Contemporary Inflammatory and Metabolic Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis and Management of Hayfever

Dear Colleagues,

Hayfever is a chronic condition that is estimated to affect approximately 30% of the population. Changing climatic patterns and increasing temperatures are leading to changes in vegetation. Over the years, the hayfever season has become longer and has started to lead to more intense allergic reactions. Hayfever is a debilitating lifelong condition that is often underestimated since sufferers quietly manage the condition, without work absenteeism. Those who suffer from hayfever report reduced quality of sleep, a decrease in work productivity, an emotional burden, limitations to their outdoor activities, and an overall decrease in quality of life.

Currently, a diagnosis of hayfever is made purely based on the hallmark symptoms of sneezing, an itchy throat, and itchy eyes. The only confirmation test available is the invasive skin prick test. There is work in progress across multiple research areas to evaluate the levels of IgE in various bodily fluids such as the saliva, nose, and eyes to develop a more tangible diagnostic test. Currently, there is no cure for hayfever. Thus, the majority of sufferers report self-managing their symptoms through over-the-counter oral antihistamines, nasal sprays, inhalers, and anti-allergy eye drops, and a minority go through immunotherapy to reduce their symptoms.

This Special Issue presents a unique opportunity to bring together state-of-the-art research across disciplines in the diagnosis and management of hayfever. The scope of this Special Issue will encompass the following: the use of metabolomics to discover small-molecule metabolic biomarkers for the early diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, investigations into the impact of pollen exposures on metabolic flux, energy metabolism, or oxidative stress pathways in respiratory epithelial cells, and reports on the downstream effects of genetic and environmental perturbations on metabolite levels and fluxes, as hayfever is driven by both genetics and the environment. We welcome original articles, short communications, reviews, and perspectives that highlight new discoveries in hayfever or allergic rhinitis.

Dr. Moneisha Gokhale
Dr. Serap Azizoǧlu
Prof. Dr. Elena Planells
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.