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Background: It is crucial to assess the levels of protection generated by natural infection or SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, mainly in individuals professionally exposed and in vulnerable groups. Measuring T-cell responses may complement antibody tests currently in use as correlates of protection. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of a validated assay of T-cell responses., Methods: Twenty health-care-workers (HCW) were included. Antibody test to SARS-CoV-2 N and S-proteins in parallel with a commercially available whole-blood-interferon-gamma-release-assay (IGRA) to S-peptides and two detection methods, CLIA and ELISA were determined., Results: IGRA test detected T-cell responses in naturally exposed and vaccinated HCW already after first vaccination dose. The correlation by the two detection methods was very high (R>0.8) and sensitivity and specificity ranged between 100 and 86% and 100-73% respectively. Even though there was a very high concordance between specific antibody levels and the IGRA assay in the ability to detect immune response to SARS-CoV-2, there was a relatively low quantitative correlation. In the small group primed by natural infection, one vaccine dose was sufficient to reach immune response plateau. IGRA was positive in one, with Ig(S) antibody negative vaccinated immunosuppressed HCW illustrating another advantage of the IGRA-test., Conclusion: Whole-blood-IGRA-tests amenable to automation and constitutes a promising additional tool for measuring the state of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2; they are applicable to large number of samples and may become a valuable correlate of protection to COVID-19, particularly for vulnerable groups at risk of being re-exposed to infection, as are health-care-workers., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Chronic Urticaria (CU) is a debilitating disease whose treatment is mainly symptomatic. UCREX study aimed to identify CU patients' profile, disease management and quality-of-life (QoL) in daily clinical practice in Spain., Methods: Observational, 12-months prospective, multicenter study, included de novo or established CU patients attending to dermatology/allergy consultations in 39 Spanish hospitals., Main Variables: Urticaria Activity Score (UAS), UAS over 7 days (UAS7). Secondary variables: CU-QoL Questionnaire (CU-Q 2 oL), EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), Medical Outcomes Study Sleep (MOS-Sleep) scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)., Results: 361 patients included. Of them, 176 (48.8%) considered for the main objective analysis. Mean age (SD) of 46.6 (14.2) years and 71.8% women. The year prior to inclusion, most patients (57.1%) were treated with non-sedating H1-antihistamines (NS-H1AH). At baseline, mean (SD) 3.6 (6.8) visits were registered to primary care. Mean (SD) UAS7 at baseline was 14.3 (11.0) and CU-Q 2 oL 24.1 (17.0) which tended to improve by 8.6 (9.7) and 13.9 (15.0), respectively, at 12-months. MOS-Sleep and EQ-5D remained steady during the study, except pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression which went from 58.7% and 49.6% to 29.6% and 26.9%, respectively. At baseline, HADS showed a mean (SD) anxiety of 8.7 (4.5) and depression 5.1 (4.4), decreasing to 7.0 (4.3) and 4.7 (4.3), respectively, at 12-months., Conclusions: Although most CU patients are treated with NS-H1AH, disease activity is still important, negatively affecting patients' QoL, work activity and healthcare resources use. An appropriate disease management could be the basis for symptoms control, QoL improvement and resources optimization., (Copyright © 2021. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.)

In vitro allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) detection and quantification tests are routinely performed in clinical laboratories to diagnose patients with a suspected allergy. Numerous commercial assays are available to test for allergies, but the results can vary widely, thereby influencing both diagnosis and treatment. Given the challenges posed by differences in the various assays for in vitro determination of specific IgE, a group of experts has compiled in a document a series of recommendations on the implications that the use of a certain in vitro technique may have and the impact on the management of the allergic patient that the differences between the various techniques represent. The reading and analysis of this consensus document will help to understand the implications of the change of in vitro diagnostic method in the management of the patient with allergy, in the quality of life and in the socioeconomic costs associated with the disease., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest., (© 2020 María L. Casas et al., published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

En: The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide a tool to assist in the management of asthma in Spanish emergency departments and to improve care of patients with asthma. A multidisciplinary team of 3 emergency medicine specialists, 3 respiratory medicine specialists, and 3 allergy specialists made a list of clinical questions and chose 4 clinical practice guidelines on asthma management to prioritize when answering the questions. The team members first worked individually and then discussed their findings in a meeting to reach consensus about the content of the present statement. The recommendations and clinical algorithms in the statement contribute to detecting the asthmatic patient on arrival at the emergency department, establishing the diagnosis, following unified treatment criteria, and referring the patient to a respiratory medicine specialist, an allergy specialist, or a primary care physician, as appropriate. The definitions used in this statement provide a common language for asthma in the interest of helping to unify care practices in emergency departments. The diagnostic criteria, treatment guidelines, and criteria for discharging and admitting patients provided should be useful for managing asthma in Spanish emergency departments.

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and pneumococcal pneumonia (PP) represent an important health problem among aging adults and those with certain underlying pathologies and some diseases, especially immunosuppressed and some immunocompetent subjects, who are more susceptible to infections and present greater severity and worse evolution. Among the strategies to prevent IPD and PP, vaccination has its place, although vaccination coverage in this group is lower than desirable. Nowadays, there are 2 vaccines available for adults. Polysacharide vaccine (PPV23), used in patients aged 2 and older since decades ago, includes a greater number of serotypes (23), but it does not generate immune memory, antibody levels decrease with time, causes an immune tolerance phenomenon, and have no effect on nasopharyngeal colonization. PCV13 can be used from children 6 weeks of age to elderly and generates an immune response more powerful than PPV23 against most of the 13 serotypes included in it. In the year 2013 the 16 most directly related to groups of risk of presenting IPD publised a series of vaccine recommendations based on scientific evidence regarding anti-pneumococcal vaccination in adults with underlying pathologies and special conditions. A commitment was made about updating it if new scientific evidence became available. We present an exhaustive revised document focusing mainly in recommendation by age in which some more Scientific Societies have been involved.

Background and Objective: Lung damage is considered to be key to Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) prognosis. We describe lung damage in pediatric CVID patients and assess its relationship with memory B cells (MB) phenotype, immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels at the time of diagnosis, and diagnostic delay. We also assessed the prevalence of allergy and autoimmune phenomena., Patients and Method: Cross-sectional study of 17 CVID patients treated at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. Prevalence ratio and prevalence odds ratio were used to assess the effect of MB cells phenotype, IgG levels and diagnostic delay on lung damage., Results: Five of seventeen patients presented bronchiectasis. Diagnostic delay >5 years was significantly associated with more severe lung damage. MBO phenotype and low IgG levels at the time of diagnosis showed a trend to more severe lung damage without reaching statistical signification. A higher prevalence of allergic or autoimmune phenomena was not observed., Conclusions: Latter diagnosis is associated with greater lung damage in CVID patients. The study of MB cells should be included in the study of these patients., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), undifferentiated connective tissue disease and overlap syndromes are autoimmune systemic diseases that must be differentiated. Antibodies against the U1-ribonucleoprotein complex --spliceosome-- allows the diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease. Links between the immunologic and clinical phenomena are emerging. Longitudinal studies of patients with MCTD highlight the impact of pulmonary hypertension and contribute to define the disease. Immunogenetic studies hold MCTD as an independent disease.