Prescriptive appropriateness using inhalant and food allergen panels: a comparison between General Practitioners' and Allergists' prescription in Genoa (Italy).

SUMMARY: Background. Prescriptive appropriateness is an actual claim in healthcare, and it also concerns in vitro tests used in the allergy work-up, such as the serum allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) assay. In the Liguria Region, two panels were defined (for inhaled and food allergens) including 12 allergens. Their composition changed over time. Objectives. The aims of the present retrospective study were: i) to evaluate the percentage of positive tests, and ii) to compare the findings of sIgE assay on the basis of the general practictioners' (GPs) or specialist' prescription, considering both the old panels and the new panels. Methods. This retrospective study considered a population of adult patients, which consisted of 2368 subjects (68% females; mean age 50 years; age range: 10-103 years). Serum sIgE were measured by ImmunoCap system. Results. The percentages of positive tests were very low for food allergens and low for inhaled ones (ranging between 5% to 35%). There was change of prevalent prescriptor with new panels. Conclusions. This study underlines the relevance of prescriptive appropriateness in the allergy work-up. The sIgE assay should be limited to those allergens that have a clinical relevance, based on clinical history.

Uncertain areas in the diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in patients with asthma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with bronchial asthma remains unknown. We evaluated the roles of various laboratory tests in the diagnosis of ABPA, including, skin prick test (SPT) for Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), and serum Af specific IgE and IgG antibody measurement. METHODS: A total of 50 asthma patients with more than 1000 cell/μL of peripheral blood eosinophils were prospectively collected between January 2007 and September 2011. Evaluations using SPT for Af, serum total IgE and specific IgE antibody to Af by CAP system, IgG antibody to Af by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or CAP system were performed according to the essential minimal criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA - asthma, immediate cutaneous reactivity to Af, elevated total IgE, and raised Af specific IgE and IgG. RESULTS: Among 50 patients, three patients (6.0%) were diagnosed as ABPA, of whom each confirmed five items of the essential minimal diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of ABPA. Six patients (12.0%) showed negative responses to Af in SPT, but positive responses in specific IgE by CAP system. Eight patients (16.0%) showed negative responses to IgG to Af by CAP system, but positive responses by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). CONCLUSIONS: SPT and serum IgE to Af measurement by CAP system should be performed simultaneously. It is reasonable to set up cut-off values in Af specific IgE/IgG by CAP system for the differentiation of ABPA from Af sensitised asthma patients

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Children passive smoking jeopardises the efficacy of standard anti-allergic pharmacological therapy, while sublingual immunotherapy withstands

Background: The association between genetic predisposition and environmental risk factorssuch as passive smoke in determining respiratory allergies is still uncertain; even less is known about the role played by passive smoking in influencing the success of therapy for rhinitis and allergic asthma. Objective: The purpose of this prospective, randomised study was to determine whether passive smoking influences the outcome of therapies in paediatric patients with allergic respiratory diseases. Methods: The study included 68 children (mean age 11.51 years; range: 5-17) suffering from perennial rhinitis and intermittent asthma monosensitised to Dermatophagoides. Thirty-foursubjects were exposed to daily passive smoking in their families, 34 were not. The two groups have been then randomised to receive continuous treatment with cetirizine or SLIT for three years. Results: There were 3/34 (8.8%) dropouts in the SLIT arm and 4/34 (11.7%) in the cetirizine arm. After three years, the patients exposed to passive smoking showed higher nasal eosinophilia, aworse clinical-symptomatic and pharmacological score with a worsened bronchial reactivity and functional indices of persistent asthma, regardless of how they had been treated. Nevertheless, SLIT prevented the worsening of all the clinical parameters more than the antihistamine alone either among the children exposed to smoking or not. Conclusions: Exposure to passive smoking in children suffering from respiratory allergies dueto Dermatophagoides decreased the clinical response to both drug therapy and SLIT. Nonetheless, while the children submitted to drug therapy worsened or did not show any significant improvement, the ones treated with SLIT improved (AU)

Reproducibility of delayed-type reactions to betalactams

Background: Delayed reactions with betalactam antibiotics are a very common reason for consultationand a matter of numerous publications. Objective: To demonstrate that delayed reactions occurring during treatment with betalactam antibiotics are not reproduced in a high percentage of the patients, when making drug challenge.To analyse the characteristics of people showing this type of reaction. Methods: We included in our study all the patients who came to our Allergy Department during one year (2004), with a clinical history of delayed reaction (> 72h) to betalactams. Skin prick tests (SPT), intradermal tests (IT) and patch tests were carried out, followed by simple blind placebo controlled drug challenge (SBPCDC) at hospital and home treatment with betalactams. Results: We studied 23 patients (12 men and 11 women), average age 23.4 years old. SPT and patch test were negative in all patients. Only one patient showed positive IT tests, and allergic reaction was only reproduced in two patients; 76 % tolerated the drug involved in supposed allergy. Conclusions: Simple blind oral challenge with implicated drug followed by home treatment is required for a conclusive diagnosis of allergy in patients with delayed reactions to betalactams

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Immediate allergic reactions by polyethylene glycol 4000: two cases

The evacuant solution (ES) is a drug that has been used to clean the colon. The most common described side effects when using this drug are abdominal symptoms; skin rash is rare. We report on two patients who presented urticaria and angioedem after the intake of an evacuant solution to make a rectoscopy. We performed allergy studies: skin prick tests with common inhalants, pure ES and the components (polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000), KCI, NaCO3, NaPO3, NaSO3, NaCI, neohesperydine, potasic acesulfam and orange flavouring), intradermic test, total serum IgE and single-blind placebo oral challenge with ES and the components. We report on the first cases of immediate allergy reactions (type1) caused by oral intake of a drug containing PEG 4000 which were demonstrated by intradermic tests and oral challenge

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Changes over 13 years in skin reactivity to histamine in cohorts of children aged 9-13 years.

BACKGROUND: Several studies report substantial differences in the prevalence of skin test reactivity to allergens in children from adjacent geographic areas; others report an increased prevalence over time. To find out whether these differences depend on variations in skin reactivity to histamine, we determined the time trend of histamine wheal sizes in successive cohorts of unselected children living in the same area (Viterbo, Italy). METHODS: We conducted three epidemiologic surveys, each including children aged 9 and 13 years. The 1983-7 study investigated 170 children (150 were tested twice); the 1992 study, 158 children; and the 1996 study, 208 children. RESULTS: In both age groups, the mean diameter of the wheal induced by histamine skin prick tests (10 mg/ml) increased significantly over time (9-year-olds: 3.25 mm in 1983, 4.68 in 1992, and 5.89 in 1996; 13-year-olds: 3.89 mm in 1987, 5.18 in 1992, and 6.50 in 1996) (P < 0.001 between subsequent studies). The distribution of the wheal diameters for both ages showed a trend to a right shift in the three successive studies (P < 0.001). The dose-response curves for three histamine concentrations (0.2, 1, and 10 mg/ml) had significantly steeper slopes in 1996 than in 1983-7 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The marked time-related increase in the size of the histamine wheals could help to explain the trend toward an increased prevalence of positive allergen skin test reactions reported during the past years. The causes of increased skin reactivity to histamine remain conjectural.