BRIEF COMMUNICATION Parietaria pollen a new aeroallergen in the city of Valparaiso, Chile

Parietaria pollen has never been considered as a significant cause of pollinosis in Chile; therefore, the sensitization to Parietaria study has never been included in the study of patients with clinical suspicion of pollinosis in this region. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of pollinosis caused by Parietaria in the Valparaı́so region, related to air concentrations of this kind of pollen. A cross-sectional study was performed in the city of Valparaı́so. It consisted of two stages: In the first, pollen grains were counted between 1999 and 2001. In the second, a sensitization profile on a patient population diagnosed with ARC (allergic rhinoconjunctivitis) was evaluated. Parietaria judaica (P. judiaca) presented pollination all year long, with aggravation in the spring and summer, and with values reaching 80 grains/m (weekly average). These findings determined the transience of the symptoms in this population, which is mainly perennial with seasonal aggravations. A total of 72 atopic subjects were obtained during the whole sample recollection period. P. judaica was the second most frequent cause of sensitization (60 %) after Dermatophagoides in the sample overall. Also, in monosensitized subjects, it was the first cause of pollen sensitization. P. judaica represents the second cause of allergy in Valparaı́so and the first cause of pollinosis. These findings suggest the importance of P. Mardones (&) M. C. González A. Córdova M. Grau Miguel de Servet Respiratory Disease Clinic, Almirante Pastene No. 150, Providencia, Santiago, Chile e-mail: [email protected] P. Mardones M. Grau Aerobiology, Environment and Health Foundation, Santiago, Chile E. Ripoll I. Rojas Department of Allergy and Immunology, Carlos Van Buren Hospital, Valparaiso, Chile C. Montealegre Padre Pio Medical Center, Talagante, Chile D. Pizarro Roberto del Rı́o Hospital, Santiago, Chile M. Torres Hospital Van Buren, Valparaiso, Chile R. Aguilera-Insunza Section on Allergy and Immunology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile J. J. Yepes-Nuñez Clinical and Experimental Allergology Group, University of Antioquia, Medellı́n, Colombia J. J. Yepes-Nuñez Academic Group of Clinical Epidemiology (GRAEPIC), University of Antioquia, Medellı́n, Colombia R. Rocha Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, Valparaiso, Chile 123 Aerobiologia (2013) 29:449–454 DOI 10.1007/s10453-013-9292-4