 63 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Lewis et al [6] reported that grass pollen influenced asthma emergency visits for asthma on days of light rainfall, and no effect was detected on dry days [6]. Delfino et al [14] and Epton et al [15] did not detect associations between pollen counts and symptoms, inhaler use or peak flows. One explanation for apparent differences in pollen effects between studies may be that effect sizes are relatively small requiring a very large number of observations to obtain conventional levels of statistical significance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tree Pollen and Hospitalization for Asthma in Urban Canada

Dales¹,

Cakmak

Judek

et al. 2008

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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Background: Allergy to tree pollen is common and aeroallergens have been associated with severe asthma exacerbations in the community setting. To determine the impact of different trees on asthma, we tested the association between daily hospitalizations for asthma and daily concentrations of different tree pollens in 10 large Canadian cities. Methods: Daily time-series analyses were employed to remove unwanted temporal trends. For each family or genus, results were adjusted for day of the week, temperature, barometric pressure and relative humidity. Results were expressed as the percentage increase in asthma hospitalizations related to an increase in tree pollen concentration equivalent in magnitude to its interquartile range. Results: For an interquartile increase in daily tree pollen concentration, percent increases in daily hospitalization for asthma were: 2.63% (95% CI 1.19–4.07) for Ulmus (elm), 2.45% (1.12–3.78) for the group containing Pinaceae (pine, fir, spruce), Tsuga (hemlock) and Larix (larch, tamarack); 2.32% (0.93–3.71) for the group containing Quercus (oak) and Castanea (chestnut), and 2.16% (0.70–3.62) for Acer (boxelder and maple). Statistically significant (p < 0.05) but small (<2%) effects were observed for Fraxinus (ash), Populus (aspen, poplar), Alnus (alder), Betula (birch) and Corylus (hazelnut). Conclusions: Several common tree pollens are an important cause of acute exacerbations of asthma severe enough to require hospitalization.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have detected effects of ambient fungal spores but not pollen [8, 12, 14, 15]. Additionally, reporting on only total tree or total grass pollens does not permit assessment of any relative differences in potency by group or genus within the total.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Pollen and Hospitalization for Asthma in Urban Canada

Dales¹,

Cakmak

Judek

et al. 2008

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

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“…Airborne allergens, including fungal spores, and climatic changes may influence the symptoms of asthma patients. Isolated cases suggest that meteorological events such as thunderstorms and dust storms have been correlated with increased asthma-related problems in the general population (Epton et al 1997). For example, an epidemic in June 1994 occurred in London, during which the local hospitals saw a tenfold increase in hospital admissions for asthma during and immediately preceding a thunderstorm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Correlation of spring spore concentrations and meteorological conditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Troutt

Levetin

2001

International Journal of Biometeorology

145

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Different spore types are abundant in the atmosphere depending on the weather conditions. Ascospores generally follow precipitation, while spore types such as Alternaria and Cladosporium are abundant in dry conditions. This project attempted to correlate fungal spore concentrations with meteorological data from Tulsa, Oklahoma during May 1998 and May 1999. Air samples were collected and analyzed by the 12-traverse method. The spore types included were Cladosporium, Alternaria, Epicoccum, Curvularia, Pithomyces, Drechslera, smut spores, ascospores, basidiospores, and other spores. Weather variables included precipitation levels, temperature, dew point, air pressure, wind speed, wind direction and wind gusts. There were over 242.57 mm of rainfall in May 1999 and only 64.01 mm in May 1998. The most abundant spore types during May 1998 and May 1999 were Cladosporium, ascospores, and basidiospores. Results showed that there were significant differences in the dry-air spora between May 1998 and May 1999. There were twice as many Cladosporium in May 1998 as in May 1999; both ascospores and basidiospores showed little change. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which meteorological variables influenced spore concentrations. Results showed that there was no single model for all spore types. Different combinations of factors were predictors of concentration for the various fungi examined; however, temperature and dew point seemed to be the most important meteorological factors.

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“…Since not only the spores but also the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma , Coprinus and Pleurotus contain allergens, they may induce food allergy in sensitized patients upon consumption of these mushrooms [118, 119]. Hence, basidiomycota as well as ascomycota are known to cause atopic asthma in susceptible persons [120]. The incidence of basidiomycota-caused allergy ranges from 3.5 [121] to 25.4% [122].…”

Section: Fungal Allergensmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Spectrum of Fungal Allergy

Simon-Nobbe¹,

Denk²,

Pöll³

et al. 2007

Int Arch Allergy Immunol

435

425

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Fungi can be found throughout the world. They may live as saprophytes, parasites or symbionts of animals and plants in indoor as well as outdoor environment. For decades, fungi belonging to the ascomycota as well as to the basidiomycota have been known to cause a broad panel of human disorders. In contrast to pollen, fungal spores and/or mycelial cells may not only cause type I allergy, the most prevalent disease caused by molds, but also a large number of other illnesses, including allergic bronchopulmonary mycoses, allergic sinusitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis and atopic dermatitis; and, again in contrast to pollen-derived allergies, fungal allergies are frequently linked with allergic asthma. Sensitization to molds has been reported in up to 80% of asthmatic patients. Although research on fungal allergies dates back to the 19th century, major improvements in the diagnosis and therapy of mold allergy have been hampered by the fact that fungal extracts are highly variable in their protein composition due to strain variabilities, batch-to-batch variations, and by the fact that extracts may be prepared from spores and/or mycelial cells. Nonetheless, about 150 individual fungal allergens from approximately 80 mold genera have been identified in the last 20 years. First clinical studies with recombinant mold allergens have demonstrated their potency in clinical diagnosis. This review aims to give an overview of the biology of molds and diseases caused by molds in humans, as well as a detailed summary of the latest results on recombinant fungal allergens.

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Climate and aeroallergen levels in asthma: a 12 month prospective study

Cited by 63 publications

References 31 publications

Tree Pollen and Hospitalization for Asthma in Urban Canada

Tree Pollen and Hospitalization for Asthma in Urban Canada

Correlation of spring spore concentrations and meteorological conditions in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Spectrum of Fungal Allergy

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