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Pollen Allergy

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Book cover Pollen Allergy in a Changing World

Abstract

Charles Blackley was the first to demonstrate that pollen has an impact on human health. He performed the first pollen provocation tests on himself by applying several pollen types to the nostrils, the conjunctiva, the tongue and lips, by inhaling it and by inoculating the upper and lower limbs. Furthermore, he demonstrated that the amount of pollen in the atmosphere was correlated with the severity of his own symptoms [1]. Nowadays, it was well known that proteins carried by pollen as allergens can evoke specific responses in the immune system. At first individuals can get sensitized to the allergens and subsequently these IgE-sensitized individuals can respond to the allergens with allergic symptoms. These can consist of nasal symptoms, eye symptoms, or bronchial asthma, or a combination of these. The level of allergen exposure can vary with the location, the weather or the time of year and it is a relevant determinant for both sensitization and symptom development. Allergenic pollen not only appeared to interact with the human immune system to elicit an allergic response in sensitized individuals but it has other effects as well [2].

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  1. Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Jae-Won Oh

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Oh, JW. (2018). Pollen Allergy. In: Pollen Allergy in a Changing World . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5499-0_7

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