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Pollen-sensitive individuals have specific psychological profiles

Aerobiologia volume 35, pages 759–763 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

It was shown that allergic diseases can have a psychosomatic component, and it may be important to consider it in the allergy treatment. So the aim of the study was to determine the presence of a leading psycho-type in a group of subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of seasonal allergy in order to improve both medical care and information delivery to patients. The study was carried out among adult men and women using the MMPI (The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) methodology. It involved 86 volunteers. Twenty-five of them constituted the control group of 13 women and 12 men, who previously had never been diagnosed with seasonal allergy. The remaining 61 patients were 30 women and 31 men who had been earlier clinically diagnosed with pollen sensitivity. It was shown that in men with a clinically diagnosed pollinosis, a leading psycho-type of rigidity, paranoia and schizophrenia is determined. A similar effect is observed in pollen-sensitive women who are characterized by the formation of a complex psycho-type with increased indices on scales of depression (D), hysteria (Hy), psychopathy (Pd), paranoia (Pa), psychasthenia (Pt) and hypomania (Ma). The results of the study suggest that the main approach to treatment of patients with seasonal allergies should consider a combination of two treatments regimens—drug therapy and psychotherapeutic support of patients both during the exacerbation of the disease and at the stage of remission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, 56, Pirogov Street, Vinnytsia, 21018, Ukraine

    Victoria Rodinkova, Olena Toziuk, Yuliia Hryhoruk & Olga Palamarchuk

  2. Department of Medical Psychology and Psychiatry, National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, 56, Pirogov Street, Vinnytsia, 21018, Ukraine

    Alla Kondratyuk & Tamara Kryvonos

  3. Department of Phthisiology with the Course of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya, 56, Pirogov Street, Vinnytsia, 21018, Ukraine

    Olga Bondarchuk, Iryna Korytska, Lidiya Kyrychenko & Artemii Bogomolov

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  1. Victoria Rodinkova
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  2. Alla Kondratyuk
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  3. Olena Toziuk
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  4. Olga Bondarchuk
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  7. Lidiya Kyrychenko
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  8. Tamara Kryvonos
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Correspondence to Victoria Rodinkova.

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Rodinkova, V., Kondratyuk, A., Toziuk, O. et al. Pollen-sensitive individuals have specific psychological profiles. Aerobiologia 35, 759–763 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-019-09592-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-019-09592-0

Keywords

  • Seasonal allergy
  • Psychological profiles
  • MMPI
  • Scales of paranoia
  • Depression
  • Psychasthenia