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Concentration of IgE in children during ragweed pollination season

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Abstract

Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for running allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the values of total- (t-IgE) and allergen-specific IgE (s-IgE) to Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Amb a) in children with sensitization to Amb a during ragweed pollination season, who experienced seasonal symptoms of allergic rhinitis (rhinorrhea, post-nasal drip, nasal congestion, itching, sneezing) and asthma (coughing, especially at night, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness). Ragweed pollen grains were collected in Virovitica (rural area) and Zagreb (urban area)—cities with the same geographical width and elevation—during ragweed pollination seasons (July–October in 2006 and 2007), and their count was estimated. Concentration of t-IgE and s-IgE in pollination season was determined in serum of children with symptoms of allergic diseases. The total count of ragweed pollen grains (PG) differed significantly between Virovitica and Zagreb in both years, 2006. and 2007. In Virovitica it was significantly greater than in Zagreb. There was no statistically significant seasonal difference in both, t-IgE and s-IgE, respectively. No correlation was found between pollen grain count and the concentration of IgE’s. To clarify the induction of IgE synthesis in children with sensitization to Amb a, further studies are needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Ecology, Institute of Public Health Sveti Rok, Lj. Gaja 2, Virovitica, Croatia

    Mirjana Špehar & Miroslav Venus

  2. Reference Center for Clinical Pediatric Allergology, Srebrnjak Children’s Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia

    Slavica Dodig & Mirjana Turkalj

  3. Department of Health Ecology, Institute of Public Health A. Štampar, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ivana Hrga

  4. Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, General Hospital, Virovitica, Croatia

    Draženka Simić

Authors
  1. Mirjana Špehar
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  2. Slavica Dodig
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  3. Ivana Hrga
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  4. Draženka Simić
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  5. Mirjana Turkalj
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  6. Miroslav Venus
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Correspondence to Mirjana Špehar.

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Špehar, M., Dodig, S., Hrga, I. et al. Concentration of IgE in children during ragweed pollination season. Aerobiologia 26, 29–34 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9140-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-009-9140-8

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