Vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in patients undergoing Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy.

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic has unquestionably left a significant mark on the global healthcare system. Implementation of the commonly available vaccinations against COVID-19 is intended to reduce the risk of a severe course of the disease. Due to a very brief development period of the new vaccines, concerns have appeared among the public with regard to the possible adverse effects of the newly-developed preparations, as well as to the risks of causing allergic reactions. Regular medical observation during the Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy provides significant possibilities to note any potential adverse effects of vaccines against COVID-19, as well as of complications of an experienced SARS CoV-2 infection. Aim: To assess the issues connected with vaccination against COVID-19, complications following vaccination, as well as incidence and course of the disease among patients undergoing venom immunotherapy (VIT) due to an allergy to Hymenoptera venom. Material and methods: We investigated 37 persons aged 19 to 70 (20 women; 17 men) undergoing Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy in our department. Results: 21.6% have experienced an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, confirmed by a diagnostic test. No person participating in the study had experienced a severe infection which would require hospitalization. Elderly people have been vaccinated statistically significantly more often than young people. Conclusions: The risk related to vaccination in this group of patients does not seem to be higher than in the general population.

Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy is Associated With Diabetic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease: The Silesia Diabetes-Heart Project.

Microvascular complications of diabetes seem to be clustered and put patients at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This was a questionnaire-based study designed to screen for the presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), defined as the score in the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) above 2, and to evaluate its association with other complication of diabetes, including CVD. There were 184 patients included into the study. The prevalence of DPN in the study group was 37.5%. The regression model analysis revealed that the presence of DPN was significantly associated with the presence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) (P = 0.0034;) and patient's age (P < 0.0001). Thirty-four patients (49.3%) with MNSI score >2 were diagnosed with CVD in comparison to 24 (20.1%) subjects with MNSI score ≤ 2 (P = 0.00006). In case of having one diabetes complication diagnosed, it is important to screen for others, including macrovascular ones.

Exhaled Nitric Oxide Level in Pharynx Angioedema.

Airway inflammation is related to increased nitric oxide production. It can be assessed noninvasively with exhaled nitric oxide measurement. As airway inflammation was supposed to be present in chronic urticaria and angioedema patients we hypothesized increased exhaled nitric oxide in this group. Twenty-six symptomatic chronic urticaria patients with an acute episode of pharynx angioedema (17 women and 9 men, median age 35) were included in the study group. None of the patients reported a history of asthma, allergic rhinitis or cigarette smoking. The control group consisted of 29 non-smoking healthy subjects (19 women and 10 men, median age 22) without any history of atopy. Exhaled nitric oxide measurement was performed in all subjects. Exhaled nitric oxide levels in the angioedema group did not differ statistically significantly from those detected in healthy subjects (15.5 ppb and 17.0 ppb respectively). Our results indicate the lack of airway inflammation in chronic urticaria patients with pharynx angioedema.

The Role of Interleukin 10 and 18 in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria Pathogenesis in the Context of Angioedema Coexistence.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is defined using clinical symptoms as spontaneous occurrence of itchy wheals and/or angioedema for at least 6 weeks. Angioedema is underdiagnosed in CSU patients, and its presence has significant negative impact on health-related quality of life, daily activities, health care resource utilization, and work. Various cytokines have been found to be involved in pathogenesis of CSU. To study levels of interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-18 in CSU patients and to look for the differences in CSU subgroups divided with regard to angioedema reoccurrence, we included consecutive CSU patients into the study. To assess disease activity, urticaria activity score was used. In addition, we calculated disease duration time. In all groups, Il-10 and Il-18 serum concentrations were measured. The study involved 52 patients with CSU and 47 healthy volunteers. The IL-10 level was statistically significantly higher in patients with CSU compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in level of IL-18 between those groups. Comparison of patients with CSU and angioedema with those without angioedema showed no significant differences in level of IL-10 and IL-18. We see the need for further studies of serum levels of IL-10 and IL-18 to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and to find markers useful in predicting the symptom type in the course of CSU.

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus-Does Quality of Life Impairment Always Reflect Health Danger?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) may compromise the quality of life (QoL). We decided to compare the QoL of T1DM patients to those suffering from CSU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six patients with well-controlled T1DM (male 52%) in the mean age of (SD) 36.3 (11.09) years and 51 patients with CSU (male 33%) in the mean age of (SD) 35.8 (8.53) years were enrolled in this observational study. All the participants completed a Short-Form 36 (SF-36) QoL. RESULTS: The QoL related to social functioning was significantly worse among CSU patients. There were differences related to gender found in the group of patients with T1DM-where men tended to declare a better quality of life than women (p = 0.015)-especially in the area of energy/fatigue and pain. It appeared that due to physical and emotional problems occurring in married patients, the QoL is lower in T1DM group in comparison to the CSU one. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with CSU presented significantly worse social functioning compared to the ones with T1DM. This fact proves the QoL impairment level is not always related to the level of health danger. The differences in the QoL related to gender and marital status found among T1DM patients point to the necessity for further exploration in a larger group of patients. Due to the fact that optimal disease management should ensure patient's good emotional well-being, there is a need for additional psychological and social care for patients from those two groups.