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Anaphylaxis is a systemic hypersensitivity reaction involving multiple organs, one or more airways, breathing, or circulation problems. Anaphylaxis is potentially life-threatening and must be recognized, managed, and prevented by all healthcare professionals. Management of anaphylactic reactions needs to be done quickly and precisely to reduce the risk of mortality in patients. Intramuscular administration of epinephrine is the first-line therapy for anaphylactic reactions. Patients must recognize and avoid the allergens that precipitate anaphylactic reactions to prevent anaphylactic recurrence in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The aim of this work was to find out which of the aeroallergens most often cause positive skin prick tests in the population with allergic diseases. Depending on the type of allergens, exposure to them can aggravate asthma symptoms and cause allergic conjunctivitis and allergic rhinitis. Material and methods. A group of 100 people between 18 and 78 years of age were included in the study. The average age was 45.8 years. There were 34 men and 66 women in the group. All patients were allergy clinic patients. The results of point skin tests for the basic aeroallergen panel were analyzed in this study and summarized using descriptive statistics. Results. Sixty subjects had positive tests for dust mites. Most subjects were allergic to two allergens. Monovalent allergy was found in 10 subjects. Multivalent allergy was predominant, but tended to involve relatively few allergens. Conclusions. The results obtained may be due to year-round exposure to the house dust mite allergen. Prolonged allergen exposure translates into more frequent immune responses and greater clinical response of patients, which is manifested by allergic rhinitis and/or bronchial asthma or allergic conjunctivitis. Due to the small patient population studied, this subject requires further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergy to soy is still a big diagnostic and therapeutic problem. It seems that this problem will not lose its significance in the coming years, because soy proteins, mainly due to their prevalence and unique amino acid composition, are still extremely popular in food production, processing and breeding. Allergy to soy is most often manifested clinically as gastrointestinal symptoms, but other ailments are not uncommon. Despite the availability of many diagnostic methods, the diagnosis of soy allergy is not easy. A double-blind placebo-controlled oral provocation test remains the gold standard. However, the future certainly belongs to the molecular methods that allow to assess the sensitivity to specific allergen components, which opens up new possibilities both in predicting the course of natural disease and its treatment, and also in identifying patients at the highest risk of severe anaphylactic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis includes genetic predisposition, epidermal barrier dysfunction, immunologic abnormalities and increased immunoglobulin E levels in some of the patients. Objective. Determination the allergen-specific immunoglobulin E level and serum interleukin-33 concentration in patients with atopic dermatitis. Material and methods. The study included 62 patients with atopic dermatitis at the mean age of 30.4 ±11.6 years. Clinical eveluation of the SCORAD index and the objective SCORAD (oSCORAD) was performed. Serum samples were analyzed for immunoglobulin E specific allergy using immunoblot kits for 21 allergens of atopy. Serum concentration of interleukin-33 was examined by ELISA. Results. The SCORAD index was higher (p < 0.05) in atopic dermatitis patients with immunoglobulin E specific to birch, dog fur, horse fur, Cladosporium herbarum, egg white, hazelnut, carrot, and potato than in those without such allergen-specific immunoglobulin E. Objective SCORAD was increased (p < 0.05) in atopic dermatitis patients with immunoglobulin E specific to birch, dog fur, Cladosporium herbarum, egg white, hazelnut, carrot, and potato in comparison to those without such allergen-specific immunoglobulin E. Mean serum concentration of interleukin- 33 in patients with atopic dermatitis was 4.9 ±8.12 pg/ml. Serum interleukin-33 level did not correlate with such clinical parameters as the extent of skin lesions, pruritus, sleep disorders, SCORAD index and objective SCORAD. Interleukin-33 level was not higher in atopic dermatitis patients with immunoglobulin E specific to any examined antigen in comparison to those without such immunoglobulin E. Conclusions. Our study suggests that interleukin-33 is not a reliable marker of activity in atopic dermatitis. Further studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commonness of citrus fruits as food products and additives for cosmetics and cleaning products contribute to the increase of the number of people suffering from citrus allergy. Citrus allergens can cause gastrointestinal, respiratory and skin symptoms. Citrus allergens are cross-reactive with many allergens from different sources. This makes diagnostics of citrus allergy problematical and determination of the allergen responsible for allergy symptoms is difficult. The purpose of this article is systematization of information available in literature on citrus allergens, clinical symptoms of citrus allergy, its diagnostics and diagnostics-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach allergy is particularly common in the Mediterranean countries, but in other parts of the Europe, including Poland, this is a growing problem. The main peach allergen is the non-specific, low molecular weight lipid transfer protein (LTP) Pru p 3, belonging to the prolamin superfamily, mainly found in the peach skin. The most common clinical manifestation of peach allergy is oral allergy syndrome (OAS), which occurs in 79% of peach allergic patients. The diagnostic gold standard in peach allergy remains the double blind placebo controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). The future lies with molecular diagnostics, which is becoming more and more popular nowadays. It enables precise determination of allergic components to which a patient is hypersensitive. It has crucial in predicting the patient's allergic disease's natural