Diagnosis of parietaria pollinosis

A prospective study of 54 patients showed that pollinosis due to parietaria is prevalent in Spain and frequently causes asthma and rhinitis. Because of its atypical clinical features, patients are often erroneously thought to have intrinsic asthma. False negative skin tests may occur, probably related to the type of extract used. This may contribute to a faulty diagnosis. The RAST is most useful for diagnosis.