First pollen calendar in Qatar: a guide for allergologist and reference to pollen-allergy sufferers

This project (NPRP 9-241-3-043) is supported by a grant provided by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). Pollen calendars are useful tools to inform allergy sufferers or medical professionals about the mean presence of allergenic pollen during the year. The study aims to provide a preliminary pollen calendar in Qatar that can be used to prevent and manage allergenic respiratory diseases by the local atopic population. Aerobiological monitoring started on 7th May 2017, by using two Hirst type volumetric pollen traps, located on the rooftop of one of the Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City buildings (Doha) and Al Khor hospital. Pollen grains were identified, classified into families, genera, and expressed as a number of grains per m3 of air. Nineteen taxa (Doha) and five (Al Khor) are included in the pollen calendars, of which the Chenopodiaceae- Amaranthaceae represent approximately 65% of the total annual count. The greatest diversity of pollen types (10 types) occurs during summer and the highest concentrations from May to October, when approximately 90% of the total annual pollen is registered. Several peaks of Chenopodiaceae- Amaranthaceae occur in August, September, and October. Although this pollen calendar refers only to 1 year (2017-2018), it showed an identity of the seasonal flora behavior in Qatar that should allow the allergist to predict the critical periods for the patients and to advise them the specific treatment. It would demonstrate the usefulness, in using a series of skin tests, and control the allergenic capacity of pollens which are not tested up to now and could be found in non-negligible concentrations in the atmosphere.