Birch season should be over, so why are you still sneezing in May? Oak flowers right after birch, and its main pollen protein is a close relative of birch's Bet v 1. Our test checks IgE to Que a 1, the main oak pollen protein, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, next to birch, alder and ash.
Oaks (Quercus) are wind-pollinated trees that release large amounts of pollen from hanging catkins as their leaves unfold. In Europe the common species are English oak and sessile oak.
Oak belongs to the Fagales, the same order of trees as birch, alder, hazel, hornbeam, beech and chestnut. Its main pollen allergen, Que a 1, is a PR-10 protein related to birch's Bet v 1. Allergists group these trees together as the birch homologous group.
Symptoms are the classic hay fever set: sneezing, a runny or blocked nose and itchy, watery eyes. For many people oak simply extends the birch season by a few weeks, so symptoms that start in April keep going into May.
Like birch, oak sensitisation can come with itching in the mouth after raw apple, hazelnut and other foods that carry PR-10 proteins.
Because Que a 1 and Bet v 1 look alike, IgE made against birch often recognises oak too. In birch-rich northern Europe, most oak sensitisation is thought to start with birch. Where birch is rare and oak is common, oak can be the main driver instead.
Either way, the trees of the birch group flower one after another: hazel and alder from late winter, birch in April, then oak, beech and chestnut. Seeing oak and birch as separate results helps a doctor understand why your season lasts as long as it does.
From a finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to Que a 1, the main oak pollen protein (a molecular component), as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. There is no whole oak pollen extract on the panel. Birch, alder, ash and PR-10 foods such as hazelnut and apple are on the same report.
A positive result means your blood shows IgE to oak pollen. That is sensitisation, not a diagnosis. Your lab report gives the value a class from Negative to Very high, to discuss with a doctor.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
In central Europe oak usually flowers from late April to May, just after the birch peak. In Ireland and the UK it is similar, and in southern Finland it tends to come a little later, in May and early June.
Oak is a common reason. It flowers right after birch, and its main pollen protein resembles Bet v 1, so IgE made against birch often recognises oak too. Grass pollen, which starts in May, is another. A test shows which of them your blood reacts to.
Yes. Oak and birch belong to the same group of trees, and their main pollen proteins, Que a 1 and Bet v 1, are related. People sensitised to birch often show IgE to oak as well. Separate results show the pattern for you.
It can come with it. Que a 1 belongs to the PR-10 family, which also appears in raw apple, hazelnut, cherry and other foods. People sensitised to birch-group pollen often report mouth itching after them. If you notice swelling or trouble breathing, see a doctor.
