Prevalence of Intermittent Allergic Rhinitis to Pollen among Students of the Polydisciplinary Faculty of Beni Mellal, Morocco| Chapter 7 | An Overview of Disease and Health Research Vol. 3

Background: The frequency of respiratory allergy, including asthma and allergic rhinitis due to pollen, is increasing in the young and urban dwellers in developed countries. Allergic rhinitis negatively affects academic performance and quality of life. A better understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of allergy can help guide to strategy of management against the development of allergic rhinitis, asthma and anaphylaxis within and outside academic institutions in order to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality.

 

Objective: This study was carried out to characterise pollen allergy and its relation with the environment at a university institution in order to propose a strategy of management against this disease.

 

Methods: The study was conducted at the Polydiscipline Faculty of Beni Mellal. For this study, 529 students (female 316 and male 213) were selected randomly from a set of about 7000 students from the institution. To support the descriptive analysis, a survey was administered to collect relevant data.

 

Results: The percentage of students allergic to pollen surveyed in the FPBM was 39%. This percentage was within the confidence interval of all students in the allergic FPBM [35%; 44%], estimated 5% error risk. The results proved that the selected sample was representative. The most common symptoms of pollen allergy among the students were the nasal symptoms (sneezing and nasal itching). These symptoms characterise allergic rhinitis. This study also revealed that the olive tree was the main allergen causing pollen allergy in the region. Moreover, most students experienced allergic reactions during the spring season; this could be explained by the pollination of the olive tree in this period. The majority of surveyed students were allergic to one or two types of plants, and the cross-reactivity between pollen and food was the most dominant.

 

Conclusion: This study is particularly significant, as no prior studies have documented a high prevalence of pollen allergy in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region. The olive tree was the main allergen; this can be explained by the richness of the region of Beni-Mellal-Khénifra with this plant. These results are unexpected; normally, these youngsters must present a resistance to the pollen present in the region because they are native and have an adaptation to the environment. However, nearly a quarter of the young people surveyed in the area present an allergy. These findings highlight the need for further investigation into environmental factors and their role in the growing prevalence of pollen allergies.

 

Author(s) Details

 

SABOUR ALAOUI Sanaa
Polyvalent Research and Development Team Polydisciplinary Faculty, Sultan Moulay Sliman University of Beni Mellal, Morocco.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/aodhr/v3/5696