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Copyright of Asthma Allergy Immunology / Astim Allerji Immunoloji is the property of Turkish National Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Allergic diseases are common during school age. Asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and food allergy are the most frequent. Children with allergic disease have problems such as low quality of life and impaired school performance along with school absenteeism. Children with food allergy are under risk of anaphylaxis that can lead to death. These data show the necessity of taking preventive measures in schools where the allergic child spends most of his time. Education of school personnel, improving the physical conditions of the school, identification of allergic children and implementing measures to help the child when an emergency occurs are needed. These preventive measures can help raise the quality of life and improve school performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Pediatric Disease / Türkiye Çocuk Hastalıkları Dergisi is the property of Turkish Journal of Pediatric Disease and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of disease severity to facilitate better management of children with severe atopic dermatitis (AD). All the patients were diagnosed using Hanifin-Rajka criteria. After medical and family histories were obtained and a detailed physical examination was performed, disease severity was determined with the objective SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Skin prick tests were performed, and percent of peripheral blood eosinophils, total serum IgE and specific IgE were measured. The median age of the 501 patients was 15 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-40 months), and 62.9% (315) were male. Sensitization to at least one allergen and foods was observed in 40.3% (202) and 30.9% (155) of all patients, respectively. Of the study group, 17.6% (88) had severe disease. When logistic regression analyses were performed, with adjustments, the risk factors for severe AD were determined to be eosinophilia (odds ratio [OR] 1.137, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.062-1.217; p=0.003) and food allergen sensitization (OR: 1.937, 95%CI: 1.217-3.084; p=0.005). The patients with severe AD had sensitization to common allergens, food allergens and eosinophilia more frequently than those with mild-moderate disease (p=0.001, p=0.001 and p=0.005, respectively). Eosinophilia may predict severe disease and allergic sensitization. Further large-scale follow-up studies are needed to improve the reliability and relevance of this relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The exercise challenge test can be used to diagnose asthma in patients with asthma-like symptoms but without reversibility on spirometry. However, the test is time-consuming and is not always practical. The aim of this study was to determine the potential factors that may predict the presence of a positive exercise challenge test in children with asthma-like symptoms but without reversibility on spirometry. Material and Methods: All patients who presented at our outpatient clinic between November 2009-June 2012 with asthma-like symptoms but did not have reversibility on spirometry and on whom an exercise challenge test was done were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical features and laboratory results were analyzed with univariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: A total of 145 children between 7 and 17 years of age were analyzed. 76 out of 145 patients (52.4%) were female and their median age was 11 (Interquartile Range (IQR): 10-14) years of age. The exercise provocation test was positive in 50 (34.5%) patients. Fourteen patients with a positive exercise challenge test (28.7%) were obese. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that obesity (odds ratio [OR]: 4.188, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.512-11.60, p=0.006) and low basal FEF25-75 (OR:1.030, 95% CI:1.050-1.012, p=0.006) were risk factors for the presence of positive exercise challenge test when adjusted for the variables age, sex, atopy, familial allergic disease, passive smoking, peripheral blood eosinophil count greater than 500/mm³ and FEV1, FEV1/FVC parameters. Conclusion: For patients with asthma-ike symptoms but without reversibility on spirometry, obesity and low FEF25-75 can be considered as the significant risk factors for the presence of a positive exercise challenge test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy is effective in treating allergic rhinitis and asthma and in preventing stinging insect anaphylaxis, it carries risk of local and systemic reactions. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of adverse reactions of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy in children. Materials and Methods: A retrospective data were examined from pediatric patients who received pollen or venom allergen subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy. Standard allergen extracts were used for immunotherapy. The severity of the systemic reactions was graded according to criteria of the World Allergy Organization. A large local reaction was defined as a local swelling greater than the size of the patient's palm at the site of allergen injection. Results: A total of 960 injections were administered to 47 patients. Twenty seven and 20 out of 47 patients received pollen and venom immunothe- rapy respectively. Three systemic reactions were observed in only one patient. The frequency of systemic reactions was 0.3%. Fifteen (31.9%) patients developed a total of 31 large local reactions which correspond to 3.2% of the administered doses. Conclusion: Although subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy is a safe treatment modality of allergic diseases; it must be administrated only in centers that have appropriate emergency equipments because of side effects.Results: A total of 960 injections were administered to 47 patients. Twenty seven and 20 out of 47 patients received pollen and venom immunothe- rapy respectively. Three systemic reactions were observed in only one patient. The frequency of systemic reactions was 0.3%. Fifteen (31.9%) patients developed a total of 31 large local reactions which correspond to 3.2% of the administered doses. Conclusion: Although subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy is a safe treatment modality of allergic diseases; it must be administrated only in centers that have appropriate emergency equipments because of side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Asthma Allergy Immunology / Astim Allerji Immunoloji is the property of Turkish National Society of Allergy & Clinical Immunology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive, life-threatening allergic reaction which can cause death. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of definitive therapy are essential to reduce the mortality and morbidity. The aim of our study was to determine the knowledge and practices of primary care physicians about the diagnosis and the treatment of anaphylaxis. Materials and Methods: A survey was carried out with primary care physicians between April-June 2012 in Ankara. The physicians were asked to answer the questions which consisted of case reports with/without a history of anaphylaxis. Results: A total of 107 primary care physicians were participated in the survey. 58 (54.2%) of the participants were male. Participating physicians had a mean of 18.1 ± 5.8 years of experience. Only 18 (16.8%) of them were trained on anaphylaxis. None of them answered all the questions correctly. The rate of correct answers was 53.7% for all questions, while it was 54% for questions about anaphylaxis. The proportion of correct answer for non-anaphy-lactic cases was 53.8%. Seven participant physician could not answer any questions related with anaphylactic cases. The proportion of adrenaline usage as a first choice was 12.8%. There was no gender differences in terms of the proportion of correct answers (p= 0.894). Conclusion: About half of the primary care physicians can not recognize anaphylactic cases. Moreover, it is determined that the majority of the physicians who diagnose anaphylaxis do not use adrenaline as a first choice medication. These findings demonstrate that there is a lack of knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis. Educational programs should be focused on improving the standard of practice among primary care physicians regarding anaphylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive, life-threatening allergic reaction which can cause death. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of definitive therapy are essential to reduce the mortality and morbidity. The aim of our study was to determine the knowledge and practices of primary care physicians about the diagnosis and the treatment of anaphylaxis. Materials and Methods: A survey was carried out with primary care physicians between April-June 2012 in Ankara. The physicians were asked to answer the questions which consisted of case reports with/without a history of anaphylaxis. Results: A total of 107 primary care physicians were participated in the survey. 58 (54.2%) of the participants were male. Participating physicians had a mean of 18.1 ± 5.8 years of experience. Only 18 (16.8%) of them were trained on anaphylaxis. None of them answered all the questions correctly. The rate of correct answers was 53.7% for all questions, while it was 54% for questions about anaphylaxis. The proportion of correct answer for non-anaphy-lactic cases was 53.8%. Seven participant physician could not answer any questions related with anaphylactic cases. The proportion of adrenaline usage as a first choice was 12.8%. There was no gender differences in terms of the proportion of correct answers (p= 0.894). Conclusion: About half of the primary care physicians can not recognize anaphylactic cases. Moreover, it is determined that the majority of the physicians who diagnose anaphylaxis do not use adrenaline as a first choice medication. These findings demonstrate that there is a lack of knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis. Educational programs should be focused on improving the standard of practice among primary care physicians regarding anaphylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to assess the relationship between allergic diseases and adenoid hypertrophy which is a common cause of chronic nasal obstruction. Material and Method: The study group consisted of 97 children who were admitted to ear nose throat (ENT) clinic between 2009 and 2012 with chronic nasal obstruction, difficulty with nasal breathing and mouth breathing. All patients were examined by specialists in ENT and pediatric allergy clinics and the results of flexible fiberoptic nasal endoscopy and skin prick tests were evaluted retrospectively. Patients were seperated into two groups according to the adenoid vegetation/nasopharynx ratio as 0-50% and 51- 100%. Results: Ninety seven patients with a mean age of 6.27 ±2.7 8 years (0A5-16.16), of whom 56.7% (n=55) were male, were included in the study. Within the study group, 27.5% of patients had atopy and diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. While, the rate of asthma was higher in patients without adenoid hypertrophy than patients with adenoid hypertrophy (47.1% and 10.5%, respectively, p<0.001), there was no significant difference in allergic sensitization between two groups (38.2% and 21.1% respectively, p>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of our study, asthma was more prevalent in patients with adenoid hypertrophy, but the presence of adenoid hypertrophy did not effect atopic sensitization. More comprehensive studies evaluating the immonological mechanisms are required to demonstrate the relationship between adenoid hypertropy and allergic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Data on the prevalence of allergic diseases in children with proven drug allergies are limited. We aim to evaluate the frequency of allergic comorbidity in children with proven common drug allergies., Materials and Methods: Children with drug hypersensitivity confirmed by diagnostic allergy tests at our center between January 2010 and December 2020 were screened retrospectively. Patients with the most common drug allergies (due to antibiotics, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], and antiepileptic drugs) were selected for analysis. Age, sex, the culprit drug, initial reaction characteristics, diagnostic test results, and the study physician who diagnosed concomitant allergic diseases were noted., Results: A total of 168 patients (boys, 51.2%) with a median age of 12 years (IQR = 8-16.3) were included in the study. The culprit drug was an antibiotic in 63% (n = 106), NSAID in 25% (n = 42) and anticonvulsant in 11.9 % (n = 20) of the patients. Drug hypersensitivity reactions were immediate in 74.4 % (n = 125) and delayed in 25.6 % (n = 43) of the patients. Seventy-five patients (44.6 %) had at least one allergic disease, most commonly rhinitis (27.3 %, n = 46) or asthma (25 %, n = 42). Fifty-five patients underwent skin prick tests with aeroallergens, producing a positive result in 60% (n = 31). The prevalence of allergic disease was not differing according to the culprit drug. The frequency of developing at least one concomitant allergic disease was 47.2% (n = 50/106) for antibiotic hypersensitivity, 52.4% (n = 22/42) for NSAID hypersensitivity, and 15% (n = 3/20) for anticonvulsant hypersensitivity (p < 0.00).Immediate drug hypersensitivity reactions were more frequent in children who had allergic diseases (80 % vs. 64.5 %; p = 0.027)., Conclusion: Nearly half (44.6%) of the children with proven drug hypersensitivity had concomitant allergic diseases and immediate reactions were more common in this group. Children evaluated for drug hypersensitivity should be assessed for other allergic diseases., (© TÜBİTAK.)

