[Bronchial asthma caused by exposure to ash wood dust]

A 42-year-old man reported attacks of dyspnoea on non-professional exposure to ash wood dust. The skin prick tests with common allergens and ash pollen were positive. Inhalation of ash wood dust (challenge test) elicited a very strong, immediate bronchospastic reaction, associated with profuse watery rhinorrhea, conjunctival congestion and lacrimation. The symptoms did not occurred after inhalation of pine wood dust. A positive skin (prick test) reaction to ash wood extract was documented. When the patient remained unexposed to ash wood dust the dyspnoea subsided and 4-fold decrease in bronchial reactivity to histamine-PC20 increase from 0.53 mg/ml to 2.1 mg/ml (according to Cockroft) was observed. The authors conclude that the immediate bronchial reaction to inhaled ash wood dust and the immediate skin positive response to ash wood extract were due to IgE-allergen reaction. This is the second case of hypersensitivity to ash wood dust reported in the literature.