Micro-regional hypersensitivity variations to inhalant allergens in the city of Zagreb and Zagreb County.

Depending on the geographic and climatic region and vegetation, allergenic plants are characteristic for certain areas and the pollen concentrations of various plant species depend on the fenophase of each single species and most of all on the climatic and meteorological conditions of a certain area. It is precisely because of these specific characteristics that the hypersensitivity of patients to various types of pollen allergens differs according to the geographic regions. The aim of this paper is to determine the frequency of inhalation allergies in adult population (> 19 years of age) caused by single types of allergens according to the defined space units (micro-regions) with special emphasis on the rural and urban areas. A number of 2,192 patients have been tested for allergy skin prick tests over a period of four years. Every patient was asked to fill in the questionnaire which contained 29 questions. The results of skin prick testing show that out of a total of 2,192 patients 86.72% were sensitized to pollen, 36.45% to mites, 2.46% to spores of fungi and mould and 5.1% of patients to other allergens which include the allergens of cockroaches, feathers and animal hair (p < 0.001). The largest number of poly-sensitized persons allergic to pollen allergens was sensitized to allergens from the pollen of plants that belong to the botanical family of grass. There were 25.36% patients mono-sensitized to individual allergens. In the northern and western parts of the city and the county, the majority of persons were sensitized to the birch pollen allergens, and this is statistically much more than the share of patients with the place of residence in the southern and eastern parts of the city and the county. In the southern and eastern locations prevails the share of sensitized persons to ambrosia which is statistically much more than the share of patients with the place of residence in the northern and western part of the city and the county.