Anaphylaxis due to potato starch (possibly caused by percutaneous sensitization).

An 8-year-old boy with poor control of atopic dermatitis could eat potato products such as French fries without restrictions until 21 months of age. However, he developed generalized urticaria after eating potato products at the same age. Therefore, potatoes were excluded from his diet; nevertheless, he continued to consume a very small amount of potato starch but was without symptoms until the age of 8 years. At this age, he developed anaphylaxis after consuming potato starch and required administration of intramuscular epinephrine. He tested positive for potato-specific immunoglobulin E, skin prick test, and basophil activation test. He developed severe eczema with dry skin and erosion. We later discovered that potato starch had been used for play clay at his nursery school. Although he discontinued using potato starch play clay, it remained present in his surroundings for 6 years. His potato allergy may have developed and continued to worsen as a result of making indirect contact with surfaces that had previously been exposed to the allergen. Two-dimensional Western blot analysis on potato starch revealed the presence of proteins binding to the immunoglobulin E of the patient. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis findings showed that 5 of the 6 protein bands had a similar molecular weight as that of potato proteins. Thus far, there are no reports of anaphylaxis due to potato starch. Children with atopic dermatitis or damaged skin may have sensitivity to potato starch and could develop anaphylaxis as noted in this case.

Development of a prediction model of severe reaction in boiled egg challenges.

BACKGROUND: We have proposed a new scoring system (Anaphylaxis SCoring Aichi: ASCA) for a quantitative evaluation of the anaphylactic reaction that is observed in an oral food challenge (OFC). Furthermore, the TS/Pro (Total Score of ASCA/cumulative protein dose) can be a marker to represent the overall severity of a food allergy. We aimed to develop a prediction model for a severe allergic reaction that is provoked in a boiled egg white challenge. METHODS: We used two separate datasets to develop and validate the prediction model, respectively. The development dataset included 198 OFCs, that tested positive. The validation dataset prospectively included 140 consecutive OFCs, irrespective of the result. A 'severe reaction' was defined as a TS/Pro higher than 31 (the median score of the development dataset). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with a severe reaction and develop the prediction model. RESULTS: The following four factors were independently associated with a severe reaction: ovomucoid specific IgE class (OM-sIgE: 0-6), aged 5 years or over, a complete avoidance of egg, and a total IgE < 1000 IU/mL. Based on these factors, we made a simple scoring prediction model. The model showed good discrimination in a receiver operating characteristic analysis; area under the curve (AUC) = 0.84 in development dataset, AUC = 0.85 in validation dataset. The prediction model significantly improved the AUC in both datasets compared to OM-sIgE alone. CONCLUSIONS: This simple scoring prediction model was useful for avoiding risky OFC.

The relationship between the season of birth and early-onset food allergies in children.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the relationship between the season of birth (SoB) and other factors with the development of FA. METHODS: A multicenter, cross-sectional pilot study recruited 1197 patients with FA. The main study recruited 440 incident cases (FA group) definitively diagnosed as FA at 0-1 year of age. In both studies, the frequency of autumn-winter births (AWBs) in FA patients was compared to the regional control population. In the main study, we analyzed the differences in the SoB and other factors between patients in the FA group and those in the non-FA group (n = 332) in allergy clinics. RESULTS: The pilot study showed that the frequency of AWB (57.6%) in the FA patients was significantly higher than that of the regional control population (50.4%, OR, 1.34; p < 0.001). The main study also showed the dominance of AWB (62.7%) in the FA group in comparison with that in the regional control population (50.2%, OR, 1.70; p < 0.001). Preterm birth (OR, 0.43; p = 0.027) and the presence of two or more elder siblings (OR, 0.27; p = 0.012) were significantly associated with a lower frequency of FA than those of non-FA. AWB (RR, 1.21; p = 0.020) and preterm birth (RR, 0.55; p = 0.017) were significantly associated with a number of trigger foods. The SoB effect was observed in FA patients irrespective of the presence of infantile eczema. CONCLUSIONS: AWB was predominant in the patients with newly diagnosed food allergies.

Sun exposure inversely related to food sensitization during infancy.

BACKGROUND: Autumn and winter birth (AWB) has been reported to be a risk factor for the development of food allergies. However, the association between seasonal factors and allergic sensitization during early infancy remains unclear. METHODS: We collected data from 732 patients regarding the total and specific immunoglobulin E (tIgE, sIgE) levels in infants younger than 6 months old from November 2001 to October 2012 from the institutional clinical database system. We then analyzed the relationship between the birth month and the value of each parameter. Furthermore, we identified any correlations between the number of sensitized patients and the monthly climatological parameters. RESULTS: The number of tIgE samples obtained from AWB patients (n = 482) was 2.1 times higher than that from patients born in the spring and summer (SSB, n = 225). The number of sIgE samples to egg white, cow's milk, and wheat, the sensitized ratio and the median sIgE titer were also all higher in AWB. The number of sensitized AWB patients to these allergens was 2.75, 3.05, and 3.97 times higher, respectively. A periodic change in the number of sensitized patients was observed annually (highest in October-November and lowest in May). Among the climatological parameters examined, the average solar radiation during the 3-month period after birth showed the strongest negative correlation with the number of sensitized patients (egg white: r = -0.976, cow's milk: r = -0.969, wheat: r = -0.975). CONCLUSIONS: The amount of solar radiation immediately after birth had a strong negative correlation with allergen sensitization before 6 months of age.

A workshop with practical training for anaphylaxis management improves the self-efficacy of school personnel.

BACKGROUND: School personnel are required to guarantee a secure school environment for children suffering from severe food allergies. We organized a workshop for school personnel to learn the appropriate management of anaphylaxis that included practical training with an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI). The objective of this study was to evaluate the workshop in terms of the improvement of self-efficacy (SE) of participants to deal with anaphylaxis. METHODS: All 93 school nurses, 73 schoolteachers and 110 childcare workers participating in the study completed a questionnaire before and after the workshop. The SE of the participants was evaluated using an original 15-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Before the workshop, the SE of school nurses was the highest among the profession groups, and being involved with children prescribed an AAI was a common factor associated with a high SE. After the workshop, the SE increased in all groups, but most apparently in school nurses and those involved with children prescribed an AAI. The presence of an emergency plan was positively associated with the SE of schoolteachers only after the workshop, even though no such association existed beforehand. CONCLUSIONS: Practical instruction of school nurses and school personnel involved with children prescribed an AAI resulted in dramatic improvement of the SE. These people are expected to play a central role in the development of an anaphylaxis management plan in their schools.