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Background: Skin prick test is the most widely used test for the diagnosis of IgE-mediated conditions. Commercial extracts are used for its performance, but in the case of fruits and vegetables it is preferable using fresh food. Although both tests possess a good safety profile, hypersensitivity reactions have been recorded. Clinical case: Forty-seven-year old woman with a history of persistent allergic rhinitis, sensitized to the pollen of grasses, olive and salsola; she was referred to an allergology department due to anaphylaxis triggered by the consumption of avocado, cantaloupe, carrots and watermelon. Minutes after skin prick test with standardized extract and skin prick with fresh foods, she developed dyspnea, pruritus, erythema, dizziness and sibilance; she was administered 0.5 mg of intramuscular adrenalin and 4 salbutamol inhalations and placed in the Trendelemburg position. Dyspnea persisted, and vital signs monitoring showed heart and respiratory rates increase and, hence, salbutamol was applied again, together with 2 L/min of oxygen delivered by nasal cannula, intravenous fluids and 100 mg intravenous hydrocortisone; improvement was observed at 40 minutes. The patient was hospitalized for 48 hours. Conclusions: Although skin tests are safe, the risk of hypersensitivity and anaphylactic reactions should not be ruled out, especially in susceptible patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: House dust is considered an important source of aeroallergens, and the mites living there, are the main cause of allergy to it. In Mexico, there have been few studies about house dust fauna, and mostly limited to Mexico City. Objective: To describe the house dust fauna from mattresses of allergic patients from different cities in Mexico. Methods: Sixty dust samples were collected from mattresses in 6 Mexican states: Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla, Chiapas and Campeche. Mites were isolated under a stereo-microscope using lactic acid - 0.9% NaCl solution. Identification was performed on fixed slides prepared with Hoyer solution. Skin Tests were already performed with allergen extracts of different house dust mites species in the 60 mattress' owners, whom had previously been diagnosed with respiratory allergy. Results: The Pyroglyphidae family was found in 100% of dust samples. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) were the species most frequently found (>90%). These findings were in agreement with the skin tests results, where 100% of patients were positive to Dp, whereas 70% was positive to Df. It was evidenced for the first time the presence of Blomia tropicalis in Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Campeche states, and Dermatophagoides siboney in Campeche. Both species are important allergenic sources in tropical/subtropical climates. Conclusions: These results confirm the importance of Pyroglyphid house dust mites, as indoor sensitizers in different climatic and geographical regions in Mexico, as well as, the relevance of tropical species, particularly Blomia tropicalis and D. Siboney, in certain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: To date there are no clinical or laboratory markers to predict the duration of urticaria, with reproducible results among the different populations studied. OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between prognostic factors and duration of spontaneous chronic urticaria. METHODOLOGY: We performed a retrospective study that explored factors associated with the duration of spontaneous chronic urticaria, at the Servicio de Alergología Clínica of the Universidad de Antioquia. RESULTS: Ninety nine cases (67 women, 32 men) were studied, with a mean age of 40.3 years. Seventy one percent of patients tested positive for autologous serum-plasma skin test; 17.2% had thyroid impairment determined by TSH and/or the presence of antithyroid antibodies; 65,7% received treatment with H1-antihistamines, 17.2% H1-antihistamine and a leukotriene receptor antagonist, 11.1% H1-antihistamines plus H2-antihistamines, and only 2% were treated with immunomodulatory drugs. The duration of the disease over 60 months was associated with angioedema, other types of urticaria, allergic skin diseases and female gender. CONCLUSIONS: After exploring the factors associated with the persistence of spontaneous chronic urticaria, although the variables studied showed no statistically significant differences, there were differences in percentages greater than 10% for the variables sex, presence of angioedema, presence of skin allergies and association with other types of urticaria, marking a trend that could be significant with a larger sample size. Our findings are consistent with those described in the literature. The autologous serum-plasma skin test did not have any association with the duration of spontaneous chronic urticaria in our cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on patch testing in occupational medicine. It reports about occupational dermatoses which accounts for 30 to 60 percent of the total occupational diseases. It states that correct diagnosis of contact dermatitis and association with the work environment is essential to know about the occupational background of a patient. It mentions that patch testing provides a simple and safe method for the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis.

Background: Food allergy is a health problem that has increased its prevalence in the last decade, and plays a role in the multiple symptoms of allergic diseases like asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. It has become the new epidemic with significant implications. Objectives: To describe the frequency of sensitization to food antigens by skin tests, prick-to-prick and atopy patch tests, in a group of allergic children in a pediatric hospital. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed the results of skin tests with foods, prick-to-prick and atopy patch tests, in the clinical records of 170 and 140 children respectively, with a diagnosis of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food allergy or eosinophilic gastroenteropathies, and analyzed the results with measures of central tendency and chi2 test. Results: Immediate hypersensitivity tests with fresh foods (prick-to-prick) were positive in 135 cases. Cow's milk was positive in 28.8%, followed by egg white with 20.1% and banana in 19.4%. In the group of 1 to 5 years, cow's milk was positive in 26.9% (p <0.05). In children with a previous diagnosis of food allergy cow's milk was positive in 27.1% (p <0.05). In delayed hypersensitivity tests (patch tests) there were 105 positive results; soybean was positive in 53.3% of cases tested, followed by peanut and chocolate with 50.5%. In the group with atopic dermatitis soybean was positive in 55.6% (p <0.05). In the group of 1 to 5 years, soybean was positive in 52.1% (p <0.05). Conclusions: In children with various allergic diseases, with prick-to-prick skin tests, cow's milk was the food allergen with more frequent positive results. When we used atopy patch tests, soybean was the food with more positive results. We observe sensitization to different foods, according to the mechanism of injury, type I or IV, which is dependent on the type of skin tests used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]