Hypersensitivity to the pollen of Olea Europea in Zadar County

Introduction: Olive pollen is one of the most important causes of inhalant allergy in the Mediterranean countries.1 We investigated the frequency of hypersensitivity to the pollen of Olea europea in pollen allergic patients in Dalmatia, Croatia. Patients and methods: A total of 810 patients with pollen allergy were examined: 469 (58%) male and 341 (42%) female, age range from 4 to 53 years. The patients were assessed on the basis of medical history, clinical examination, measurement of pulmonary function (adults and children older than 7 years), intradermal prick test (≥ 3 mm), and immuno-enzyme UniCAP test for specific IgE antibodies. We used standard allergen prick tests produced by the Institute of Immunology in Zagreb, Croatia. Results: Our study confirmed that weeds and grasses, especially Parietaria officinalis and Dactylis glomerata, are the main pollen allergens. Trees rarely cause allergies in the Croatian part of the Adriatic coast.2 Hypersensitivity to Olea europea occurred in 66 of 810 (8.15%) assessed patients with pollen allergy. Olea europea and Fraxinus ornus belong to the family of Oleaceae. Both trees are part of the local flora. We confirmed the hypersensitivity to Olea europea allergen and excluded cross-reactivity between these plants by specific IgE antibodies measurements. The most prevalent clinical manifestations were rhinitis in 39 (59%) of 66 patients allergic to Olea europea pollen and bronchial asthma in 20 (30.3%) patients. It is interesting to note that 51 patients (77%) lived in towns and the rest in villages; only 3 patients (4%) lived on the islands. The prevalence of pollen allergies in patients living in the coastal region is recognized in other Mediterranean countries.3 Conclusion: Hypersensitivity to Olea europea allergen in our patients was significantly lower than in other Mediterranean countries (p