Effectiveness and safety of a glutaraldehyde-modified, L-tyrosine-adsorbed and monophosphoryl lipid A-Adjuvanted allergen immunotherapy in patients with allergic asthma sensitized to olive pollen: A retrospective, controlled real-world study.

BACKGROUND: Allergy to olive pollen is one of the primary causes of allergic asthma in Spain. Even though allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has shown clinical benefits in patients sensitized to different allergens, studies in asthmatic patients sensitized to olive pollen are insufficient. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of an ultra-short course of AIT with an L-tyrosine-adsorbed and monophosphoryl lipid A-adjuvanted olive pollen and olive/grass pollen extract (Pollinex Quattro®) in patients with allergic asthma in the real-world setting. METHODS: Retrospective, controlled study including patients with asthma, with and without allergic rhinitis, caused by sensitization to olive pollen from 11 centers in Spain. Patients received out-of-season (October-March) treatment with AIT in addition to their pharmacological treatment (active group) or pharmacological treatment (control group). Effectiveness variables, including unscheduled visits to the healthcare center, emergency room admissions, symptoms of asthma and rhinitis (following GEMA and ARIA classifications, respectively), and use of medication to treat asthma and rhinitis during the subsequent pollen season were compared between treatment groups. RESULTS: Of 131 study patients, 42 were treated with their usual asthma medication (control group) and 89 were treated with AIT (active group), either Pollinex Quattro® 100% olive pollen (n = 43, 48.3%) or 50% olive pollen/50% grass pollen (n = 46, 51.7%). Patients' demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between groups. The mean (SD) number of unscheduled visits to a healthcare center and emergency room admissions due to allergy symptoms was 2.19 (1.40) and 0.43 (0.63) in the control group, and 1.09 (1.25) and 0.11 (0.51) in the active group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Severity and control of asthma symptoms remained unchanged (P = 0.347 and P = 0.179, respectively), rhinitis type improved (P = 0.025), and severity remained unchanged in the active compared to the control group. The use of short-acting beta-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma symptoms decreased in the active vs. the control group (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031, respectively). Twelve (13.5%) and two (2.2%) patients in the active group experienced local adverse reactions (edema, swelling, erythema, hives, pruritus, and heat), and systemic adverse reactions (hypertensive crisis and low-grade fever) to AIT, respectively; none was serious. CONCLUSION: AIT with Pollinex Quattro® specific for olive pollen and olive/grass pollens resulted in reduced visits to the healthcare center and emergency room and the use of asthma medication during the pollen season, indicating that this treatment was safe and effective in treating asthma in patients sensitized to these pollens.

Profilin is a marker of severity in allergic respiratory diseases.

BACKGROUND: The capacity of profilin to induce allergic symptoms in patients with respiratory allergy has been questioned. In this sense, the aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between profilin exposure and induction of symptoms in a prospective case-control study. METHODS: The concentration of profilin as well as pollen levels in the air was measured. A diary score of symptoms was collected from allergic patients. Seventy-nine individuals were included in the study; fifty cases and 28 controls were positive or negative to profilin, respectively. Conjunctival and bronchial provocation tests were performed with purified profilin (Pho d 2) in a subgroup of cases and controls. RESULTS: Profilin was detected in the environment on 133 days (maximum peak of 0.56 ng/m3 ). A positive correlation between profilin and pollen count of Olea and Poaceae was observed (ρ = 0.24; P < .001). Intensity of total, nasal and ocular symptoms was statistically higher in cases than in controls (P < .001). The risk of suffering symptoms, measured by the percentage of patients who presented any of the symptoms each day, was also higher in cases than in controls. The provocation test was positive in 95% of bronchial and 90% of conjunctival challenges in cases, and negative in all controls. CONCLUSIONS: Profilin was detected in the environment and had the ability to induce a specific allergen response. Patients sensitized to this panallergen showed more symptoms and were more likely to have symptoms. Therefore, sensitization to profilin seems to be a marker of severity in patients with rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma mediated by pollen.

Meningitis por enterovirus en niños menores de 3 meses / Enteroviral meningitis in infants under 3 months

No disponible

[Cereal-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis]. / Anafilaxia dependiente de cereales inducida por ejercicio.

Wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) is increasing. In vitro test such as omega-5-gliadin levels are useful in the diagnosis, while oral single blind challenge tests (OCT) with wheat plus exercise continuous being the gold standard diagnostic method. This paper reports the case of a 38-year-old woman, with several episodes of anaphylaxis after eating different foods and doing exercise after ingestion. An allergy study was performed with positive skin prick tests for wheat, barley and rye. Total IgE 238.0KU/L, positive specific IgE (>100KU/L) to wheat, barley and rye, and negative to rTri-a-19 omega-5 gliadin. OCT with bread and exercise was positive. In this case of wheat-dependent exerciseinduced anaphylaxis (WDEIA) with negative serum specific IgE to omega-5-gliadin, negative results with gamma, alpha, bheta y omega-gliadin doesn't exclude the diagnosis of WDEIA.

La anafilaxia inducida por ejercicio dependiente de trigo (WDEIA por sus siglas en inglés de wheat-dependent-exercise-induced-anaphylaxis) es una entidad cada vez más frecuente. La detección de IgE frente a omega-5-gliadina in vitro se usa como método diagnóstico, pero la provocación oral controlada simple ciego (POC) con el alimento, junto con la realización de ejercicio físico, es el método diagnóstico patrón de referencia. Se comunica el caso de una paciente de 38 años de edad, con antecedente de episodios de anafilaxia relacionados con la ingestión de alimentos y la realización de actividad física. Se realizó un estudio alergológico. Las pruebas cutáneas fueron positivas a harina de trigo, cebada y centeno. IgE total: 238.0 kU/L, IgE específica positiva (mayor de 100 kU/L) a trigo, cebada, centeno y negativa a rTri-a-19omega-5 gliadina. La provocación oral controlada con pan de trigo y ejercicio físico fue positiva. En este caso con anafilaxia inducida por ejercicio dependiente de trigo sin sensibilización omega-5 gliadina la ausencia de IgE frente gamma, alfa, beta yomega-gliadina no excluiría el diagnóstico de esta enfermedad.