AIRBORNE POLLEN SPECTRUM OF DNіPROPETROVSK CITY AS A BASIS OF HAY FEVER CONTROL

Abstract

Hay fever is important allergenic complain with number of patients rising year by year. Ukraine holds the leading positions in Europe in accordance with pollinosis morbidity. Therefore, it’s important to determine regional pollen spectrum for all five climatic and geographical zones of the country having certain variety of plants’ allergens. There are just a few cities with a constant pollen monitoring carried out in Ukraine. They are Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Odessa and Lviv. Palynological range of other Ukrainian cities remains unknown or poorly studied. Dnipropetrovsk – Ukrainian city with location in the Central part of the country in the Steppe zone – isn’t exception as well. Thus, the aim of our study was to determine the pattern of airborne pollen distribution and pollen calendar creation for the city of Dnipropetrovsk. Pollen count obtained at Vinnytsia National Pirogov Memorial Medical University (VNMU) by Aerobiology Research Group. Study was held in 2010 from the 17 th of March till the 20 th of October on daily basis employed volumetric methods using the Burkard trap. It stands on the roof of the Dnipropetrovsk Municipal hospital at 20 meters of a relative height above ground. The air samples were sent by currier mail on weekly basis from Dnipropetrovsk to Vinnytsia for the research term. 51 pollen types were determined during the study period. The aeropalinological research was done for the Dnipropetrovsk at first. Study was conducted in association with the European Aeroallergen Network (EAN). The EAN tools and the software package “Statistica 5.5” were used for data statistical analysis. The study showed prevalence of the airborne herbal pollen types in Dnipropetrovsk. The “weeds : trees” pollen ratio was «88 : 12». Most abundant pollen rain (59% of total annual pollen count) was produced by Ambrosia . The second position with 6% was held by Amaranthus / Chenopodiaceae pollen group and Urtica dioica pollen. Artemisia and other representatives of Asteraceae constituted of 5% each. The most abundant tree pollen rain (4% from total annual count) was produced by the Populus species. Betula pollen was the next having up 2% of annual pollen rain in Dnipropetrovsk. As can be seen, the first arboreal spring-summer pollination wave was not massive in Dnipropetrovsk. It was represented by Populus , Betula , Acer , Fraxinus , Quercus , Ulmus , Pinus , Juglans pollen spread in the end of March, whole April and the first weeks of May mostly. However, the second wave was intensively seen from the mid of July till the mid of October. Important airborne pollen producing taxa were Artemisisia , Ambrosia , Asteraceae, Chenopodiaceae, Urtica , Plantago , Polygonaceae pollen at that time. Important airborne pollen allergens of Poaceae family (grasses) held the 7 th position in the total annual pollen rain and were recorded between two pollination waves from the mid of May till the end of June mostly. The worst period for the patients was associated with the Betula , Acer and Quercus pollination from 13 th of April  till the mid of May and with Ambrosia and Artemisia pollination from 28 th of July, till September, 30. The present airborne pollen calendar should be considered while diagnosing the hay fever symptoms in sensitive patients. It’s important to continue the pollen count and control in Dnіpropetrovsk due to constant changing of climatic and anthropogenic conditions impacting the pollen production and release.