Exposure to grass pollen in Europe

Pooideae encompass both common wild and cultivated grasses, which are responsible for grass pollen exposure and sensitization in Europe. Across Europe, the pollination period of different members of this subfamily overlap and hayfever sufferers are therefore naturally exposed to a mixture of pollens from different grass species. Because of their morphological homology, Pooideae pollens are evaluated together in pollen counts and cannot be distinguished. Neither patients themselves, nor physicians can link the onset of hayfever symptoms to a specific grass species.