Parietaria judaica and dermo-respiratory allergy in Barcelona: a study of 250 cases.

The wide geographical distribution of parietaria in southern and western Europe is responsible for the high incidence of pollinic hypersensitivity. Our centre detected the existence of hypersensitivity to parietaria judaica in 250 patients (12.15%) out of a group of 2.057 patients. Exclusive consideration of the pollinic patients in this group 980/2,057 showed that the parietaria is the spore responsible for 25.5% of these patients. The most common symptomatology was rhinoconjunctivitis (41.2%) and the least frequent, the dermic picture (1.2%). The diagnostic methodology of these 250 patients included: anamnesis, rhinoscopy, rhinomanometry, skin tests, respiratory function, immunoglobulin levels (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE), specific IgE and histamine release test. All patients were subjected to immunotherapy using parietaria judaica extracts. The overall evolution following immunotherapy was favourable in more than 80% of the patients, which confirms the suitability of the pareitaria judaica extract in the diagnosis and treatment of this pollinosis.