LONGITUDINAL MONITORING OF TREE AIRBORNE POLLEN IN JAPAN.

RATIONAL: In Japan patients with Japanese Cedar (JC) pollinosis have increased nation widely since the latter of 1970's. The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japanese Governments has begun to take preventive measures against JC pollinosis and airborne pollen monitoring has begun to investigate as a causative agent since 1986. We have estimated the longitudinal investigation result for successful prevention and treatment against pollinosis in Japan.

METHOD: We have monitored airborne pollen all year around since July 1986 by gravitational pollen sampler, Durham's sampler, at more than 20 locations in the Japanese Islands. Pollen samples were sent to our hospital and counted pollen number per cm(2) after stained by Calberla solution and then classified main pollen grains as a causative agent of pollinosis.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION: JC pollen number was the most of all, more than 40%, next cypress family, about 20%. They were occupied of more than 60% of all and they increased with the remarkable annual fluctuation as the allergen of JC pollinosis. Beech family pollen counting were also increasing and occupied about 10% of all pollen counts. In Hokkaido the prevalence of birch family pollen count was larger than that in other districts. There is cross-reactivity between beech and birch family which related with oral allergic syndrome.Perspective and Conclusion: In future new occurrences of oral allergy syndrome due to increasing allergic tree pollen grains would be appeared. The contentious pollen research should be important for patients with pollinosis in Japan.