スギ花粉症患者の現状（II）

Present State of Japanese Cedar Pollinosis (Part II)

I．はじめに

　近年のスギ花粉症患者の増加は全国的な傾向のようで，東海大学のある神奈川県でも顕著である。しかもその急激な増加はここ10年以内のもので，わが国の耳鼻咽喉科疾患の歴史においても特異なものと思われる。

　今のところスギ花粉症患者の年度別の実態については，まとまった報告がみられない。本研究の目的は，1979年と1982年のスギ花粉症患者の多かった年に調査を行い，患者増加の実態ならびに罹患率を明らかにすることにあり，その原因を文献的に考察した。

　Recent augmentation in.Japanese cedar pollinosis was confirmed from the investigation of the patients in 1976, 1979 and 1982.

　In the abovementioned three years pollen counts of scattered Japanese cedar were much higher than in other years and newly affected patients were remarkably increased. Many of these patients were born in 1940 to 1952, and younger people recently became to present the symptoms of this pollinosis.

　The reasons of this disease which became popular are not certain, but it is probable that the increase of cedar pollen count, tendency to take milk or dairy products abundantly and genetic factor have any relation to this fact.

　From the investigation in 1979 the rate of incidence Japanese cedar pollinosis in the metropolitan area and its suburbs seas estimated as about 6 percent of all populations.