ABSTRACT
Air pollution, climate change, and the decrease of biological diversity are major threats to human health. In the past decades, an increase in allergic diseases, including asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis, has been observed. Up to 40 % of the world population may have an allergic disease, which represents a significant impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from it, and environmental pollution is one of the causes of its presentation. Air pollution causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients with inflammatory airway diseases such as allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Oxidative stress in patients with respiratory diseases can induce eosinophilic inflammation in the airways, increase atopic allergic sensitization, and rise susceptibility to infections. Climate change has influenced exposure to extramural allergens and it is associated with exacerbations of respiratory diseases in the upper and lower airway. The interaction of indoor and outdoor environmental exposure and host factors can affect the development and progression of lifelong allergic diseases. The decrease of exposure to air pollutants has been associated with a favorable response in respiratory health, which is why it is necessary to implement measures that contribute to an improvement in air quality.
La contaminación del aire, el cambio climático y la reducción de la diversidad biológica son amenazas importantes para la salud humana. En las últimas décadas se ha observado un aumento en las enfermedades alérgicas, incluyendo asma y rinoconjuntivitis. Hasta 40 % de la población mundial puede presentar alguna enfermedad alérgica, lo que representa un impacto significativo en la calidad de vida de quienes la padecen, siendo la contaminación ambiental una de las causas de su presentación. La contaminación del aire causa morbilidad y mortalidad significativas en pacientes con enfermedades inflamatorias de las vías respiratorias, como rinitis alérgica, rinosinusitis crónica, asma y enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica. El estrés oxidativo en pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias puede inducir inflamación eosinofílica en las vías respiratorias, aumentar la sensibilización alérgica atópica y aumentar la susceptibilidad a infecciones. El cambio climático ha influido en la exposición a alérgenos extramuros y se asocia con exacerbaciones de enfermedades de la vía respiratoria superior e inferior. La interacción de las exposiciones ambientales en interiores y exteriores y los factores del huésped pueden afectar el desarrollo y la progresión de enfermedades alérgicas de por vida. La reducción de la exposición a los contaminantes del aire se ha asociado a una respuesta favorable en la salud respiratoria, por lo cual es necesario implementar medidas que contribuyan a la mejoría en la calidad del aire.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Asthma , Rhinitis, Allergic , Air Pollutants/toxicity , Air Pollution/adverse effects , Allergens , Asthma/epidemiology , Asthma/etiology , Humans , Quality of Life , Rhinitis, Allergic/epidemiology , Rhinitis, Allergic/etiologyABSTRACT
Urticaria is defined as the sudden appearance of erythematous, itchy wheals of variable size, with or without angioedema (AE) (swelling of the deeper layers of the skin). Its classification depends on time course of symptoms and the presence of eliciting factors. When it lasts less than 6 weeks it is classified as acute urticaria (AU), and if the symptoms persist for more than 6 weeks, it is classified as chronic urticaria (CU). Current International Guidelines also classify CU as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and inducible urticarial, according to the absence or presence of environmental triggering factors. CSU is defined as urticaria and/or angioedema in which there is no evidence of a specific eliciting factor. CSU is associated with autoimmunity in 30-45% of the cases, sharing some immunological mechanisms with other autoimmune diseases, and is associated with autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) in about 4.3%-57.4% patients. Several studies suggest that adequate therapy with anti-thyroid drugs or levothyroxine in early stages of ATD and CSU, may help to remit the latter; but there is still a lack of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies that support this hypothesis in patients without abnormal thyroid hormone levels. The objective of this review is to describe the pathophysiology of chronic spontaneous urticaria and its association with autoimmune thyroid disease.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Allergic reactions to insect bites are a global problem, the true incidence and prevalence of morbidity from adverse reactions to mosquito bites are unknown. OBJECTIVE: To describe the adverse reactions to mosquito bites in school-age children of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was made via a randomized application of questionnaires to children from public elementary schools in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. RESULTS: A total of 11 public schools randomly selected were included in the study. One thousand questionnaires were submitted, of which 506 fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 55% were females. Seventy-six percent referred adverse reactions to mosquito bites, itching (75%) and rash (72%) being the most frequent ones, in the last 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse reactions to mosquito bites occur frequently. Early detection is important to establish a prompt treatment.
Subject(s)
Hypersensitivity , Insect Bites and Stings , Cross-Sectional Studies , Culicidae , Humans , Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Mexico/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Se estudiaron 104 pacientes (estudiantes de la Facultad Medicina de la UANL), con síntomas de rinitis alérgica perenne de los que sólo se seleccionaron 30; siete pacientes se trataron con loratadina 10 mg, ocho con loratadina 20 mg, 15 con terfenadina 120 mg por día durante 21 días. Tanto la loratadina a 20 mg como la terfenadina 120 mg demostraron una reducción estadisticamente significativa (P> 0.0005) en el control de síntomas. Dos pacientes informaron que tuvieron reacciones adversas con terfenadina, por lo que abandonaron el estudio. La terfenadina fue más eficaz que loratadina en la disminución de la reactividad cutánea
Subject(s)
Adult , Middle Aged , Humans , Loratadine/administration & dosage , Loratadine/pharmacology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/therapy , Terfenadine/administration & dosage , Terfenadine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Se estudiaron 104 pacientes con síntomas de rinitis alérgica perenne de los que se seleccionó a 30. siete se trataron con loratadina 10 mg, ocho con loratadina 20 mg, 15 con terfenadina 120 mg por día durante 21 días. Tanto loratadina 20 mg como terfenadina 120 mg demostraron una reducción estadísticamente significativa (P) en el control de los síntomas. Dos pacientes tuvieron reacciones adversas con terfenadina y abandonaron el estudio. La terfenadina fue más eficaz que la loratadina en la disminución de la reactividad cutánea