Celery sensitivity: clinical and immunological correlations with pollen allergy

Abstract

Twenty patients with celery allergy and concomitant hypersensitivity to certain pollens (mugwort, birch) were studied. The specific symptoms induced by eating celery were attacks of urticaria and angioedema (17 of 20), respiratory complaints (8 out of 20) and systemic anaphylaxis with vascular collapse (3 of 20). A strong association between clinical reactions to celery and mugwort sensitization, and to a lesser degree between celery allergy and birch pollen sensitization was established. Celery allergy is mediated by IgE antibodies and can be easily diagnosed by cutaneous tests using fresh material and/or by adequate RAST (radioallergosorbent test). RAST inhibitions performed on individual sera suggest the existence of common antigens in celery and mugwort, and in celery and birch pollen. However, the exact nature of these common antigens has not yet been determined.