Prevalence of pollen-related Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) in a UK population

Abstract

RATIONALE: The commonest type of OAS is pollen-food syndrome (PFS), a food allergy caused by cross-reactions to plant foods in pollen-sensitised individuals. PFS has been estimated to affect 50 to 90% of people allergic to birch tree pollen. There have been no studies assessing the prevalence of PFS in a general population; a validated PFS diagnostic questionnaire (PFSDQ2) was used to undertake a UK prevalence study.