It is interesting that over the years, the profile of those testing for levels of sensitisation to their pigeons has changed. The profile for 1991 and the most recent data from 2003 are compared below.

There has been a significant swing in the pattern of the responses and in the latest results, a much higher percentage of those who were tested were found to be highly positive. This could reflect the fact that increasing numbers of people are more aware of the symptoms associated with “Pigeon Lung” and are therefore more motivated to find their level of sensitisation compared to those who have experienced no symptoms.

People who know that they are sensitised to their pigeons whether or not they have symptoms, can get their blood tested to find out the current level of the reaction in their blood. Where masks have been introduced, this is a very important way of checking whether or not they are providing effective protection. The overall sensitivity for all the years from 1991 to 2003 was:-