Anaphylaxis triggers in a large tertiary care hospital in Qatar: a retrospective study

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic disease that may lead to death if not immediately recognized and treated. Triggers of anaphylaxis including food, drugs, and insect stings can vary widely. The incidence of anaphylaxis seems to be affected by age, sex, atopy, and geographic location. This study aims to examine the common triggers of anaphylaxis in Qatar. A total of 1068 electronic medical records were audited using power chart system: 446 from the medical coding system of anaphylaxis and 622 from the epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs) dispensed during January 2012-December 2017. Of 1068 patients, 574 (53.5%) had anaphylaxis; male to female ratio was 1.2, and 300 patients (77.9%) were less than 10 years old. The common triggers were food ( = 316, 55.0%), insect stings ( = 161, 28.0%), and drugs ( = 103, 17.9%). Common anaphylaxis food triggers were nuts ( = 173, 30.1%), eggs ( = 89, 15.5%), and seafood ( = 72, 12.5%), and common anaphylaxis medication triggers were antibiotics ( = 49, 8.5%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( = 30, 5.2%). Interestingly, 135 anaphylactic patients (23.5%) were due to black ant stings. The anaphylaxis triggers varied significantly between children and adults. Among children (less than 10 years), three quarters of the events were triggered by food (223, 74.3%) while among adults (20-55 years), insect stings ( = 59, 43.0%) and drugs ( = 44, 32.0%) were dominant. This is the first national study stratifying anaphylaxis triggers among different age groups in Qatar. This study will serve as a guide for clinical practice in allergy clinics in Qatar and will help to assess future trends of anaphylaxis in Qatar

First volumetric records of airborne Cladosporium and Alternaria spores in the atmosphere of Al Khor (northern Qatar): a preliminary survey

Daily monitoring of airborne fungal spores was carried out for the first time in Al Khor city, Qatar, using a Hirst type 7-day recording volumetric spore trap, from May 2017 to May 2019. During the sampling period, the annual and monthly fluctuations, as well as intradiurnal variations of airborne fungal spore concentrations, were evaluated. Cladosporium, followed by Alternaria, were the spore types most abundant in the atmosphere of the city, with a strong interannual variability in the atmospheric concentrations being observed. The Annual Spore Integrals (ASIns) were 3334 and 1172 spore * day/m3 (2017–2018), and 6796 and 1538 spore * day/m3 (2018–2019) for Cladosporium and Alternaria, respectively. Total daily spore concentrations showed significantly positive correlations with mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures but significantly negative correlations with relative humidity. However, due to the scarce rainfalls’ days, we did not find a statistically significant correlations between Cladosporium and Alternaria spore concentrations and this parameter. Despite this, the spore peaks were strongly related to precipitations that occurred during the previous month. In general, no significant correlations were found with wind speed but, regarding wind direction, the higher percentage of spores were collected when wind blows from the 4th quadrant (NW). According to the intradiurnal pattern, Cladosporium fungal spores displayed their maximum daily concentration during 8:00–10:00 h in the morning, with a second peak in the afternoon, while for Alternaria, the maximum peaks were observed between 08:00 and 14:00 h. Because no consistent previous aerobiological studies exist from Qatar, the aim of this study is to define the seasonality and intradiurnal behaviour of these two airborne fungal spore and the role that, in such arid scene, the meteorological parameters play on the spore concentrations.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. We declare that the research reported in this manuscript received supported grant funding from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)-Qatar (Project NPRP 9–241-3–043)

Aerobiological monitoring in a desert type ecosystem: Two sampling stations of two cities (2017–2020) in Qatar

Background The increasing number of aerobiological stations empower comparative studies to determine the relationship between pollen concentrations in different localities and the appropriate distance, which should be established between sampling stations. In Qatar, this is basically the first aerobiological study for a continuous monitoring interval. Objectives The study aimed to assess the abundance and seasonality of the most prevalent pollen types, plus identify potential differences between two sites within the country. Methods Airborne pollen data were collected during 2017–2020 by using Hirst-type volumetric samplers in Doha capital city and Al Khor city in Qatar, placed 50 km apart. Results Higher total pollen indexes were recorded in the Al Khor station (2931 pollen * day/m3) compared to the Doha station (1618 pollen * day/m3). Comparing the pollen spectrum between the sampling stations revealed that ten pollen types were found in common. Amaranthaceae and Poaceae airborne pollen constituted 73.5% and 70.9% of the total amount of pollen detected at the samplers of Al Khor station and Doha station. In both sampling sites, a very pronounced seasonality was shown; August–October appeared as the period with the most intense incidence of atmospheric herbaceous pollen, with 71% and 51% of the annual total counts in Al Khor and Doha stations, respectively. August (Al Khor, 21%; Doha, 9%), September (Al Khor, 33%; Doha, 26%), October (Al Khor, 17%; Doha, 16%) were the months in which the herbs pollen concentrations were highest. Significant statistical differences between the two stations were observed in specific pollen types with local distribution in each trap’s vicinity. Conclusions Comparison of data obtained by the two samplers running at a distance of 50 Km indicated that potential inter-site differences could be attributed to the vegetation surrounding the city having a decisive influence on data collected

The association between airborne pollen monitoring and sensitization in the hot desert climate

Abstract Background Pollen is a major cause of allergic respiratory diseases. In Qatar, data on the presence and prevalence of allergenic airborne types of pollen is quite limited. Methods The study aimed to determine and correlate the most frequently implicated airborne pollen detected by aerobiological monitoring samplers in respiratory allergy symptoms. An aerobiological survey was started on May 8, 2017. Airborne pollen was collected using two Hirst type seven-day recorder volumetric traps. Skin prick test in patients attending allergy clinics in Doha using commercial extracts was conducted. Results Twenty-five pollen types representing the native, as well as the introduced plants, with a relatively low daily mean concentration were observed from May 2017 to May 2019. The highest pollen concentrations were reached by Amaranthaceae (58.9%), followed by Poaceae (21.7%). SPT revealed a comparatively higher degree of sensitization to pollen. Among 940 patients, 204 were sensitized to pollen (54% female) with 135 (66.2%) and 114 (55.8%) to Amaranthaceae and Poaceae, respectively. Some patients had polysensitization. There was a statistically significant association between Amaranthaceae, and asthma (r = 0.169, P = 0.016) and allergic rhinitis (r = 0.177, P = 0.012). Conclusions This is the first study to monitor airborne pollen in the state of Qatar. The main pollen detected were Amaranthaceae and Poaceae. Pollen may represent a possible exacerbating factor in adult patients with allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis