RESUMO
Many chemicals are used to preserve, color and flavor foods and drugs. There have been numerous reports of adverse reactions, including urticaria, angioneurotic edema, asthma an anaphylaxis following the ingestion of food additives such as tartrazine, monosodium glutamate and benzoic acid. Recently the food and drug additives reaching medical awareness as a cause of sensitivity are the sulfiting agents. Sulfites are widely used in the food and beverage industry as preservatives and antioxidants. They are also used by the pharmaceutical industry. This work describes the common uses of sulfiting agents, the mechanisms of sulfite sensitivity, the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of adverse reactions to sulfites.
Assuntos
Conservantes de Alimentos/efeitos adversos , Sulfitos/efeitos adversos , Antioxidantes/efeitos adversos , Hipersensibilidade Alimentar/diagnóstico , Hipersensibilidade Alimentar/etiologia , HumanosRESUMO
Certain food additives are known to induce urticaria and angioneurotic edema in susceptible patients. Thirty-three patients with chronic urticaria and angioneurotic edema whose case history suggested a possible link between exacerbations of the symptoms and ingestion of food additives or with acute exacerbations of the disease without any known triggering event were challenged orally in a double-blind study with increasing doses of the following additives: sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite and tartrazine and lactose as placebo. Ten of the 33 patients (30.3%) were intolerant to at least one compound. Among 132 oral provocation tests 11 (8.3%) were positive (appearance of acute urticaria/angioneurotic edema): 5 (15.1%) to sodium benzoate, 4 (12.1%) to tartrazine an 2 (6%) to sodium metabisulfite. There was no reaction to placebo and no serious reaction was observed. Under the conditions used, oral provocation tests proved to be feasible, safe and useful in the routine investigation of chronic urticaria and angioneurotic edema.