“Whole” vs. “fragmented” approach to EAACI pollen season definitions: A multicenter study in six Southern European cities
Creators: name: Hoffmann, Tara Maria
name: Acar Şahin, Aydan
name: Aggelidis, Xenophon
name: Arasi, Stefania
name: Barbalace, Andrea
name: Bourgoin, Anne
name: Bregu, Blerina
name: Brighetti, Maria Antonia
name: Caeiro, Elsa
name: Caglayan Sozmen, Sule
name: Caminiti, Lucia
name: Charpin, Denis
name: Couto, Mariana
name: Delgado, Luís
name: Di Rienzo Businco, Andrea
name: Dimier, Claire
name: Dimou, Maria V.
name: Fonseca, João A.
name: Goksel, Ozlem
name: Guvensen, Aykut
name: Hernandez, Dolores
name: Jang, Dah Tay
name: Kalpaklioglu, Fusun
name: Lame, Blerta
name: Llusar, Ruth
name: Makris, Michael P.
name: Mazon, Angel
name: Mesonjesi, Eris
name: Nieto, Antonio
name: Öztürk, Ayse
name: Pahus, Laurie
name: Pajno, Giovanni Battista
name: Panasiti, Ilenia
name: Panetta, Valentina
name: Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G.
name: Pellegrini, Elisabetta
name: Pelosi, Simone
name: Pereira, Ana Margarida
name: Pereira, Mariana
name: Pinar, Munevver
name: Pfaar, Oliver
name: Potapova, Ekaterina
name: Priftanji, Alfred
name: Psarros, Fotis
name: Sackesen, Cansin
name: Sfika, Ifigenia
name: Suarez, Javier
name: Thibaudon, Michel
name: Travaglini, Alessandro
name: Tripodi, Salvatore
name: Verdier, Valentine
name: Villella, Valeria
name: Xepapadaki, Paraskevi
name: Yazici, Duygu
name: Matricardi, Paolo M.
name: Dramburg, Stephanie
Publisher: name: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: EAACI
subject: Mediterranean
subject: pollen allergy
subject: season definitions
subject: seasonal allergic rhinitis
subject: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::610 Medizin und Gesundheit::610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description: Background: The adequate definition of pollen seasons is essential to facilitate a correct diagnosis, treatment choice, and outcome assessment in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. A position paper by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) proposed season definitions for Northern and Middle Europe. Objective: To test the pollen season definitions proposed by EAACI in six Mediterranean cities for seven pollen taxa. Methods: As part of the @IT.2020 multi-center study, pollen counts for Poaceae, Oleaceae, Fagales, Cupressaceae, Urticaceae (Parietaria spp.), and Compositae (Ambrosia spp., Artemisia spp.) were collected from January 1 to December 31, 2018. Based on these data, pollen seasons were identified according to EAACI criteria. A unified monitoring period for patients in AIT trials was created and assessed for feasibility. Results: The analysis revealed a great heterogeneity between the different locations in terms of pattern and length of the examined pollen seasons. Further, we found a fragmentation of pollen seasons in several segments (max. 8) separated by periods of low pollen counts (intercurrent periods). Potential monitoring periods included often many recording days with low pollen exposure (max. 341 days). Conclusion: The Mediterranean climate leads to challenging pollen exposure times. Monitoring periods for AIT trials based on existing definitions may include many intermittent days with low pollen concentrations. Therefore, it is necessary to find an adapted pollen season definition as individual solution for each pollen and geographical area.