Study of Seasonal Changes in Nasal Allergy.

Data were collected and analyzed from 348 patients who presented with untreated nasal allergies at the Tokyo Women's Medical College Daini Hospital and the following results were obtaind:1) The most common symptom was nasal obstruction in patients having perennial nasal allergies, and nasal discharge in patients with seasonal allergies.2) Testing for HD mites showed a higher positivity rate in patients with perennial allergies or allergies in the autumn and winter.3) Testing for Japanese cedar pollen showed a higher positivity rate in patients showing allergic symptoms in the spring, spring and summer, or spring and autumn.4) The BAST scores correctly determined whether allergy was seasonal or non-seasonal in 77.1 of patients.5) However, RAST scores could not distinguish winter allergies from any other types of seasonal allergies.6) Despite this, RAST scores determined the type of seasonal allergy correctly in 56.7% of patients after excluding those with winter allergies.7) HD mite, Japanese cedar, and hogweed antigens are useful for determining the type of seasonal allergy.8) Testing with allergens characteristic of summer and winter, but not spring and autumn is indispensable for determining the type of seasonal allergy.