1/20. Rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma provoked by Asticot maggots.Asticot maggots are used as bait by anglers fishing the rivers, reservoirs and coastal waters of spain. We report the case of a male patient, a keen angler, who used this bait on weekends and suffered allergic reactions that affected his conjunctiva and respiratory system for years. Other baits (earthworms, Eisemia foetida) did not elicit this reaction. In order to confirm the allergic reaction, we used maggots in vivo in the Prick Test, obtaining a positive reaction in 15 to 30 minutes. The patient also had an allergic reaction to house dust mites in prick test. To a lesser extent, he also was sensitive to certain grass pollens (Lollium perenne) and seafood (prawns and squid).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/20. Respiratory arrest in a male athlete after running through a wheat field.A male athlete suffered complete respiratory arrest after collapsing at the entrance to an Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital. He was resuscitated and recovered fully after several hours. He had multiple wheals on both legs and had complained of severe breathlessness before collapsing. The athlete had run through a wheat field, upon finding his usual pathway overgrown, which had caused wheat pollen to be released. He had been a mild asthmatic for 30 years and had recalled some mild urticaria after exercise but had never experienced exercise-induced asthma, or hay fever. Subsequent allergy tests showed negative for wheat but positive for house dust mite and grass mix. It is possible that the symptoms were triggered either by the running itself, inhalation of allergens other than wheat pollen, skin abrasions caused by contact with wheat stalks, or a combination of these factors.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/20. Pneumomediastinum and pneumopericardium: unusual and rare complications of asthma in a 4 years old girl.We describe a 4-year-old girl with asthma who presented with pneumomediastinum, pneumopericardium and subcutaneous emphysema. She was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea, chest pain, palpitation and cough of two days duration. She had attacks of cough, dyspnea and wheezing from two years of age, but she did not have a diagnosis of asthma previously. She was dyspneic and had subcutaneous emphysema in the neck, axilla and thorax. In the skin prick test (Center Lab. USA) she had positive reaction to dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides farinae, mold mix, tree mix and grass mix. Pulmonary function tests could not be performed. In the chest X-ray air was seen in mediastinum and subcutaneous area and the epicardium was surrounded completely with air. She was treated successfully with inhaled salbutamol and budesonide. Radiological signs of pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum disappeared completely in ten days period. In the light of this case we want to mention that early diagnosis and treatment of asthma should be done to prevent serious complication of asthma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/20. Occupational asthma caused by grass pea used in the industrial processing of parquet.BACKGROUND: although grass pea belongs to the leguminoseae family, allergic reactions to its flour have rarely been described. Clinical and immunological studies were performed to confirm a type I hypersensitivity mechanism in a case of occupational asthma to grass pea flour exposure, used in the industrial processing of parquet. methods: occupational asthma was diagnosed according to patient history, PEFR monitoring and a specific bronchial challenge test. Skin prick test with an aqueous grass pea flour extract, specific IgE determinations (CAP assay) and IgE immunoblot tests were performed. RESULTS: skin prick test with the extract showed a positive immediate response, and negative response in controls. Specific IgE to grass pea was positive (9.57 KU/l). immunoblotting demonstrated the presence of specific serum IgE that recognized 3 proteins in the extract (MW 46, 32 and 28 kDa). PEFR monitoring showed positive results. Bronchial challenge test with the extract elicited an isolated immediate response. CONCLUSIONS: as far as we know this is the first time that IgE mediated occupational asthma caused by grass pea is reported and it is also the first time that its allergens are characterized. Grass pea flour might constitute a relevant occupational allergen in this unreported source of exposure in parquet manufacturers.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/20. Anaphylactic reaction after skin-prick testing in an 8-year-old boy.This paper presents the case of an 8-year-old boy who developed an anaphylactic reaction after skin-prick testing (SPT). The tests were performed with commercial extracts and were strongly positive for dog and grass. The boy had no incidence of anaphylaxis reported in his history. At the time tests were performed, he had been admitted to the hospital because of persistent wheezing and had a dog at home for a few days. Although anaphylaxis is very rare after SPTs, these tests should always be peformed in a place equipped to treat anaphylaxis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/20. Influence of natural exposure to pollens and domestic animals on airway responsiveness and inflammation in sensitized non-asthmatic subjects.BACKGROUND: Atopy may be a risk factor in the development of asthma. Indoor allergens are considered to be more potent asthma inducers than outdoor ones such as pollens. Lower airway inflammation may be present in non-asthmatic subjects during natural exposure to relevant allergens and may eventually lead to the development of asthma. AIMS: To document seasonal variation in lower airway responsiveness and inflammation in sensitized non-asthmatic subjects, during natural exposure to allergens, and to determine whether it is more marked in those exposed to animals to which they are sensitized. methods: Twenty-two atopic subjects were seen during and out of the pollen season. All (but the controls) were sensitized to domestic animals, and to trees, grasses or ragweed. Eleven were not exposed to animals at home and 8 were exposed. They were compared with 3 normal controls. A respiratory questionnaire was administered, allergy skin prick tests, spirometry, methacholine challenge, blood and induced sputum with differential cell counts were obtained during the pollen season for all subjects. These tests were repeated out of the pollen season. RESULTS: