Allergy to grass juice.

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Grass pollen allergy is a common condition.
• Symptoms like rhinitis and conjunctival discharge can occur during grass cutting.
• The role of fresh, crushed grass in allergic reactions requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the allergenic potential of crushed, fresh grass.
• To determine if direct contact with crushed grass elicits skin reactions in allergic individuals.

Main Methods:

• Skin prick tests were performed on 149 patients with diagnosed grass pollen allergy.
• A scratch-chamber test and a scrubbing test were conducted on an additional patient with symptoms related to newly cut grass but no diagnosed pollen allergy.

Main Results:

• None of the 149 patients with grass pollen allergy showed positive skin reactions to crushed, fresh grass.
• Six patients experienced rhinitis and conjunctival discharge while cutting grass, but still tested negative.
• The additional patient with symptoms from newly cut grass also yielded negative results in both the scratch-chamber and scrubbing tests.

Conclusions:

• Crushed, fresh grass does not appear to be a significant allergen in patients with grass pollen allergy.
• Direct skin contact with crushed grass may not be the primary cause of symptoms in individuals sensitive to cut grass.
• Further research is needed to identify the specific allergens responsible for symptoms associated with freshly cut grass.