ABSTRACT
Atopy has been long used as the screening method for airway allergy. Nevertheless, aeroallergens can trigger respiratory symptoms not only in atopic patients (atopic respiratory allergy, ARA), but also in non-atopic subjects (local respiratory allergy, LRA). Moreover, ARA and LRA can coexist in the same patient, and this clinical scenario has been called dual respiratory allergy (DRA). When the clinical history cannot determine the relevance of sensitizations in ARA patients, nasal, conjunctival or bronchial allergen challenges (NAC, CAC, and BAC, respectively) should be conducted. Moreover, these tests are required to identify patients with LRA and DRA. The clarification of the allergic triggers of airway diseases has a profound impact on the management strategies the patients can be offered. Importantly, allergen immunotherapy (AIT) remains as the only disease-modifying intervention for ARA. Recent data indicate that AIT might have a similar effect on LRA patients. Nevertheless, AIT success relies largely on the correct phenotyping of allergic individuals, and NAC, CAC, and BAC are very helpful tools in this regard. In this review, we will summarize the main indications and methodology of CAC, NAC, and BAC. Importantly, the clinical implementation of these tests might translate into precision medicine approaches and better health outcomes for patients with airway allergy.
Subject(s)
Hypersensitivity, Immediate , Hypersensitivity , Humans , Allergens/adverse effects , Hypersensitivity/diagnosis , Hypersensitivity/therapy , Hypersensitivity/etiology , Desensitization, Immunologic/methods , Hypersensitivity, Immediate/etiologyABSTRACT
In immunocompromised patients, toxoplasmosis may have atypical presentation with bilateral, extensive or multifocal involvement. We report a case series of atypical toxoplasmic retinocoroiditis in patients with malignant hematological diseases who are usually immunosuppressed. Four patients were diagnosed of atypical toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis, all of them had immunosuppression (100%) and half of them (50%) had received a bone marrow transplant. The polymerase chain reaction for toxoplasma was positive in 75% of cases, and in one case (25%) the diagnosis was made with clinical and serological criteria. One patient presented ocular toxoplasmosis despite being on prophylactic treatment with atovaquone. Patients with atypical ocular toxoplasmosis and hematological diseases are generally immunocompromised, but they do not always have history of a bone marrow transplant. The presentation may be due to a primary infection or a reactivation of the disease. The aqueous humor and/or vitreous polymerase chain reaction allow confirming the diagnosis to perform a proper treatment.
ABSTRACT
Objetivo: Estudiar la eficacia y perfil de seguridad de la vitretomía diagnóstica en pacientes con uveítis no filiada. Métodos: Estudio observacional descriptivo retrospectivo de 29 pacientes (37 ojos) con panuveítis no filiada en los que se realizó vitrectomía diagnóstica. Las características clínicas y demográficas fueron recogidas. Se estudiaron los métodos de extracción de muestras y las técnicas de procesado aplicadas para el diagnóstico. Resultados: De los 29 pacientes analizados 18 (62%) eran hombres. La media de edad fue de 63,11 años (desviación estándar: 14,55). El síntoma inicial más frecuente fue la disminución de agudeza visual, la agudeza visual media fue de 20/40 excluyendo 8 ojos en los que resultó inferior a 20/200. Veintiún pacientes presentaban alteración unilateral. Se realizó extracción de muestra en seco a todos los pacientes. Además, fueron empleadas las siguientes técnicas de toma de muestras: 5 biopsias retinianas, 5 muestras diluidas, 1 aspirado de absceso subretiniano, 1 aspirado de humor acuoso. Con respecto al procesado de las muestras la técnica más utilizada fue la citología en 25 ojos, seguida de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en 11 ojos, el cultivo en 10 ojos. El diagnóstico etiológico fue encontrado en 94,5% de los casos, siendo el principal linfoma, seguido de toxoplasmosis. Conclusión: La vitrectomía diagnóstica es útil para la identificación de la inflamación oftalmológica. Pueden utilizarse diferentes técnicas de obtención de muestras y procesado de las mismas
