[Relationships between oral allergy syndrome and sensitization to pollen antigen, especially to mugwort].

Background: In order to know the relationships between mugwort pollinosis and oral allergy syndrome (OAS), an etiological study was performed at Muroran City, where mugwort is the most frequent cause of pollinosis.

Methods: Allergic rhinitis patients positive to serum IgE to birch, mugwort or grass pollen visited to the outpatient-clinic of Otorhinolaryngology of Muroran City General Hospital from 1998 to 2002, were studied by a questionnaire concerning a past-history of OAS.

Results: The prevalence of OAS was significantly higher in patients positive to serum IgE antibody specific to birch pollen or mugwort pollen than those negative to each pollen-specific antibody (birch; 54.