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Background: Males and females exhibit different susceptibility to allergic diseases., Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate gender-related differences in the prevalence of allergic diseases in Poland., Material and Methods: To evaluate this problem, data from the Polish Multicenter Study of the Epidemiology of Allergic Diseases (PMSEAD) was analyzed. There were assessed 16,238 individuals, aged 3 to 80 years, among them 12,970 adults and 3,268 children., Results: In adults the prevalence of asthma was 5.4%, seasonal allergic rhinitis 8.5%, persistent allergic rhinitis 3.0%, atopic dermatitis 1.6%, contact dermatitis 2.0%, and drug allergy 8.6%. In children asthma was diagnosed in 8.6% of the individuals assessed, seasonal allergic rhinitis in 8.6%, persistent allergic rhinitis in 2.1%, atopic dermatitis in 4.7%, contact dermatitis in 1.1% and drug allergy in 8.9%. Among the children in the sample, significantly higher prevalence rates were found in boys than in girls for asthma (10.9% vs. 6.3%; OR = 1.81; p < 0.001), seasonal allergic rhinitis (9.8% vs 7.4%; OR = 1.37, p = 0.018) and persistent allergic rhinitis (2.6% vs. 1.5%; OR = 1.74, p = 0.029). When comparing the differences by gender among adults, there was a lower proportion of male than female subjects suffering from asthma (4.9% vs. 5.8%; OR = 0.83, p = 0.018), seasonal allergic rhinitis (7.6% vs. 9.3%; OR = 0.81, p = 0.001), atopic dermatitis (1.1% vs. 2.0%; OR = 0.53, p < 0.001), contact dermatitis (1.1% vs. 2.8%; OR = 0.39; p < 0.001) and drug allergy (5.1% vs. 11.6%; OR = 0.41, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The opposite susceptibility to allergic diseases among children and adults may indicate that sex hormones play an important role in this phenomenon.

Background: Eosinophils are important components of allergic inflammation. The immunoglobulin A (IgA) Fc receptor (FcalphaRI), encoded by the FCAR gene, is a possible candidate for eosinophil activation at mucosal surfaces, where IgA is abundant. Both elevated cell surface expression of FcalphaRI and increased avidity for IgA were described on eosinophils from allergic subjects. The aim of our study was to examine the possible association of FCAR gene polymorphisms with allergic asthma., Methods: We screened three regions of the FCAR gene: (1) the promoter region, (2) exon 3, encoding the first extracellular domain (EC1), and (3) exon 5, coding for the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain, for new and published polymorphisms using a sensitive temperature gradient gel electrophoresis technique and compared their frequencies in 112 patients diagnosed with allergic asthma and 100 healthy controls., Results: Six polymorphisms, including two novel ones, were detected. No differences between patients and controls were found in the distribution of any of these polymorphisms., Conclusion: FcalphaRI polymorphism does not seem to be a risk factor in allergic asthma. Nevertheless, this is the first report on the distribution of 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms of the FCAR gene in a human population and the first study on FCAR polymorphism in allergic asthma., (2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory tract. Search for alternative to presently used therapies seems to be the way to obtain a better control of asthma. Heparin is an acidic mucopolysaccharide and in the past years there has been a number of reports on the role of heparin and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in chronic inflammatory disorders of the respiratory tract. Our aim was to estimate the effect of long-time LMWH nebulization on selected parameters in asthmatic patients. Twenty-four patients entered the study. All of them were subjected to bronchoscopy with BAL, in 8 patients this procedure was performed twice: before and after heparin treatment. After 14 days of treatment we observed an increase in FEV1 (from 73.93 +/- 14.14% (in % of nominal value) to 89.62 +/- 10.08% (p = 0.0049). Additionally we noted a decrease in the percentage of eosinophils and lymphocytes in BAL sediments, from 4.86 +/- 3.48% to 1.25 +/- 2.76%; p = 0.0006 and from 5.39 +/- 2.25% to 2.94 +/- 1.23%; p = 0.0209, respectively. This changes were paralleled by a drop of EG2 in BAL supernatant from 1.00 +/- 0.99 to 0.13 +/- 0.35, p = 0.0256. In blood serum level of histamine 0.74 +/- 0.77 to 0.1 +/- 0.22; p = 0.0493. We did not observe significant changes in IL-5, sVCAM-1 or ECP concentrations in serum. Also different LMWH dosing (5-10 kUIC anti-Xa b.i.d.) did not produce any dose-response effect. We conclude, that LMWH in nebulization can be a valuable add-on treatment in bronchial asthma, and its most likely mechanisms of action are: prevention of mast cell degranulation (histamine decrease), decreased eosinophil activation (lower EG2), and modification of inflammatory cells influx (decreased percentages of eosinophils and lymphocytes in BAL).

A case of angioedema caused by enalapril, undiagnosed for 5 years was presented. Enhanced blood and tissue eosinophilia shown in nasal smear was observed. In addition increased activity of coagulation system was shown manifested by enhance of concentration of Hageman factor and cardiolipin antibodies IgM and IgA isotype. The role of coagulation, complement and fibrinolysis systems in pathogenesis of ACE-inhibitors induced angioedema was discussed. The influence of bradykinin on activity of eosinophils was analyzed.

Classification of severity of bronchial asthma is a basic point for therapeutic management in adults. In the paper definitions of severe and difficult asthma are presented. The therapeutic possibilities are pointed according to new guidelines published in the recent period and own Author's clinical experience.

Unlabelled: The ARIA study demonstrates the correlation between bronchial asthma (BA) and perennial rhinitis (PR) with mite or animal fur allergies. There are no reports concerning correlation between BA and PR with mould allergy. The authors of this study estimated the prevalence of BA in patients with PR, allergic to moulds in comparison with patients allergic to other aeroallergens. 460 patients suffering from PR were investigated: 102 were allergic to moulds (mono- or multisensitization type) and 358 were allergic to other allergens. The prevalence of BA in mould-sensitive and insensitive patients was 70.6% and 43.6%, respectively; it was significantly higher in the mould-sensitive group (p = 0.004) regardless of the type of mould hypersensitivity (mono- or multisensitization). The higher prevalence of BA in mould-sensitive patients was found to be valid only for adults. The adult PR patients with diagnosed BA were most frequently allergic to Alternaria (47.1%) and Cladosporium (30.8%)., In Conclusion: mould allergy may be a risk factor for BA development.

Ampicillin belongs to the drugs causing most frequently IgE-dependent allergic reactions, but the current specificity of these reactions is poorly known. Some experimental data suggest that the side chain of ampicillin may induce synthesis of drug-specific IgE antibodies. In our study we have decided to explain the specificity of ampicillin-induced allergic reactions type I appearing in patients after drug administration. Thirty-eight subjects developing an immediate response after administration of ampicillin entered the study. In all the patients skin tests with penicillin, ampicillin and amoxicillin determinants were performed. We have observed positive skin tests results with penicillin determinants in 23 subjects, in 32 subjects with ampicillin and in 17 cases with amoxicillin. Only in three persons the results were positive exclusively to ampicillin. The results of our study indicate that in the Polish population ampicillin induces an immediate IgE response with variable degree of cross-reactivity to other tested drugs, and selective response to ampicillin is uncommon.