Sensitization to storage proteins in peanut and hazelnut is associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers in asthma.

BACKGROUND: Sensitization to peanuts and hazelnuts is common among young asthmatics and can be primary or a result of cross-reactivity. Sensitization as a result of cross-reactivity to birch pollen is typically associated to tolerance or mild and local symptoms upon intake of peanut or hazelnut. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between IgE antibody responses against peanut and hazelnut components, airway and systemic inflammation markers, lung function parameters and reported food hypersensitivity in a cohort of asthmatic children and young adults. METHODS: A population of 408 asthmatic individuals aged 10-35 years were investigated. Information on hypersensitivity symptoms upon intake of peanut or hazelnut were recorded in a standardized questionnaire. Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), blood eosinophil count (B-Eos), spirometry, methacholine challenge outcome and IgE antibodies to peanut and hazelnut allergens were measured by standard clinical and laboratory methods. RESULTS: Subjects sensitized to any of the peanut (Ara h 1, 2 or 3) or hazelnut (Cor a 9 or 14) storage proteins were significantly younger (17.6 vs 21.2 years), had higher levels of FeNO (23.2 vs 16.7 ppb) and B-Eos (340 vs 170 cells/mcl) than those displaying only pollen-related cross-reactive sensitization. Levels of FeNO correlated with levels of IgE to storage proteins in children, but not in adults. Levels of B-Eos correlated with levels of IgE to all allergen components investigated in children, but only to levels of IgE to storage proteins in adults. Anaphylaxis and skin reactions upon intake of peanuts or hazelnuts were more often reported among subjects sensitized to the respective storage proteins than among those with only pollen-related cross-reactive sensitization. As compared to peanut, hazelnut was more often reported to cause gastrointestinal symptoms and less often oral cavity symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitization to peanut and hazelnut storage proteins was associated with higher levels of inflammation markers and food hypersensitivity symptoms in this population of subjects with asthma.

Different baseline characteristics are associated with incident wheeze in female and male adolescents.

AIM: To investigate the independent relationships between baseline characteristics and incident wheeze in adolescents, with particular regard to gender. METHODS: Adolescents (N = 959), aged 12-15 years, answered a standardised respiratory questionnaire and underwent height and weight measurements at baseline. Four years later, 96% of the subjects completed a similar questionnaire. The present study included the adolescents without self-reported wheeze at baseline (n = 795; 394 girls). RESULTS: The proportion of adolescents with obesity was higher among subjects with incident wheeze than among subjects who never reported wheeze: 19.1% vs 8.3%. When stratifying for gender, this difference was only found in girls. In stepwise logistic regression models (odds ratios [95% confidence interval]), obesity (2.84 [1.17-6.86]) and rhinitis (3.04 [1.53-6.03]) at baseline and current smoking (2.60 [1.16-5.82]) at follow-up were associated with incident wheeze in girls. For boys, FEV1 <-1.65 standard deviation (3.20 [1.04-9.79]), family asthma (3.16 [1.46-6.86]) and seasonal allergic symptoms (5.61 [2.56-12.27]) at baseline were independently associated with incident wheeze. CONCLUSION: Data stratified by gender showed that obesity in girls and an atopic constitution in boys were independently associated with increased risk of developing wheeze within four years.

Concurrence of elevated FeNO and airway hyperresponsiveness in nonasthmatic adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate airway responsiveness and eosinophil and neutrophil inflammatory markers in clinically confirmed nonasthmatic adolescents with elevated fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a marker of type-2 inflammation in the airways. METHODOLOGY: A total of 959 subjects from a general population, aged 12 to 15 years, answered a standardised questionnaire and underwent FeNO measurements at a screening visit at school. Adolescents without asthma, who had elevated FeNO (FeNO100 > 15 ppb) (n = 19), and control subjects, with low FeNO (FeNO100 < 5 ppb) and without reported symptoms of asthma or allergy (n = 28), participated in a follow-up study where FeNO50 , airway responsiveness to methacholine (PD20 ), blood eosinophil counts, and serum neutrophil lipocalin (HNL) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels were measured. Questionnaire follow-ups were performed 4 and 16 years later. RESULTS: Airway responsiveness (PD20 : 6.94 [1.87, 11.39] vs 11.42 [6.33, 59.4] µmol; P < .05) and blood eosinophil counts (0.31 [0.20, 0.44] vs 0.13 [0.1, 0.22] 109 /L; P < .001) (geometric mean [95% CI]) were higher among cases than controls. A significant correlation between blood eosinophils and FeNO was found (rho = 0.41; P = .005). In contrast, serum HNL and MPO were lower in cases than controls (P < .05 both), and there was a negative correlation between HNL and FeNO (r = -0.31; P = .04). At both follow-ups, a higher proportion of subjects reported allergic symptoms compared with baseline (P = .02, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated FeNO in nonasthmatic adolescents was associated with airway hyperresponsiveness, elevated blood eosinophil counts, and lower systemic activation of neutrophils.

Differences in laryngeal movements during exercise in healthy and dyspnoeic adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To compare glottic and supraglottic movements in healthy adolescents and adolescents experiencing dyspnoea during strenuous exercise. METHODS: Using the continuous laryngoscopy exercise (CLE)-test laryngeal movements during exercise were analysed in healthy controls (n = 28) and compared to subjects with exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) (n = 10), exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) (n = 10) and subjects experiencing exercise-induced dyspnoea without having any of these diagnoses (n = 31). Images from the video recordings were assessed regarding glottic angle, glottic area and supraglottic area using the software measuring tool EILOMEA. RESULTS: No significant differences were detected between controls, the dyspnoea group without a diagnosis of EIB or EILO and the EIB group regarding glottis angle, glottis area or supraglottic area at maximum effort. All three parameters differed significantly in the EILO group compared to the other groups (p=<0.001). In the group with EILO all but one had supraglottic obstruction (corresponding to a CLE-test score ≥2). Movement of the laryngeal structures, corresponding to a CLE-test score of 1, at glottic and/or supraglottic level was seen in 26 of 35 (74%) of controls, 34 out of 41 (83%) of patients in the dyspnoea group, and in 25 of 38 (66%) of EIB-subjects. CONCLUSION: Minor movements at both glottic and supraglottic level are equally common in healthy controls as among adolescents with exercise induced dyspnoea without EIB or EILO and adolescents with EIB. Adolescents with EILO had a statistically significant more pronounced supraglottic obstruction than the other groups.

High levels of physical activity are associated with poorer asthma control in young females but not in males.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Earlier studies on the levels of physical activity in asthma patients compared with controls have yielded varying results. We have previously reported that high versus moderate levels of physical activity were associated with higher prevalence of wheezing, especially in females. Here we studied the levels of physical activity in young patients with asthma and healthy subjects and their effect on asthma control. METHODS: Four hundred eight physician-diagnosed patients with asthma and 118 controls (10-34 years) answered questions concerning frequency and/or duration of physical activity and undertook the Asthma Control Test (ACT), spirometry, methacholine challenges and exhaled nitric oxide measurements. RESULTS: Asthma patients were more frequently physically active (P = 0.01) and for longer durations (P = 0.002) than controls. Highly versus moderately physically active patients with asthma had a higher prevalence of not well-controlled asthma (ACT < 20) when physical activity was assessed by frequency (40.6% vs 24.1%, P = 0.001) or duration (39.0% vs 21.7%, P < 0.001). This was only seen in females who had reduced ACT items (P < 0.05). Frequently versus moderately active females had an odds ratio of 4.81 (2.43, 9.51) to have ACT < 20, while no such effect was found in males (OR 1.18 (0.61, 2.30)) and this interaction was statistically significantly associated with gender (P = 0.003). No differences in fraction of exhaled nitric oxide or methacholine reactivity were found between moderately and highly physically active females with asthma. CONCLUSION: Young asthma patients were more active than controls. High levels of physical activity were associated with poor asthma control as judged by the ACT in females, but not in males, and this appears unrelated to airway inflammation or responsiveness.

New method for single-breath fraction of exhaled nitric oxide measurement with improved feasibility in preschool children with asthma.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory societies recommend use of standardized methodologies for fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements in adults and children, but in preschoolers, feasibility remains a problem. The exhalation time needed to obtain steady-state FeNO is unclear. Our primary aim was to study the feasibility of an adapted single-breath FeNO method with age-adjusted exhalation times. We also studied the association between time to steady-state NO level and height, as well as FeNO in relation to asthma and current treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). METHODS: Sixty-three children aged 3-10 years performed FeNO measurements with a hand-held electrochemical device with a newly developed flow-control unit. Exhalation times were pre-adapted to age. Exhaled air was simultaneously sampled to a chemiluminescence analyzer to measure time to steady-state NO level. RESULTS: Eighty-one percent of the children achieved at least one approved measurement. From 4 years upwards, success rate was high (96%). Time to steady-state [NO] (median and interquartile range) was 2.5 s (2.4-3.5) at the age of 3-4 years and 3.5 s (2.7-3.8) at the age of 5-6 years. Height was associated with time to steady state (r(2) = 0.13, p = 0.02). FeNO (geometric mean [95% CI]) was higher in ICS-naïve asthmatic children (n = 19): 15.9 p.p.b. (12.2-20.9), than in both healthy controls (n = 8) 9.1 p.p.b. (6.6-12.4) and asthmatic subjects on treatment (n = 24) 11.5 p.p.b. (9.7-13.6). CONCLUSION: We found this adapted single-breath method with age-adjusted exhalation times highly feasible for children aged 4-10 years. ICS-naïve asthmatic children had FeNO levels under the current guideline cutoff level (20 p.p.b.), highlighting the importance of taking age into account when setting reference values.

Surgical treatment is effective in severe cases of exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction: A follow-up study.

CONCLUSIONS: Surgery is an effective treatment in severe cases of supraglottic exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (E-ILO). Conservatively treated subjects and subjects tested negative for E-ILO, who still experience breathing problems 1-3 years after diagnosis, tend to adjust their physical activity to a greater extent than surgically treated subjects. OBJECTIVE: To investigate how symptoms and level of physical activity change over time in patients with E-ILO who have undergone surgery, patients with E-ILO treated conservatively and patients who tested negative for laryngeal obstruction at continuous laryngoscopy exercise-test (CLE-test). METHODS: Patients referred for exercise-induced breathing difficulties answered questionnaires at diagnostic CLE-test and at follow-up. Questions regarded exercise-induced breathing problems, current physical activity level, and medical history of asthma and perennial allergy. RESULTS: Out of 84 invited subjects, 59 (70%) answered both questionnaires. Surgically treated subjects had less breathing problems at follow-up compared with conservatively treated subjects and subjects who tested negative (p < 0.001). None of the surgically treated subjects were less physically active or had changed sport due to exercise-induced dyspnoea, whereas 41.7% of the conservatively treated subjects had made such adjustments (p < 0.001).

Perceived food hypersensitivity relates to poor asthma control and quality of life in young non-atopic asthmatics.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between perceived food hypersensitivity in asthmatics, food allergen sensitization, asthma control and asthma-related quality of life has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to study the prevalence of perceived food hypersensitivity in a cohort of young asthmatics, its relation to food allergen sensitization, and any correlation to asthma control and asthma-related quality of life. METHODS: Perceived food hypersensitivity, as well as IgE sensitization to common food allergens, levels of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and blood eosinophil counts (B-Eos) were assessed in 408 subjects (211 women) with asthma, aged (mean ± SEM) 20.4 ± 0.3 years. Subjects filled out the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini-AQLQ). Inflammation was assessed by means of FeNO and B-Eos. RESULTS: Fifty-three per cent of subjects reported food hypersensitivity. A corresponding food allergen sensitization was found in 68% of these subjects. Non-atopic subjects with perceived food hypersensitivity (n = 31) had lower ACT (19 (15 - 22) vs. 21 (20 - 23), p < 0.001) and Mini-AQLQ -scores (5.3 (4.3 - 6.1) vs. 6.1 (5.5 - 6.5), p < 0.001) than subjects with no food hypersensitivity (n = 190), despite lower levels of FeNO and B-Eos (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Food hypersensitivity was commonly reported among young asthmatics. In a majority of cases, a corresponding food allergen sensitization was found. A novel and clinically important finding was that non-atopic subjects with perceived food hypersensitivity were characterized by poorer asthma control and asthma-related quality of life.

Prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction in a general adolescent population.

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced respiratory symptoms are common among adolescents. Exercise is a known stimulus for transient narrowing of the airways, such as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO). Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of EIB and EILO in a general population of adolescents. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire on exercise-induced dyspnoea was sent to all adolescents born in 1997 and 1998 in Uppsala, Sweden (n=3838). A random subsample of 146 adolescents (99 with self-reported exercise-induced dyspnoea and 47 without this condition) underwent standardised treadmill exercise tests for EIB and EILO. The exercise test for EIB was performed while breathing dry air; a positive test was defined as a decrease of ≥10% in FEV1 from baseline. EILO was investigated using continuous laryngoscopy during exercise. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of EIB and EILO in the total population was 19.2% and 5.7%, respectively. No gender differences were found. In adolescents with exercise-induced dyspnoea, 39.8% had EIB, 6% had EILO and 4.8% had both conditions. In this group, significantly more boys than girls had neither EIB nor EILO (64.7% vs 38.8%; p=0.026). There were no significant differences in body mass index, lung function, diagnosed asthma or medication between the participants with exercise-induced dyspnoea who had or did not have a positive EIB or EILO test result. CONCLUSIONS: Both EIB and EILO are common causes of exercise-induced dyspnoea in adolescents. EILO is equally common among girls and boys and can coexist with EIB.

Successful management of severe cow's milk allergy with omalizumab treatment and CD-sens monitoring.

Food allergy is common in children and young adults and may be difficult to diagnose and is at present treated with avoidance of the food in question. The aim of this report is to share our clinical experiences monitoring omalizumab treatment by basophil allergen threshold sensitivity, CD-sens. Five children, 6-16 years of age, with a severe milk allergy including episodes of anaphylaxis and IgE-antibodies, between 30 and 160 kUA/L to casein and alpha-lactalbumin (milk proteins), were treated with omalizumab. CD-sens, was tested prior to and after 4 months of omalizumab and if turned negative, it was followed by an oral milk challenge. All children became negative in CD-sens and had a negative milk challenge, but one child required doubling of the omalizumab dose to achieve a negative CD-sens before a challenge was done. Omalizumab appears useful in treatment of severe food allergy, e.g., anaphylaxis to milk, and CD-sens monitoring may decide when and how to perform a food challenge.

Ten-year review reveals changing trends and severity of allergic reactions to nuts and other foods.

AIM: Over the past few decades, the incidence of food allergies has risen and Sweden has increased its import of peanuts and exotic nuts, such as cashew nuts, which may cause severe allergic reactions. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate paediatric emergency visits due to food reactions over a 10-year period, focusing on reactions to peanuts and tree nuts. METHODS: Emergency visits to Uppsala University Children's Hospital, Sweden, between September 2001 and December 2010, were reviewed, and cases containing diagnostic codes for anaphylaxis, allergic reactions or allergy and hypersensitivity not caused by drugs or biological substances were retrieved. RESULTS: We analysed 703 emergency visits made by 578 individuals with food allergies. Peanuts and tree nuts accounted for 50% of the food allergies and were more frequently associated with adrenaline treatment and hospitalisation than other foods. Cashew nut reactions increased over the study period, and together with peanuts, they were responsible for more anaphylactic reactions than hazelnuts. CONCLUSION: Peanut and tree nut reactions were more likely to result in adrenaline treatment and hospitalisation than other food reactions. Peanut and cashew nut reactions were more likely to cause anaphylaxis than hazelnuts. Cashew nut reactions increased during the study period.

Infant wheeze, comorbidities and school age asthma.

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with early onset of wheeze have been described, but there is limited knowledge on which of these infant wheezers who will have developed asthma in school age. The aim was to identify clinical risk factors for asthma in the 8-yr-old children that wheezed during infancy in a population-based setting. METHODS: Three thousand two hundred and fifty-one children from a population-based birth cohort followed prospectively from infancy until age 8 yr were included in the study. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Parents reported any wheeze episode before age 2 yr in 823 subjects (25%). Infant wheezers had an almost fourfold risk of asthma at age 8 [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.68, 95% CI 2.74-4.96], equivalent to an asthma prevalence of 14% compared with 4% among non-wheezers (p < 0.001). After adjustments for sex, exposure to tobacco smoke and indoor dampness/mould, allergic heredity (aOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.02-2.30), increased frequency of wheeze (aOR 3.41, 95% CI 2.09-5.56 for children with ≥3 episodes compared with ≤2 episodes during the first 2 yr of life), infant eczema (aOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.52-3.49), and recurrent abdominal pain (aOR 2.33, 95% CI 1.30-4.16) remained risk factors for school age asthma in the infant wheezing group. CONCLUSIONS: Among infant wheezers, allergic heredity, increased severity of wheeze, infant eczema, and recurrent abdominal pain were independent risk factors for asthma at age 8 yr. Among children with three or four of these risk factors, 38% had asthma at school age.

