European annals of allergy and clinical immunology最新文献

Summary: Background. Pediatric cutaneous mastocytosis patients diagnosed and followed up by our specialist were enrolled in this study, and clinical and laboratory evaluations were retrospectively analyzed from patients' archived files. Methods. Patients, who applied to the Division of Pediatric Allergy And Immunology Unit of a University Training and Research Hospital between 01.01.2010 and 28.04.2021, were enrolled in this study. Results. Of the 33 patients included in the study, 11 (33.3%) were female and 22 (67.7%) were male. The median age of onset of the patient's complaints was 7 (0-60) months. The median age at diagnosis was 11 (2-64) months. Their complaints' median regression age was 54 (6-192) months. Resistant clinical findings were followed in 13 (39.4%) patients. Itching, redness, gastrointestinal symptoms, and maculopapular eruption were the most common complaints. The rashes were mostly polymorphic and larger than 1 cm. Heat was the most common trigger. Darier's sign was positive in 97% of the patients. Antihistamines were the most commonly used drug for prophylaxis and treatment. The autoinjector prescription rate was 24.2%. Conclusions. Quality of life was mildly affected in 48,5% of the patients based on the CDLQI scores. Thus, patients should be followed up through adolescence for the development of systemic signs and symptoms.

Summary: Background. Lipid transfer proteins (LTP) allergy is often a challenge for clinicians. We evaluated a multiplex diagnostic approach with diverse cofactors to stratify LTP syndrome risk. Methods. Of the 1,831 participants screened with 'Allergy Explorer-ALEX-2', 426 had reactions to at least one LTP. Data was gathered and recorded via an electronic database. Results. Reactivity to peach Pru p 3 was found in 77% of individuals with LTP allergy. Higher levels of specific IgE and concurrent sensitization to more than 5 molecules (50% of all LTP-sensitised participants, 62% of symptomatic cases) were significantly associated with an increased risk of severe reactions (p = 0.001). Several cofactors, either alone or in combination, also influenced patients' clinical outcomes. Some cofactors increased the risk of severe reactions, such as mono reactivity to LTP in 44.6% of cases (p = 0.001), Food-Dependent Exercise-Induced Anaphylaxis (FDEIA) in 10.8% of patients (p = 0.001), and Food-dependent NSAID-induced hypersensitivity (FDNIH) in 11.5% (p = 0.005). On the other hand, reactivity to PR10 (24.2%; p = 0.001), profilin hypersensitivity (10.3%; p = 0.001), and/or atopic dermatitis (16.7%; p = 0.001) had a mitigating effect on symptom severity. Conclusions. Clinical severity of LTP syndrome is associated with an expanded IgE repertoire in terms of the number of LTP components recognized and increased IgE levels in individual molecules. Ara h 9, Cor a 8, and Mal d 3 showed the strongest association with clinical severity. In addition, several cofactors may either exacerbate (FDEIA, FDHIH, and LTP monoreactivity) or ameliorate (atopic dermatitis and co-sensitization to profilin and/or PR10) individual patient outcomes. These factors may be utilized for the daily clinical management of LTP syndrome.

Summary: Background. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), characterized by recurrent itchy wheals and angioedema for > 6 weeks, is a quite common disease that may heavily impair the quality of life. Omalizumab, an anti-IgE mAb, has much improved the management of CSU but patients' response to the drug may vary and predictive markers are still largely missing. We investigated the predictive value of the autologous serum skin test (ASST) on omalizumab response. Methods. 15 patients with severe CSU eligible for omalizumab treatment were prospectively studied submitting them to ASST and to complete blood count, D-dimer, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, and total IgE measurement before the start of the treatment. Results. 14/15 (93%) responded brilliantly to omalizumab at 3 months assessment. 7 responded in less than 1 month ("early responders") and 7 only after multiple administrations ("late responders"). Of 9 patients scoring positive on ASST, 7 (78%) were late, and 2 (22%) early responders to omalizumab (p = 0.021). Of 6 patients scoring negative on ASST, 5 were early omalizumab responders and 1 did not respond. The PPV and NPV of the ASST for a "late" response to omalizumab were 78% and 100%, respectively. Total IgE were significantly higher in early responders. Conclusions. Although larger prospective studies are needed to confirm these results, this study confirms previous retrospective investigations that the positive ASST appears to predict a slow response to omalizumab in CSU patients.