Throughout the study, none of the subjects had asthma symptoms. Mean PC(20) was significantly lower in subjects exposed to animals compared with unexposed subjects or controls, both during and out of the pollen season. In season, subjects exposed to animals had significantly higher sputum eosinophil numbers than unexposed or normal control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Non-asthmatic atopic subjects show variable degrees of airway responsiveness and inflammation. However, subjects exposed to animals show higher airway eosinophilia, which may suggest they are at increased risk of developing airway hyperresponsiveness and asthma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/20. Buckwheat pillow-induced asthma and allergic rhinitis.BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated hypersensitivity is a mechanism suggested to explain adverse reactions to buckwheat. This is the first reported case in the united states of a person who developed asthma and worsening allergic rhinitis after exposure to a buckwheat pillow. OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient who developed asthma and worsening allergic rhinitis after exposure to a buckwheat pillow and to provide evidence that the adverse reaction was IgE-mediated. methods: The patient underwent skin prick and ImmunoCAP testing (Pharmacia Diagnostics, Kalamazoo, MI) to buckwheat as well as skin prick testing to several environmental allergens. RESULTS: The patient showed a 4 skin prick test response to buckwheat. He also showed 4 positive skin prick responses to multiple trees, grasses, and weeds, alternaria, helminthosporium, dog, and histamine control and was 3 positive to house-dust mites, penicillium, aspergillus, cat, and feather mix. His negative control was negative. His ImmunoCAP test for buckwheat-specific IgE was class 4, or strongly positive. He had normal spirometry values. Performance of house-dust mite avoidance measures did not result in improvement of the patient's symptoms. Removal of the patient's two buckwheat pillows resulted in resolution of his asthma and improvement of rhinitis symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The positive skin prick and ImmunoCAP test to buckwheat along with the positive clinical response to buckwheat pillow elimination support an IgE-mediated mechanism in explaining our patient's buckwheat pillow-induced asthma and allergic rhinitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/20. asthma induced by canary food mix.A 42-year-old woman reported immediate rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, and contact urticaria while handling bird food. Skin-prick tests were positive to lolium, cynodon, Phragmites, cupressus sempervirens, cupressus arizonica, chenopodium, sunflower pollen and seed, mugwort, chamomile, chrysanthemum, taraxacum, canary seed, and black seed (Guizotia abyssinica). The patient's serum-specific immunoglobulin (IgE) to taraxacum, black seed, and canary seed was positive. enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibition studies revealed a 97 and 27% IgE-binding inhibition of whole canary food IgE by black seed and taraxacum pollen, respectively. sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblotting showed two IgE-binding protein bands of 11 and 44 kDa in the G. abyssinica extract. These two bands were totally inhibited by sunflower seed, mugwort, and taraxacum extracts. Specific bronchial challenge with black seed extract was positive. The patient was able to feed her canary with birdseeds after she removed black seeds. We report a case of asthma caused by black seed (G. abyssinica) used as canary food in a patient previously allergic to pollen (olea europaea, grass, and mugwort) and sunflower seeds.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/20. Lupine inhalation induced asthma in a child.The ingestion of lupine seed flour has been reported as a cause of allergic reactions. There is some evidence of its allergenic potential after inhalation. An 8-year-old asthmatic child, who was allergic to peanut, was studied in our clinic with the suspicion of an adverse drug reaction due to salbutamol. He suffered an asthma attack while playing with his brother, who had been eating lupine seed as snack; surprisingly, the asthma attack worsened with salbutamol. The skin tests showed a positive result with lupinus albus extract, peanut, garbanzo bean, navy bean, pea, green bean, lentil, soy, olea europea pollen, grass pollen and plantago lanceolata pollen. The prick-by-prick tests both from dried seeds and those preserved in salt and water were strongly positive. serum specific IgE antibodies were positive to Lupine albus (1.43 kU/l), peanut (4.32 kU/l), soy (2.15 kU/l), lentil (3.12 kU/l) and garbanzo (0.7 kU/l). After informed consent salbutamol was well tolerated but the patient had asthma in 5 min of manipulation of the lupine seeds. In our case, reactivity with other legumes was also demonstrated, but only peanut allergy was relevant because boiled legumes were tolerated. It is also notorious that anamnesis is so important to assess the true etiological agents of asthma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/20. Occupational asthma due to carrot in a cook.BACKGROUND: Few previous reports of carrot-induced asthma have been confirmed by objective tests. hypersensitivity to carrot is frequently associated with allergy to apiaceae spices and sensitization to birch and mugwort pollens. CLINICAL CASE: A 40-year-old cook woman was seen with sneezing, rhinorrhea, contact urticaria and wheezing within few minutes of handling or cutting raw carrots. She needed to leave out of the kitchen while the other cooks cut raw carrots. methods AND RESULTS: skin tests were positive to carrot, celery, aniseed and fennel. Rubbing test with fresh carrot was positive. Specific IgE to carrot was 4.44 kU/L. Determinations of specific IgE to mugwort, grass and birch pollens were negative. Inhalative provocation test, performed as a handling test, was positive. The IgE-immunoblotting showed two bands in carrot extract: a band with apparent molecular weight of 30 kd and other band of 18 kd. This band of 18 kd was Dau c 1. The band of 30 kd could correspond a phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase. Dau c 1 did not appear to be the unique allergen in this case. Additional allergens may induce the sensitization. Primary sensitization due to airborne allergens of foods and the lack of pollen allergy in this patient are notorious events.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |