TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of alpine mountain climate of Bavaria on patients with atopic diseases
T2 - Studies at the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS - Zugspitze) - A pilot study
AU - Eberlein, Bernadette
AU - Huss-Marp, Johannes
AU - Pfab, Florian
AU - Fischer, Rainald
AU - Franz, Regina
AU - Schlich, Michele
AU - Leibl, Maria
AU - Allertseder, Veronika
AU - Liptak, Jarmila
AU - Kriegisch, Marie
AU - Hennico, Romain
AU - Latotski, Julia
AU - Von Eschenbach, Cordula Ebner
AU - Darsow, Ulf
AU - Buters, Jeroen
AU - Behrendt, Heidrun
AU - Huber, Rudolf
AU - Ring, Johannes
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Eberlein et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
PY - 2014/5/8
Y1 - 2014/5/8
N2 - Mountain and maritime climate therapy takes advantage of specific climatic conditions to treat chronic allergic diseases. It was the aim of the study to investigate effects of a 5 day sojourn on atopic diseases at the highest German mountain. In this pilot study 18 patients with grass pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic ezcema or asthma and 11 non-allergic controls were included. Skin physiology parameters, changes of the respiratory and nasal functions, subjective symptoms and blood parameters were measured during a 5-day observation period in the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS) at the moderate altitude mountain region (Zugspitze; 2650 m alt.) compared to a low altitude area (Munich; 519 m alt.). Several of the skin physiology parameters changed significantly during the observation period (decrease of skin hydration, increase of skin smoothness, skin roughness, skin scaliness and pH-value). In patients with atopic eczema, the SCORAD (Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis) and the scores of the DIELH (Deutsches Instrument zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Hauterkrankungen) did not change significantly. Histamine induced itch decreased significantly. Parameters of nasal function did not change significantly. Several lung parameters showed a slight, but statistically significant improvement (forced expiratory volume in one second/volume capacity [FEV1/VC], peak expiratory flow [PEF], maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity [MEF 50], maximal mid-expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity [MMFEF 25/75]), whereas the vital capacity (VC) decreased significantly. ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) in the serum and parameters of blood count changed significantly. These results show that the benefit of a moderate altitude mountain climate sojourn over a period of 5 days differs in depending on the atopic disease. Especially asthma parameters and itching of the skin improved. It would be interesting to assess the parameters during longer observation periods in alpine climate.
AB - Mountain and maritime climate therapy takes advantage of specific climatic conditions to treat chronic allergic diseases. It was the aim of the study to investigate effects of a 5 day sojourn on atopic diseases at the highest German mountain. In this pilot study 18 patients with grass pollen-induced rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic ezcema or asthma and 11 non-allergic controls were included. Skin physiology parameters, changes of the respiratory and nasal functions, subjective symptoms and blood parameters were measured during a 5-day observation period in the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS) at the moderate altitude mountain region (Zugspitze; 2650 m alt.) compared to a low altitude area (Munich; 519 m alt.). Several of the skin physiology parameters changed significantly during the observation period (decrease of skin hydration, increase of skin smoothness, skin roughness, skin scaliness and pH-value). In patients with atopic eczema, the SCORAD (Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis) and the scores of the DIELH (Deutsches Instrument zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität bei Hauterkrankungen) did not change significantly. Histamine induced itch decreased significantly. Parameters of nasal function did not change significantly. Several lung parameters showed a slight, but statistically significant improvement (forced expiratory volume in one second/volume capacity [FEV1/VC], peak expiratory flow [PEF], maximum expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity [MEF 50], maximal mid-expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity [MMFEF 25/75]), whereas the vital capacity (VC) decreased significantly. ECP (eosinophil cationic protein) in the serum and parameters of blood count changed significantly. These results show that the benefit of a moderate altitude mountain climate sojourn over a period of 5 days differs in depending on the atopic disease. Especially asthma parameters and itching of the skin improved. It would be interesting to assess the parameters during longer observation periods in alpine climate.
KW - Asthma
KW - Atopic eczema
KW - Environmental research station schneefernerhaus
KW - Moderate-altitude mountain climate
KW - Rhinoconjunctivitis
KW - UFS
KW - Zugspitze
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84977134323&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/2045-7022-4-17
DO - 10.1186/2045-7022-4-17
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84977134323
SN - 2045-7022
VL - 4
JO - Clinical and Translational Allergy
JF - Clinical and Translational Allergy
IS - 1
M1 - 17
ER -