Sensitization to sugar cane pollen in Okinawan allergic children

Specific IgE antibodies to sugar cane pollen were investigated in seventy-four Okinawan children who suffered from allergic disorders. Only two (2.7%) with asthma of the 74 patients had specific IgE antibodies to sugar cane pollen as well as house dust and Dermatophagoides farinae. However, they have no histories of their symptoms being aggravated when sugar cane flowers bloom. From these results, the sensitization to sugar cane pollen exists in a small number of Okinawan allergic children, however, the low incidence of positivity could reflect lack of exposure to sensitizing doses of sugar cane pollen in these children.