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Biomedical subjects

P Rosencwaig

Publications and source records attributed to P Rosencwaig.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

[Pollen of gramineae and its relation with allergic manifestations in Costa Rica].

Allergy to pollen is a significant health problem in Costa Rica. This volume both reviews and presents new data on the subject, for which there are no similar comprehensive studies in other areas of Latin America. A description of the sampling methods is presented, as well as an introduction to work presented throughout the volume. A hundred control subjects were compared with 480 patients with rhinitis, conjuntivitis, bronchial asthma and/or atopic dermatitis. Poaceae pollen ranks first in Type I allergic sensitivization, because (1) it produces abundant pollen, (2) occurs in a variety of climates and habitats and (3) its proteins are particularly allergenic. In 1986, about 0.33% of the country's population became new allergy patients, and the rate is increasing. The normal extraction methods were satisfactory and were applied to frozen pollen with a mean active life of about three years. Prich tests were done for a period of two years using only extract combinations by tribe. A second stage used species-specific extracts (1/10 W/V 50% glycerine).

Allergens↗

[Type I hypersensitivity to graminea pollens by tribe, in allergic rhinitis patients].

Type I Hypersensitivity to pollens of the Poaceae Family (Gramineae) organized by subfamilies and tribes were studied in 404 Costa Rican patients with a clinical diagnosis of Allergic Rhinitis and 100 non atopic subjects. Skin prick tests (for each tribe) were done with pooled samples from the species which are most abundant in Costa Rica (1/10 W/V, 50% glycerinated). The tribes were: Paniceae, Andropogoneae, Poeae, Aveneae, Oryzoideae and Chloridoideae (Eragrostoideae); 53% of the patients were positive to at least one of the tribes against 2% of the non atopic subjects. The most frequent tribe was the Aveneae with a 37.4% of positivity; the lowest was Paniceae with an 24.8% positivity. The provinces with the highest positivities to graminean pollens were Alajuela and Guanacaste with more than 60% of the rhinitic patients positive for at least one test. When an individual is positive to one tribe, it does not mean that this patient is positive to other tribes of this large Family. It is necessary to include all the tribes of the Poaceae Family present in a country or region to properly analyze allergic hypersensitivity to this family.

Adolescent↗

[Type I hypersensitivity to pollen of the Poaceae family (Gramineae), by tribe, in atopic dermatitis patients].

Type I Hypersensitivity to Poaceae pollen was tested in 27 Costa Rican patients with a clinical diagnosis of Atopic Dermatitis (six were males). Skin prick tests were done with 1/10 W/V, 50% glycerinated, pollen extracts, organized by tribes. Most patients had several allergic problems. Sensitivity increased with the number of allergic diagnoses. Positivity ranged from 25% in patients with Atopic Dermatitis exclusively to 100% in those with three or four simultaneous allergic illnesses. Andropogoneae was highest with 37% while the lower positivity was in the Paniceae (22.2%).

Adolescent↗

[Type I hypersensitivity to gramineae pollen (by tribe), in allergic conjunctivitis patients].

A total of 84 Costa Rican patients with a clinical diagnosis of Allergic Conjuntivitis (with or without other allergic diagnosis) and 100 non atopic subjects were studied by prick tests for all of Poaceae Tribes present in Costa Rica. Positivity was recorded in 70% of the Allergic Conjunctivitis patients for at least one of the tribes (against 2% of controls). An increase in the number of analysed tribes correlated with a higher number of patients allergic to graminean pollens. Guanacaste Province had the highest positivity, and patients aged 11 to 20 years were the most sensitive. Aveneae had the highest positivity except in Alajuela Province, in which Paniceae was highest in positivity. Poaceae pollens are very important in allergic hypersensitivity among Allergic Conjunctivitis patients. Prick tests for all the tribes present in the country are required to fully detect positivity to this family.

Adolescent↗

[Type I hypersensitivity to gramineae pollen (by tribe), in bronchial asthma patients].

A total of 260 Costa Rican patients (106 males) with clinical diagnosis of Bronchial Asthma and 100 non atopic subjects were studied with skin prick tests for all Poaceae tribes. Allergic Type I Hypersensitivity to these pollens among the Bronchial Asthma patients reached 51.2% positivity to at least one tribe (2% in controls). The positivity to each tribe was lower than positivity to at least one tribe. Up to 25.4% of positive patients could missed by not testing for all tribes present in the country. The pollen of the Oryzeae tribe (rice) showed the highest positivity among the Bronchial Asthma patients of Guanacaste Province. This province produces most of the country's grains. Type I Allergic Hypersensitivity to Poaceae Family pollens in Bronchial Asthma patients in Costa Rica was higher than expected.

Adolescent↗

[Type I hypersensitivity to gramineae pollen (by species) in allergic rhinitis patients].

A total of 184 Costa Rican Allergic Rhinitis patients with at least one positive skin prick test in a previous study were tested for reaction to Poaceae tribes and species compared with 100 non atopic subjects. Skin prick tests were applied for the most abundant species present in Costa Rica. Highest positivity rates among the Allergic Rhinitis patients were obtained with Anthoxatum odoratum (83.2%) (Tribe Aveneae), Panicum maximum (82.1%) (Paniceae), Panicum mole (78.3%) (Paniceae) and Holcus lanatus (77.7%) (Aveneae). The only species with a low percentage of positivity was Uniola pittieri. There was a high prevalence of positive prick tests to pollens of the Poaceae species used for food, including corn, sorghum, sugar cane and rice. All exceeded 60% of positive results in the patients (against 2% in controls). These cultivated species have a special pattern of flowering which can explain the known exhacerbation of allergic symptoms in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis.

Adolescent↗

[Correlation of allergy positivity for the tests of gramineas between tribes and species].

In a sample of 190 Costa Rican allergic patients and 100 non atopic subjects there was a positive correlation of positivities in skin prick tests to individual Poaceae species and to the Tribe. The exceptions were Panicum maximun, Panicum molle, and Holcus lanatus, because they presented higher individual positivities. A table of correlations among tribes is included. Skin prick tests for Poaceae pollens should be organized by tribes to prevent a 25% of false negative cases.

Adolescent↗