Summary: Background. Patch testing (PT) is used to identify substances that cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). However, the clinical effects of allergen restrictions following PT have not been thoroughly investigated. This study aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of PT in patients suspected of having ACD. Methods. Prospective study. PT were performed in patients with clinical diagnosis of ACD. Patients with a positive PT (case group) had a strict restriction of the suspected substance for one month. In patients with negative patch testing (control group), allergen restriction was based in clinical history. Clinical reduction (CR) of at least 50% in disease activity (CR50%) after one month of allergen restriction was considered clinically relevant. Total control was defined as clinical reduction of at least 90% (CR90%). Results. From 400 patients, 66.2% had a positive PT. The sensitivity of PT to identify CR50% was 84%, specificity 47%, PPV 53%, and NPV 81%. Only 10.5% of patients achieved CR90%. Conclusions. The PT had moderate diagnostic accuracy. It could be useful as a screening, but a positive result should be confirmed with controlled allergen restriction. The low number of patients who achieved a 90% CR invites to reconsider the allergens included in PT and the mechanistic processes of the disease.

Summary: The aim of this contribution was to highlight the "favorable" and "unfavorable" roles of domestic and non-domestic animals on airway sensitization processes and on the type/severity of the clinical symptoms induced by their exposure. We performed a literature research in MEDLINE for allergic manifestations and animals. Pets can be "allergy friends" through mechanisms related to hygiene hypothesis and translational aspects, the dual role of IgG4 antibodies for pets, and their promising role as healthcare service animals (dogs). On the contrary, animals can be "allergy enemies" when inducing allergic sensitization and  respiratory symptoms (sometimes leading to severe reactions), and also due to cross reactivity with other pets allergens, indirect exposure and ubiquity of their allergens, cross reactivity between Can f 5 and human prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Moreover, in some cases they can trigger anaphylaxis, induce occupational asthma, and act as pests. Finally, we must outline the modest efficacy of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for their allergens. From a strictly allergological perspective, it is evident that the "negative" aspects resulting from exposure to domestic / non-domestic animals outweigh the "positive" aspects. As a consequence, it is up to humans to seek new ways to balance the pros and cons by exploring research areas that can allow the best possible coexistence with subjects at risk of allergy with domestic and non-domestic animals.

Summary: Background. Data on epidemiology of anaphylaxis are difficult to record. During the lockdown in 2020-2021 due to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), referrals to Emergency Department (E.D.) reduced. The aims of the study are to determine anaphylaxis frequency before and during COVID-19 pandemic and risk factors for severity. Methods. Clinical records from a general E.D. of Milan in Italy were retrospectively evaluated before (2018-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) analyzing demographic data, comorbidities, chronic therapies, causes, severity and adrenaline use. Results. The frequency of anaphylaxis remained stable (120/104129 = 0.12% in 2018-2019; 72/66720 = 0.11% in 2020-2021). No differences in the occurrence of anaphylaxis were found in sex and mean age. The main causes of anaphylaxis were food (2018-2019: 53% vs 2020-2021: 51%) and drugs (2018-2019: 27% vs 2020-2021: 33%). Hymenoptera stings had a low occurrence and unidentified trigger was about 15% in each period. The severity of anaphylaxis had a similar distribution in the two periods. Gender and cardiovascular diseases did not influence the severity, instead a positive correlation was found in age over 50 yo (p<0.001). Angiotensin II receptors blockers, β-blockers, diuretics and proton pump inhibitors were associated with increasing severity (p<0.01). Adrenaline administration was similar in the two periods. Conclusions. Anaphylaxis frequency was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Food anaphylaxis remained the most important cause in the urban area. The severity of anaphylaxis was affected by ageing and some chronic therapies, which indirectly point out the role of chronic diseases in the clinical presentation.

Summary: Background. Diagnostic criteria for hypereosinophilia (HE) have been revised. Accordingly, the minimum interval between the two results with an absolute eosinophil count (AEC) ≥ 1500 cells/µL has been reduced from 4 to 2 weeks. The aims of this study were to identify patients with HE according to the new diagnostic criteria in children and demonstrate the effects of the revised time interval criterion on patient characteristics and disease spectrum. Methods. Individuals aged ≤ 18 years admitted to a tertiary university hospital were identified using an algorithm based on old and new diagnostic criteria for HE. While patients diagnosed with HE according to old diagnostic criteria were included in group 1, patients who were diagnosed with HE according to the new diagnostic criteria but did not meet the old criteria were included in group 2. Results. Patients in group 1 were significantly older than patients in group 2 at the time of diagnosis of HE (p = 0.004). While the number of patients diagnosed with HE aged 1-5 years was higher in group 1 (p = 0.01), the number of patients diagnosed with HE under the age of one year was higher in group 2 (p = 0.002). The most common cause of HE in group 1 was allergic disorders (10/40, 25%), while non-parasitic infections (17/36, 47%) were the most common diagnosis in group 2. Conclusions. The new diagnostic criteria may change the characteristics of pediatric patients with HE and the spectrum of associated diseases.