'Hay fever' symptomatology in Glasgow: a general practice view

Wood, Stuart F. (1984) 'Hay fever' symptomatology in Glasgow: a general practice view. MD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

General practice appears to provide an ideal setting for the study of
a common condition such as hay-fever. The study which forms the main
part of this thesis was carried out during the hay-fever season of 1983 in
Glasgow. The observations, comments, ,and discussion are those of one
general practitioner, the author, who has developed a keen interest in the
subject over a number of years and are based both on day-to-day contact
with patients who suffer from this condition and from scientific study of
the subject and its literature.
Details of the study are preceded by a historical review of hay-fever from
"Rose Fever" to the discovery, in relatively recent years, of 1gE. The
next section deals with basic mechanisms from botany through
aerobiology, pollen characteristics and chemistry to allergen exposure,
the Type I allergic reaction and the symptoms thus produced. Details
relating to sources of grass pollen in the Greater Glasgow area are included
and much of this information is based on data obtained at the West of
Scotland Agricultural College, Auchencruive, Ayr.

The thesis, which is the culmination of over four years interest in
hay-fever in general practice, attempts to compare the symptom severity
of eighty-two hay-fever sufferers with daily pollen counts during the
hay-fever season of 1983 in Glasgow. Mean daily valu'7s for symptom
severity were obtained from diary cards kept by the patients and are
compared not only with the daily grass pollen count but with other
elements of the total atmospheric pollen count and fungal spore counts.
It has been suggested that grass pollen is indeed not the solely relevant
antigen in causing hay-fever. Information was gathered about each
patient's personal hay-fever symptom profile from a questionnaire
incorporated into the diary cards. The study was carried out in a
general practice setting and pollen counting was carried out on the roof of the Environmental Health Department, Glasgow District Council,
23, Montrose Street, Glasgow. A representative selection of
photomicrographs are presented in relation to the different types of
atmospheric pollen isolated from the air over Glasgow during the hayfever
season of 1983.

The thesis concludes by making recommendations regarding the
management of hay-fever in general practice and regarding the design
of clinical trials of new forms of therapy for hay-fever. It also raises
questions regarding incomplete correlation between patients' symptoms
and information available on atmospheric pollen. Suggestions are made
for further work, including, in particular, continued efforts to relate
specific grass varieties in West Scotland to patients' symptom severity.

This thesis does not itself attempt to cover the wide areas of investigation
and management of hay-fever in general practice but may inevitably have
relevance in both of these areas. Considerable further study seems to be
indicated in an attempt to improve our understanding of this common
troublesome condition and thereby, hopefully, to help our patients by
improved management and by more effective treatment.

• Item Type: Thesis (MD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 1984
• Depositing User: Miss Louise Annan
• Unique ID: glathesis:1984-6105
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 13 Feb 2015 15:26
• Last Modified: 13 Feb 2015 15:26
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/6105