Objective: To study the results and safety of diagnostic vitrectomy in patients with unknown etiology panuveitis. Methods: A retrospective descriptive observational study was carried out in which a total of 29 patients (37 eyes) were included, who underwent a vitreous biopsy due to acute intraocular inflammatory processes. In all, demographic and clinical data were collected. We studied the specific samples extraction methods and their diagnosic processing. Results: Of the 29 patients analyzed, 18 were men. Mean of age was 63.11 years old (standard deviation: 14.55). The most frequent initial symptom was visual acuity decrease, with mean initial visual acuity being 20/40, excluding 8 eyes that had vision lower than 20/200. 21 presented unilateral ocular involvement. Vitrectomy was performed in all of them obtaining a dry sample. Vitrectomy was performed in all of the patients obtaining a dry sample. Moreover, the following techniques were done: 5 retinal biopsies, obtaining 5 muestras diluidas, 1 subretinal abscess aspirate and 1 aqueous humor aspirate. The most frequent processing technique that was used was cytology in 25 eyes, followed by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in 11 eyes and culture in 10 eyes. Diagnosis was achieved in 94.5% of patients. Main diagnosis found was lymphoma, followed by toxoplasmosis. Conclusions: Diagnostic vitrectomy is very important in ophthalmic inflammation identification. Different techniques for obtaining and processing can be used
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Panuveitis/etiology , Vitrectomy/methods , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/administration & dosage , Amyloidosis/diagnosis , Aspergillosis/diagnosis , Candida albicans/isolation & purification , Candidiasis/diagnosis , Granuloma, Foreign-Body/diagnosis , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/diagnosis , Panuveitis/drug therapy , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Retrospective Studies , Specimen Handling/methods , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/diagnosis , Visual Acuity , Vitrectomy/adverse effects , Whipple Disease/diagnosisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the results and safety of diagnostic vitrectomy in patients with unknown etiology panuveitis. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive observational study was carried out in which a total of 29 patients (37 eyes) were included, who underwent a vitreous biopsy due to acute intraocular inflammatory processes. In all, demographic and clinical data were collected. We studied the specific samples extraction methods and their diagnosic processing. RESULTS: Of the 29 patients analyzed, 18 were men. Mean of age was 63.11 years old (standard deviation: 14.55). The most frequent initial symptom was visual acuity decrease, with mean initial visual acuity being 20/40, excluding 8 eyes that had vision lower than 20/200. 21 presented unilateral ocular involvement. Vitrectomy was performed in all of them obtaining a dry sample. Vitrectomy was performed in all of the patients obtaining a dry sample. Moreover, the following techniques were done: 5 retinal biopsies, obtaining 5 muestras diluidas, 1 subretinal abscess aspirate and 1 aqueous humor aspirate. The most frequent processing technique that was used was cytology in 25 eyes, followed by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) in 11 eyes and culture in 10 eyes. Diagnosis was achieved in 94.5% of patients. Main diagnosis found was lymphoma, followed by toxoplasmosis. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic vitrectomy is very important in ophthalmic inflammation identification. Different techniques for obtaining and processing can be used.
Subject(s)
Panuveitis/etiology , Vitrectomy/methods , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/administration & dosage , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Amyloidosis/diagnosis , Aspergillosis/diagnosis , Candida albicans/isolation & purification , Candidiasis/diagnosis , Female , Granuloma, Foreign-Body/diagnosis , Humans , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/diagnosis , Male , Middle Aged , Panuveitis/drug therapy , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Retrospective Studies , Specimen Handling/methods , Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/diagnosis , Visual Acuity , Vitrectomy/adverse effects , Whipple Disease/diagnosisSubject(s)
Macular Degeneration/chemically induced , Melanoma/drug therapy , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/adverse effects , Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/metabolism , Skin Neoplasms/drug therapy , Humans , Melanoma/pathology , Neoplasm Metastasis , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Skin Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
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