The Science and Technology Agency gave us an opportunity to perform a general study on the factors that have led to an increase in the prevalence of Japanese cedar pollinosis. We conducted an epidemiological study using the MAST-26 system in the town of Minabe, Hidaka county, Wakayama prefecture. The results were as follows :
1. The positive ratio for subjects with specific IgE antibodies against Japanese cedar pollen was 50.6% using the MAST-26 system. The positive ratio for other allergens, such as timothy, D. farinae, and sweet vernal, was 23.8%, 14.5%, and 11.9%, respectively. The positive ratio for food allergens was 2.5% for soybeans and 11.9% for crab.
2. Sensitized cases with multiple allergens occurred in a large proportion of the subjects.
3. Specific IgE antibodies were found in all subjects with pollinosis symptoms.
4. Of the population with specific IgE antibodies, for cedar, 71.6% developed pollinosis symptoms.
5. The correlation between the MAST-26 system and the CAP system for specific IgE antibodies against cedar pollen was high ; the negative concordance rate was 96.2%, the positive concordance rate was 98.8%, and the overall concordance rate was 97.5%.
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