Introduction: To evaluate the quality of life and anxiety level of school-age children with chronic cough, and changes with treatment., Materials and Methods: Patients aged between 6-18 years with a chronic cough were included in this study. A control group was designed, and the scale scores were compared with each other., Result: The mean age of the 82 patients was 10.9 ± 3.8 years, 62 (75.6%) had at least one specific cough marker. Forty patients (48.8%) were diagnosed with asthma. At their first visit, the psychosocial health scores and the total scale scores (sum of physical and psychosocial total scores) were lower than the control group for both patients and parents. After the resolution of cough, their scores increased to the same level with the control group. It was also found that the level of anxiety was significantly higher than in the control group both before treatment and after the resolution period (p<0.001 and =0.008, respectively)., Conclusions: Asthma was the leading cause of chronic cough. Quality of life is impaired in children with chronic cough. Anxiety level in these patients increases and after symptoms improve, continues to be higher than that of healthy children.

Background/objectives: Adverse reactions to local anesthetics are relatively common, but proven IgE-mediated allergy is extremely rare. We aimed to determine the frequency of local anesthetic allergy in pediatric patients., Patients and Methods: The medical records of 73 patients who presented to our clinic with a history of suspected allergic reaction to local anesthetics and underwent diagnostic testing between 2012 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Diagnoses were based on case histories, skin tests, and subcutaneous challenge tests., Results: A total of 75 test series were carried out on the 73 patients (43 boys; median [IQR] age 9.25 [7.26-14.25] years, range 3-17.8 years). The most commonly tested drugs were lidocaine (n = 38; 50.6%) and prilocaine (n = 15; 20%). Local anesthetic allergy was confirmed in one (1.3%) of the 73 patients by positive subcutaneous challenge test with mepivacaine., Conclusion: There are limited data in the current literature regarding local anesthetic allergies and diagnosis test results in pediatric patients. Proven local anesthetic allergy is less common than expected by society and physicians, and therefore diagnostic tests are needed for patients with no contra-indications such as severe or life-threatening reactions.

Promyositis is a term used to denote primary pyogenic infection of the skeletal muscle. Because striped muscle tissue is normally resistant to bacterial infection, pyomyositis is very rare. In tropical countries, pyomyositis accounts for about 4% of hospital surgical admission, but it is far less common in temperate climates. It is more common in adults and especially in men, but it can occur at any age. We would like to present an 8-month-old infant to make pediatricians aware of the possibility of pyomyositis in cases of a mass over muscle, or of children complaining of joint pain or muscle aches even in the infancy period.

Obesity is an increasing health problem all over the world. In addition to genetic and many environmental factors, television is also thought to be a risk factor. This study examined the effects of television viewing on obesity and other physical complaints among Turkish children. From two different socioeconomic class primary schools, 886 second- and third-grade children were visited at their schools, and their weight, height and triceps skin fold thickness (TST) were measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Television viewing behavior of the children, parental weight and height, and physical complaints of children were investigated by a questionnaire sent to parents. A subgroup of children was also called to the hospital, and their blood lipid profile and visual acuity were measured. According to the questionnaires, children were found to watch television 2.1 +/- 1.2 hours/day (hr/d) during the weekdays, 3.4 +/- 2.1 hr/d at the weekend and 2.5 +/- 1.3 hr/d generally. Children were also grouped according to the amount of time they watch television. Group 1 (n = 298) children watched television less than 2 hr/d, Group 2 (n = 323) watched 2-4 hr/d, and Group 3 (n = 68) more than 4 hr/d. The prevalence of obesity was 10.9% according to BMI, 11.8% according to TST and 6.4% according to both criteria. Obese girls were found to watch television longer than their peers (2.9 +/- 1.2 hr/d vs 2.3 +/- 1.3 hr/d, respectively, p = 0.034), but no other relation was found between television viewing and obesity. Headache, back pain, eye symptoms and sleep problems were found to be more often among children who watched television longer (p < 0.05). It was concluded that television viewing is related to many physical complaints, which may have lifelong consequences (obesity). Thus, pediatricians should give appropriate guidance to families about television habits and health consequences.