The Canadian Childhood Asthma Primary Prevention Study

Avoidance of any one of the individual risk factors associated with childhood asthma has not been successful in preventing its development. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention programme for the primary prevention of asthma in high-risk infants at 7 years of age. Five hundred and forty-five high-risk infants with an immediate family history of asthma and allergies were prospectively randomized into intervention and control groups pre-natally. (more…)

Atopy Patch Test Accuracy in Diagnosing Hypersensitivity to Cow’s Milk & Hen’s Egg

Over the last 5 years some studies have suggested that the atopy patch test (APT) may be a useful test in atopic dermatitis children who have suspected food hypersensitivity and may even obviate the need for oral challenges. An alternative test to oral allergy challenges with high sensitivity and specificity would be helpful in the diagnosis of food hypersensitivity. (more…)

Food Hypersensitivity, Adverse Reactions to Foods & Food Avoidance Among Teenagers

This population-based cross-sectional study, funded by a UK government agency, aimed to establish the rate of sensitization to food allergens, reported food hypersensitivity, food avoidance and objectively assessed food hypersensitivity in 11- and 15-year-olds living on the Isle of Wight, UK. The researchers approached the teenagers via their schools, and a questionnaire completed by the parents and children formed the basis of capturing data to determine the prevalence of current reported food hypersensitivity and rates of food avoidance. This information was available on 775 individuals aged 11 years and 757 aged 15 years. (more…)

Anti-Interleukin-5 (Mepolizumab) Therapy For Hypereosinophilic Syndromes

hypereosinophilic-syndromes
Interleukin-5 is the key cytokine in eosinophil differentiation and growth in the bone marrow and stimulates the release of eosinophils into the peripheral circulation. Thus, it is thought that IL-5 may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), a diverse group of poorly treated disorders characterized by sustained peripheral blood and/or tissue eosinophilia. Mepolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody to IL-5, and its safety and efficacy were assessed in this open-labelled trial. (more…)

Allergen-Specific IgE and Serum IgE: Early Immune Development Underlying Allergies

Serum IgE
A paradigm of immune development underlies allergy development and progression in early childhood. Briefly, the immune system of the fetus is maintained in a tolerogenic state, preventing adverse immune responses and rejection between the mother and fetus. Placental interleukin-10 (IL-10) suppresses the production of immune-potentiating inter-feron gamma (IFN-y) by fetal immune cells. IFN-y downregulates the production of pro-allergic cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-13. (more…)

Systemic Allergic Reactions: Causes, Reaction, and Treatment

Systemic Allergic Reactions
Systemic allergic reactions are a relatively common clinical emergency. In their mildest form, they may just manifest as systemic cutaneous reactions with pruritis, allergy urticaria and angioedema. In more severe cases there are cardiorespiratory symptoms such as stridor, wheeze, difficulty in breathing or hypotension. Anaphylaxis has been defined as a ‘severe, life-threatening generalized or systemic hypersensitivity reaction’. The prevalence of systemic allergic reactions is unclear because of the lack of a clear, consistent definition and large prospective population studies. (more…)

Allergic Asthma In Children: Risk Factor Asthma In Childhood

Allergic Asthma In Children
The two strongest risk factors for asthma in childhood are a family history and immediate hypersensitivity to common allergens. This immune response includes both IgE antibodies and helper T cells type 2 (Th2), both of which are thought to contribute to the inflammation in the respiratory tract. Children with asthma who mount an immune response to inhalant allergens have an increased risk of developing asthma because of this combination of genetics and exposure. However, it is sensitization to indoor allergens (e.g. dust mites, cats, dogs, and cockroaches) that is strongly associated with asthma. (more…)

Otitis Media With Effusion: Allergic Inflammation In Middle Ear & Upper Airway

Otitis media with effusion is a chronic inflammatory disease of the middle ear space characterized by the accumulation of fluid. Previous investigations have suggested that the immunopathological mechanism underlying the development of middle ear effusion in allergy patients largely involves the effects of Th2 mediators. The investigators set out to determine whether the middle ear compartment may be a component of the united airways in allergic disease by comparing the inflammatory profiles of the middle ear with those of the upper airway. Middle ear effusions, torus tubaris (Eustachian tube mucosa at the nasopharyngeal orifice) and adenoidal tissue biopsies were obtained from 45 patients undergoing simultaneous tympanostomy tube placement for Otitis media with effusion and adenoidectomy for adenoid hypertrophy. (more…)

Prenatal Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) And Asthma In Children

The prevalence of asthma increases with increasing levels of Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). However, the effect of early-life exposure, the fundamental window of exposure, is unknown. The investigators assessed the association of prenatal exposure to DDE and other organochlorine compounds with atopy and asthma during infancy. All women presenting for antenatal care in Menorca (Spain) over 12 months starting in mid-1997 were invited to take part in a longitudinal study; 482 children were subsequently enrolled and 468 (97.1%) provided complete outcome data up to the 4th year of the study. (more…)

Gastrointestinal Allergy Symptoms and Food Intolerance

gastrointestinal allergy symptoms
Gastrointestinal allergy can be classified according to the triggering antigen, the mechanism of immune reaction, or the anatomic site of reaction.

Gastrointestinal allergy may be triggered by food components (e.g. food proteins or glycoproteins), and by other antigen antibody reaction to (e.g. bacterial disease, viral, fungal, and worm antigen), drugs and chemicals, (more…)

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