Placental transfer of maternally-derived IgA precludes the use of guthrie card eluates as a screening tool for primary immunodeficiency diseases.

There is a need for neonatal screening tools to improve the long-term clinical outcome of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Recently, a PCR-based screening method for both TRECs and KRECs using Guthrie card samples has been developed. However, the applicability of these excision circle assays is limited to patients with severe T or B cell lymphopenia (SCID, XLA and A-T), whereas the most common forms of PID are not detected. Absence of serum IgA is seen in a major fraction of patients with immunological defects. As serum IgA in newborns is considered to be of fetal origin, eluates from routinely collected dried blood spot samples might thus be suitable for identification of children with PID. To assess the applicability of such screening assays, stored Guthrie card samples were obtained from 47 patients with various forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (SCID, XLA, A-T, HIGM and IgAD), 20 individuals with normal serum IgA levels born to IgA-deficient mothers and 51 matched healthy newborns. Surprisingly, normal serum IgA levels were found in all SCID, XLA, A-T and HIGM patients and, additionally, in all those IgAD patients born to IgA-sufficient mothers. Conversely, no serum IgA was found in any of the 16 IgAD patients born by IgA-deficient mothers. Moreover, half of the IgA-sufficient individuals born by IgA-deficient mothers also lacked IgA at birth whereas no IgA-deficient individuals were found among the controls. IgA in neonatal dried blood samples thus appears to be of both maternal and fetal origin and precludes its use as a reliable marker for neonatal screening of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

The fraction of NO in exhaled air and estimates of alveolar NO in adolescents with asthma: methodological aspects.

RATIONALE: This study investigated the oral contribution to exhaled NO in young people with asthma and its potential effects on estimated alveolar NO (Calv(NO) ), a proposed marker of inflammation in peripheral airways. Secondary aims were to investigate the effects of various exhalation flow-rates and the feasibility of different proposed adjustments of (Calv(NO) ) for trumpet model and axial diffusion (TMAD). METHODS: Exhaled NO at flow rates of 50-300 ml/sec, and salivary nitrite was measured before and after antibacterial mouthwash in 29 healthy young people (10-20 years) and 29 with asthma (10-19 years). Calv(NO) was calculated using the slope-intercept model with and without TMAD adjustment. RESULTS: Exhaled NO at 50 ml/sec decreased significantly after mouthwash, to a similar degree in asthmatic and healthy subjects (8.8% vs. 9.8%, P = 0.49). The two groups had similar salivary nitrite levels (56.4 vs. 78.4 µM, P = 0.25). Calv(NO) was not significantly decreased by mouthwash. Calv(NO) levels were similar when flow-rates between 50-200 or 100-300 ml/sec were used (P = 0.34 in asthmatics and P = 0.90 in healthy subjects). A positive association was found between bronchial and alveolar NO in asthmatic subjects and this disappeared after the TMAD-adjustment. Negative TMAD-adjusted Calv(NO) values were found in a minority of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Young people with and without asthma have similar salivary nitrite levels and oral contributions to exhaled NO and therefore no antibacterial mouthwash is necessary in routine use. TMAD corrections of alveolar NO could be successfully applied in young people with asthma and yielded negative results only in a minority of subjects.

Basal and induced NO formation in the pharyngo-oral tract influences estimates of alveolar NO levels.