course, and is useful in identifying patients with higher risk of anaphylactic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine sensitization profile and allergic triggers related to allergic disease and the age of the child. Subjects and methods: Results of skin prick tests were retrospectively analyzed to inhalational and nutritive allergens in the local population of subjects (n = 1102; age 0-18 years; 58 % (n = 640) boys and 42 % (n = 462) girls) who suffer from asthma associated with allergic rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis 29 % (n = 323), allergic rhinitis 24 % (n = 269), atopic eczema 21 % (n = 226), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis 13 % (n = 148), allergic asthma 8 % (n = 85) and acute allergic urticaria 5 % (n = 51). Data considering diretcly notable triggers of allergic symptoms were obtained from medical history. Results: Sensitization to nutritive allergens dominates in infants (P = 0.001). Sensitization to inhalant allergens has siginificant frequency in children after three years of age Sensitization to mite allergens and hairy pets appeared firstly (P = 0.003). Sensitization to pollen becomes significant at school age. In subjects with asthma and allergic rhinitis dominate sensitization to inhalant allergens, mostly on mites (P = 0.007), except in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis where sensitization to grass pollen is dominant. Subjects with eczema and acute urticaria are mostly sensitized to nutritive allergens such as eggs, nuts and cow's milk. However, sensitization to mites seems to be also important. Allergens are seldom observed as direct triggers of allergic symptoms. In case they are mostly associated with pollination, with hairy pets and with the consumption of eggs. Conclusion: The results are of practical importance for everyday evaluation of allergic sensitization in local population of patients. They can help in the rational selection of current and relevant allergens for skin prick testing taking care of the child's age and its allergic disease or symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are over 8 million dogs in Poland. Allergy to pets accounts for 2.5% of total allergy cases, while allergy to dogs constitutes 8% of the total pet allergies. About 6% of children with allergic rhinitis and 35% of the asthmatic children have positive SPTs to dog allergens. Avoiding of dog allergens is not feasible, since dog antigen is found at concentrations capable of producing allergic symptoms in all public places. There are 29 allergic proteins in dog hair, dander, urine, serum and saliva. Five major dog allergens have been identified: Can f1, Can f2, Can f3, Can f4. Can f5. Allergens Can f1 and Can f2 are found in dander, saliva and in skin. Can f3 is found in serum, Can f4 in hair, dander and skin. Can f5 is found in urine. Can f 1 and Can f5 are capable of binding 50-70% of IgE, while Can f2 and Can f3 bind 20-40% of IgE. Considerable differences have been observed in the quantity of dog allergens between various breeds, but it does not seem reasonable to regard any of the breed as hypoallergenic. Effect of influence of dog allergens and of being an owner of a dog on the development of allergy and asthma has not been yet clarified. Some authors stress the significance of constant contact with the animal and of breeding more than one dog at home. Up to now, it has not been possible to determine the effect of having a dog at home on development of allergy in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contact dermatitis (eczema), recognized as an entity even in ancient times of mankind's history reflects an inflammatory process which occurs in tegument by direct contact with noxious agents from the environment. Action subject to a variety of multiple pathogen factors, skin exercises different the role of barrier in the context of growing predisposing conditions. Contact dermatitis represents 4 to 7 per cent of the dermatological disorders, while skin diseases are responsibles for over half of the occupational conditions (1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific immunotherapy (SIT) is defined as the repeated administration of a specific allergen to allergic subjects with IgE mediated conditions, in order to provide long term relief of allergic symptoms and decreased inflammatory reactions during subsequent natural allergen exposure. Immunological changes during immunotherapy are complex and associated with the development of immunologic tolerance, change toward a Th1 lymphocyte cytoldne profile, increase in allergen --specific IgG4 level, and decrease in specific IgE antibodies. Numerous well-designed placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated that SIT is effective in children with allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis, allergic asthma and in treatment of stinging insect hypersensitivity. SIT has also shown long term benefit following discontinuation, and to prevent the onset of new allergen sensitivities, as well as the development of asthma in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. A limitation of the subcutaneous injection route of immunotherapy is the risk of potential severe side reactions, which include anaphylaxis. Therefore, SIT should only be administered by trained staff, in an allergy clinic facility, with an appropriate observation area, with immediate access to adrenaline and other resuscitative measures. All patients should be observed in the clinic for at least 30 minutes after administration of the injections. There is a low risk of severe systemic reactions in selected patients with appropriately administered SIT. In asthmatics SIT should not be initiated unless the patient's asthma is stable and well controlled. In order to improve safety and convenience, alternative routes of immunotherapy and allergen extract modifications have been tried. High-dose sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has been found to be effective in many studies in patients with allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. Local side effects of itching and swelling in the mouth are trivial, and require no treatment or discontinuation of therapy. No serious side effects have been reported during SLIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]