ABSTRACT
GENNARO D’AMATO,1,2 CAROLINA VITALE,4 ALESSANDRO SANDUZZI,2,5 ANTONIO MOLINO,4 ALESSANDRO VATRELLA,6 and MARIA D’AMATO4
1Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, Department of Chest Diseases, High Speciality A. Cardarelli Hospital, Napoli Italy
2University “Federico II,” Medical School, Naples, Italy, E-mail: gdamatomail@gmail.com
3Division of Allergy, Department of Pediatrics Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
4First Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital “V. Monaldi” and University “Federico II” Medical School Naples, Italy
5Second Division of Pneumology, High Speciality Hospital “V. Monaldi” and University “Federico II” Medical School Naples, Italy
6Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano SA, Italy
Abstract ................................................................................................. 262 9.1 Introduction .................................................................................. 262 9.2 Update on Allergenic Pollen In Europe ....................................... 263 9.3 Concluding Remarks .................................................................... 272 Keywords .............................................................................................. 273 References ............................................................................................. 273
ABSTRACT
Aerobiological and allergological studies show that the pollen map of Europe is changing also as a result of cultural factors (e.g., importation of plants such as birch and cypress for urban parklands), greater international travel (e.g., colonization by ragweed in France, northern Italy, Austria, Hungary, etc.) and climate change. In this regard, the higher frequency of weather extremes, like thunderstorms, and increasing episodes of longrange transport of allergenic pollen represent new challenges for researchers. Furthermore, in the last few years the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants, gave new insights into the mechanisms of respiratory allergic diseases.
