SYCAMORE TREE POLLEN ALLERGY
Key Allergens
Sycamore trees are in the Sapindaceae family of plants. Other plants in this family include maple trees, horse chestnuts and lychee. Sycamore pollen is light, so it can travel long distances and the tree produces a lot of it at the peak of pollen season.
The sap of these trees can elicit a contact allergic reaction.
The pollen of sycamore trees is moderately allergenic, pollen season peaks in April.
You can manage pollen allergies by limiting your time outside when pollen levels are high, keep windows closed and change clothes or shower after you have spent time outside.
Associated Syndromes
An allergy to sycamore tree pollen is strongly associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever).
A sycamore tree pollen allergy is also linked to asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis.
Cross Reactivity
Other plants in the
Sapindaceae family of plants include maple trees, horse chestnuts and lychee. If you are allergic to the pollen of these plants, you may also want to avoid sycamore trees.
Resources
Websites
Worcester Pollen Forecast
Allergy UK - Managing your asthma and your allergic rhinitis throughout the seasons
London Allergy & Immunology Centre - Pollen Allergy
Science Direct - Acer pseudoplatanus
AAFA - Pollen Allergy in the US
Pollen Library - Acer pseudoplatanus
Articles and Journals
Prevalence of allergic sensitization to Platanus occidentalis among adults with allergic rhinitis: A multicenter study, 2024
Within city spatiotemporal variation of pollen concentration in the city of Toronto, Canada, 2022
Urban allergy review: Allergic rhinitis and asthma with plane tree sensitization (Review), 2021
The Most Common Allergenic Tree Pollen Grains in the Middle East: A Narrative Review, 2019
Levels and determinants of tree pollen in New York City, 2018
The associations between daily spring pollen counts, over-the-counter allergy medication sales, and asthma syndrome emergency department visits in New York City between 2002-2012, 2015
A Review of Spatial Variation of Allergenic Tree Pollen Within Cities, 2015
Tree pollen allergens—an update from a molecular perspective, 2015
Early Pollen Sensitization in Children Is Dependent upon Regional Aeroallergen Exposure, 2012
Correlation between eosinophilic oesophagitis and aeroallergens, 2010
Sycamore pollen hypersensitivity in New York City patients, 2004
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