The present study analyzed how models currently used to distinguish alveolar from bronchial contribution to exhaled nitric oxide (NO) are affected by manipulation of NO formation in the pharyngo-oral tract. Exhaled NO was measured at multiple flow rates in 15 healthy subjects in two experiments: 1) measurements at baseline and 5 min after chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwash and 2) measurements at baseline, 60 min after ingestion of 10 mg NaNO(3)/kg body wt, and 5 min after CHX mouthwash. Alveolar NO concentration (Calv(NO)) and bronchial flux (J'aw(NO)) were calculated by using the slope-intercept model with or without adjustment for trumpet shape of airways and axial diffusion (TMAD). Salivary nitrate and nitrite were measured in the second experiment. Calv(NO) [median (range)] was reduced from 1.16 ppb (0.77, 1.96) at baseline to 0.84 ppb (0.57, 1.48) 5 min after CHX mouthwash (P < 0.001). The TMAD-adjusted Calv(NO) value after CHX mouthwash was 0.50 ppb (0, 0.85). The nitrate load increased J'aw(NO) from 32.2 nl/min (12.2, 60.3) to 57.1 nl/min (22.0, 119) in all subjects and Calv(NO) from 1.47 ppb (0.73, 1.95) to 1.87 ppb (10.85, 7.20) in subjects with high nitrate turnover (>10-fold increase of salivary nitrite after nitrate load). CHX mouthwash reduced Calv(NO) levels to 1.15 ppb (0.72, 2.07) in these subjects with high nitrate turnover. All these results remained consistent after TMAD adjustment. We conclude that estimated alveolar NO concentration is affected by pharyngo-oral tract production of NO in healthy subjects, with a decrease after CHX mouthwash. Moreover, unknown ingestion of dietary nitrate could significantly increase estimated alveolar NO in subjects with high nitrate turnover, and this might be falsely interpreted as a sign of peripheral inflammation. These findings were robust for TMAD.

Oral bacteria--the missing link to ambiguous findings of exhaled nitrogen oxides in cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Nitrite in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has been shown to be elevated in cystic fibrosis (CF), while exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is paradoxically low. This has been argued to reflect increased metabolism of NO while its diffusion is obstructed by mucus. However, we wanted to study the possible influence of salivary nitrite and bacterial nitrate reduction on these parameters in CF patients by the intervention of an anti-bacterial mouthwash. METHODS: EBC and saliva were collected from 15 CF patients (10-43 years) and 15 controls (9-44 years) before and 5 min after a 30s chlorhexidine mouthwash, in parallel with measurements of FENO. Nitrite and nitrate concentrations were measured fluorometrically. RESULTS: EBC nitrite, but not nitrate, was significantly higher in the CF patients (median 3.6 vs 1.3 microM in controls, p<0.05) and decreased after mouthwash in both groups (3.6-1.4 microM, p<0.01; 1.3-0.5 microM, p<0.01). Salivary nitrite correlated significantly to EBC nitrite (r=0.60, p<0.001) and decreased correspondingly after chlorhexidine, whereas salivary nitrate increased. FENO was lower in CF and the difference between patients and controls was accentuated after mouthwash (5.4 vs 8.4 ppb in controls, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: EBC nitrite mainly originates in the pharyngo-oral tract and its increase in CF is possibly explained by a regional change in bacterial activity. The limited lower airway contribution supports the view of a genuinely impaired formation and metabolism of NO in CF, rather than poor diffusion of the molecule.

Allergy Diagnosis in Children and Adults: Performance of a New Point-of-Care Device, ImmunoCAP Rapid.

BACKGROUND: : Allergy is a serious problem affecting approximately 1 of 4 individuals. The symptoms with and without allergy etiology are often difficult to distinguish from each other without using an IgE antibody test. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a new point-of-care (POC) test for IgE antibodies to relevant allergens in Europe. METHODS: : IgE antibodies from children and adults with allergies recruited from allergy clinics in Sweden and Spain were analyzed for 10 allergens, suitable for the age groups, using the new POC test and ImmunoCAP laboratory test. The IgE antibody level best discriminating between positive and negative results (the cutoff point) for the different allergens of the POC test and the efficacy of the POC and the ImmunoCAP laboratory tests for diagnosing allergy compared with that of clinical diagnosis were investigated. RESULTS: : The estimated cutoffs for the different allergens in the POC test ranged from 0.70 to 2.56 kUA/L. Taking into account all positive allergen results in a given patient, the POC test could identify 95% of the patients with allergies. Seventy-eight percent of the allergen-specific physicians' diagnoses were identified and 97% of the negative ones. Most allergens exhibited good performance, identifying about 80% of clinically relevant cases. However, dog, mugwort, and wall pellitory would benefit from improvement. CONCLUSIONS: : The POC test will be a valuable adjunct in the identification or exclusion of patients with allergies and their most likely offending allergens, both in specialist and general care settings.