Prevalence of cypress pollen allergy in children with allergic sensitization and evaluation of the clinical characteristics of patients with cypress pollen allergy

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cypress pollen sensitization in children admitted to the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Clinic of Gaziantep University and to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients with cypress pollen sensitization based on skin prick test results. Materials and Methods: Between 01 May 2024 and 31 December 2024, skin prick tests were performed on a total of 1498 children who presented with allergy symptoms to the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Clinic of Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine. Among the 560 patients identified as sensitized to respiratory allergens, those with cypress pollen sensitization were evaluated in terms of demographic data, family history, clinical symptoms, medications used, laboratory findings (total serum IgE, cypress-specific IgE, and eosinophil count), and pulmonary function tests. Result: Of the 560 patients found to have sensitization to respiratory allergens, 204 (36.4 %) were identified as being sensitized to cypress pollen. Among these cases, 67.2 % were male, and monosensitization was detected in only 4.9 %. A positive family history was present in 51.5 % of the patients, while the most frequently observed symptoms were cough (63.2 %), dyspnea (47.5 %), and conjunctivitis (45.6 %). Specific IgE measurement revealed positivity in 94.8% of the cases. Reversibility was detected in 11.5 % of the 156 patients who underwent pulmonary function testing. Regarding clinical diagnoses, 29.4 % of the patients had only allergic rhinitis, 26.5 % had only asthma, and 35.3 % presented with both conditions. In terms of treatment, intranasal corticosteroids (73 %) were found to be the most commonly used drug group. Conclusion: In our study, cypress pollen sensitization was identified in 204 (36.4 %) of 560 patients with respiratory allergen sensitization. The prevalence of cypress pollen sensitization was found to be higher than that reported in some studies in the literature; monosensitization was rare, whereas polysensitization was common. These findings highlight the importance of comprehensive clinical and laboratory evaluations in the diagnostic, therapeutic, and follow-up processes of children with cypress pollen allergy. Keywords: Allergic rhinitis, Asthma, Cypress pollen, Skin prick test, Specific IgE