Seven Chinese patients with buckwheat allergy.

Buckwheat is an important crop in China and is also known as an important potent allergen in the population. Here, we report a series of 7 Chinese patients with buckwheat allergy, which has never been reported previously in China. Mean age was 20 years at diagnosis. Patients' symptoms were respiratory, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and anaphylactic. The routes of exposure were varied. Laboratory allergy test showed that buckwheat-specific IgE levels in all patients were remarkably elevated. Allergen avoidance was the best treatment in these cases. The data suggest that buckwheat can induce various clinical manifestations. Anaphylaxis might be characterized by severe symptoms. Buckwheat pillow is an important source of exposure to buckwheat in China and other Asian countries. Therefore, public education with effective avoidance measures should be an integral part of the management strategy.

Buckwheat allergy.

Buckwheat, which has been abundantly consumed in Asian countries and has been increasingly popular in the United States, Canada, and Europe, can be a potent allergen when ingested or inhaled. A case is reported of a 36-year-old man who experienced nausea, vomiting, urticaria, a sensation of throat closing, inability to speak, dyspnea, and dizziness shortly after ingesting a large portion of buckwheat that required emergency room treatment. In the previous 2 years he had experienced asthma, contact urticaria, allergic conjunctivitis, and allergic rhinitis from sleeping with a buckwheat pillow. Six months after the first ingestion reaction, the patient again experienced anaphylaxis requiring emergency treatment when he accidentally ate crackers with a small amount of buckwheat. Skin-prick testing showed a strong positive response to buckwheat, and a radioallergosorbent assay test was highly positive to buckwheat. It is possible that inhaled buckwheat provoking asthma sensitized the patient before his two episodes of ingestion anaphylaxis. Buckwheat is a potent allergen that can induce various clinical manifestations in the same individual.

Implementation of the SIDS guidelines in midwifery practice.

The literature suggests that midwives strongly influence parenting practices immediately after birth and during early postnatal management of the newborn. Midwives must therefore be aware of the current evidence and public health recommendations for reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and provide consistent information about use of the supine position. Midwives must also include information about environmental factors that are also known to increase the risk of SIDS such as exposure to cigarette smoke, covering the infant's face during sleep and other potential unsafe sleeping practices such as co-sleeping and bed sharing with their infant. The position midwives use to settle infants and place them for sleep is an important example for parents. The position favoured by midwives when placing a newborn to sleep will have a significant impact on parental practice after discharge home. A standardised evidenced based approach to the SIDS Guidelines immediately after birth will facilitate consistency in practice and uniformity in the message parents are given about safe sleeping practices for their newborn infant.

Three cases of childhood nocturnal asthma due to buckwheat allergy.

BACKGROUND: Buckwheat flour (BF) is known as a potent food allergen. Sensitization to it usually occurs by ingestion but also by inhalation in occupational or domestic exposure. Buckwheat chaff-stuffed pillows (BCP) can be contaminated with BF during the process of pilling, and many Korean children and adults use BCP for health reasons. METHODS AND RESULTS: We here present three cases of BF allergy in children using BCP, who had been treated as nonatopic asthmatics after undergoing the routine allergy skin tests and serologic tests. We took careful clinical histories, and performed skin prick tests (SPT), the radioimmunoassay (RIA) for specific IgE, the BCP-elimination test, the BF bronchial provocation test, and IgE Western blot. All three children showed positive skin reactions to BF, but none of them had positive reactions to house-dust mites. Nocturnal asthmatic symptoms were improved during 7 days of BCP elimination, and asthmatic responses were observed by bronchial provocation tests with homemade BF extract. Serum BF-specific IgE antibodies and several IgE-binding proteins were detected by RIA and Western blot analysis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, a small amount of BF attached to BCP can induce BF sensitization, and BCP should be considered a main cause of childhood nocturnal asthma in those asthmatics exposed to these pillows.