• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.735-749
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate airborne pollen counts, inhalant allergen sensitization rate, and allergic disease prevalence among elementary school children in Ulsan, South Korea during 2012-2018. Methods: Burkard samplers for pollen were installed on rooftops in suburban and urban areas in Ulsan. A 24-hour sampling of airborne allergens was conducted six days/week from January 1, 2013 to November 31, 2018. Skin prick tests were done with a total of 4,246 primary school students residing in urban and suburban areas in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. This study examined sensitization to 20 major inhalant allergens. Results: The highest monthly counts of airborne pollen were observed in April and September each year. Among the pollen identified over the six years, pine showed the highest pollen counts (44.3%), followed by oak (22.3%), alder (6.3%) and Japanese hops (4.3%). Tree pollen predominated from March to June, and weed pollen predominated from August to October. Higher sensitization rates for inhalant allergens were observed in Dermatophagoides farinae (42.4%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (43.6%), cat fur (12.1%), birch (9.9%), oak (9.6%), and alder (8.7%). The inhalant allergen sensitization rate was highest in the group with comorbidity (asthma and/or rhinitis and atopic dermatitis), and respiratory allergic disease (asthma and/or rhinitis) was higher than that of atopic dermatitis. Conclusion: Both the counts of tree pollen in the air and the sensitization rate for tree pollen were high in Ulsan. The temporal change in respiratory allergic diseases was similar to that for the sensitization rate of tree pollen, such as oak. In the future, it is considered that additional continuous research on various inhalant allergens and pollen should be conducted.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.355-361
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• 2008

Pollen is very important causing factor for allergy such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma, and pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Korea. The main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to pollen season dynamics. Korean academy of pediatric allergy and respiratory diseases (KAPARD) has evaluated the pollen characteristics and nationwide pollen count for over 10 years since 1997. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from nationwide 8 stations (Seoul, Guri, Cheongju, Daegu, Kwangju, Busan, Kangneung, and Jeju) by using 7 days-Burkard sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) in South Korea (July 1, 1997-June 30, 2007). They were counted and recorded along with the meteorological factors daily. Tree pollen is a major airborne allergen in spring, grass is most common in summer, and weed pollen is major pollen in autumn in Korea. There has two peak seasons for pollen allergy, as summer and autumn. There is some evidence suggesting that the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea has been on the increase in the past decade. However, recent findings of the phase I and II studies of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis rates in Korea, whereas the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were increased. We reported the evidence that sensitization rate to weed pollen has been increased yearly since 1997 in childhood. Climate change and air pollution must be the major causing factors for the increase of pollen counts and sensitization rate to pollen. Climate change makes the plants earlier pollination and persisting pollination longer. In conclusion, data on pollen count and structure in the last few years, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants with climate change gave new insights into the mechanism of respiratory allergic diseases in Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.322-329
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• 2012

Purpose: Aeroallergens are important causative factors of allergic diseases. Previous studies on aeroallergen sensitization rates investigated patients groups that had visited pediatric allergy clinics. In contrast, we investigated sensitization rates in a general population group of elementary school to teenage students in Incheon, Jeju, and Ulsan. Methods: After obtaining parental consent, skin-prick tests were performed on 5,094 students between March and June 2010. Elementary school students were tested for 18 common aeroallergens, whereas middle and high school students were tested for 25 allergens. The 25 allergens included Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, pollen (birch, alder, oak, Japanese cedar, pine, willow, elm, maple, Bermuda grass, timothy grass, rye grass, orchard grass, meadow grass, vernal grass, mugwort, Japanese hop, fat hen, ragweed, and plantain), and mold (Penicillatum, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria). Results: The sensitization rates in descending order were 25.79% (D. pteronyssinus ), 18.66% (D. farinae ), 6.20% (mugwort), and 4.07% (willow) in Incheon; 33.35% (D. pteronyssinus ), 24.78% (D. farinae), 15.36% (Japanese cedar), and 7.33% (Alternaria) in Jeju; and 32.79% (D. pteronyssinus), 30.27% (D. farinae), 10.13% (alder), and 8.68% (birch) in Ulsan. The dust mite allergen showed the highest sensitization rate among the 3 regions. The sensitization rate of tree pollen was the highest in Ulsan, whereas that of Alternaria was the highest in Jeju. The ragweed sensitization rates were 0.99% in Incheon, 1.07% in Jeju, and 0.81% in Ulsan. Conclusion: The differences in sensitization rates were because of different regional environmental conditions and distinct surrounding biological species. Hence, subsequent nationwide studies are required.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.315-329
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• 2013

This study was conducted to evaluate the distribution, frequency, sensitization rate, and types of specific allergen in allergic patients. We analyzed allergens of 12,882 allergic patient's serum referred for Medical Laboratory using MAST Allergy Screen Test (Inhalation/food panel) from April, 2010 to March, 2011. Allergen reactivity were not detected in 833/12,882 (6.5%) allergic patients and the other allergic patients had two or more types of allergens of food and inhalant, respectively. In the distribution of the allergen food 73.4% (9,450/12,882 patients) was much higher than the pollen 26.6% (3,432/12,882 patients). The sensitization rate to each allergen showed garlic 26.7%, egg white 21.5% of food allergens, mugwort 24.9%, ragweed short 19.6% of pollen allergens, Candida albicans 10.5%, Alternaria spp. 7.9% of fungus allergens, and showed high sensitized rate to Dermatophagoides farinae 90.2%, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 77.8%, house dust 57% of indoor allergens, respectively. The specific allergens of food allergen, fungus allergen, and indoor allergen were more frequent in young child than adult, but pollen allergens were frequent in adult than young child. In seasonal distribution, the food allergen were frequent in summer and autumn, the pollen allergen in autumn, fungus allergen in spring and in winter, and indoor allergen in autumn and in winter. In conclusion, the mite of Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and house dust showed the highest sensitization rate in specific allergen of allergic patients. The allergens showed difference feature according to the age, region, and types of allergen.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.240-249
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• 2015

Objectives: Farmers are known to be exposed to a variety of allergens related to the work environment. This study was conducted to determine the sensitization rates as well as South Korea that they are sensitized to certain allergens farmers through the skin prick test. Methods: By targeting a total of 1143 people living in the rural town of Gyeonggi Province, it was conducted a questionnaire containing demographic and occupational risk factors and underwent skin prick tests with 15 types of allergens(including positive and negative controls). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between occupational risk factors and skin prick test positivity. Results: Except for the 30 people whose result is invalid, positive rate of the skin prick test was 18.6% in 1,113 people. The species of house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae was the highest at 8.7% and 8.6%. After adjusted by age, gender, smoking and education level, odds ratio of flower plant farmers is 4.467(95% CI: 2.094-9.527) and fruit farmer is 2.275(95% CI: 1.096-4.721). In addition, the rate of sensitization to grass pollen mixture of the flower plant farmers is significantly higher(15.9%, p<0.001) than other allergens. Conclusions: Even farmers, the rate of sensitization to allergens related to the general environment, such as house dust mite is relatively dominant. However, given the presence of potential cross-reactivity between the allergens or distribution showed that the unique aspects of allergen sensitization in the flower growers, occupational cause is not be completely ruled out.