Prevalence and characteristics of headache attributed to ingestion or inhalation of a cold stimulus (HICS): A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Headache attributed to ingestion or inhalation of a cold stimulus (HICS), colloquially called ice-cream headache, is a common form of a primary headache in adults and children. However, previous studies on adults are limited due to the small number of patients. Furthermore, most of the subjects in previous studies had a history of other primary headaches. METHODS: Biographic data, clinical criteria of HICS and prevalence of primary headache were collected by a standardized questionnaire. A total of 1213 questionnaires were distributed; the return rate was 51.9% (n = 629); 618 questionnaires could be analyzed. RESULTS: In a cohort of 618 people aged between 17-63 years (females: n = 426, 68.9%), the prevalence of HICS was 51.3% (317 out of 618). There was no difference between men and women (51.3% vs. 51.6%). The duration of HICS was shorter than 30 sec in 92.7%. In the HICS group, localization of the pain was occipital in 17%. Trigemino-autonomic symptoms occurred in 22%, and visual phenomena (e.g. flickering lights, spots or lines) were reported by 18% of the HICS group. The pain intensity, but not the prevalence of HICS, was higher when tension-type headache and migraine or both were present as co-morbid primary headaches (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 4.58 and 6.54, p = 0.006). There was no higher risk of participants with migraine getting HICS than for those who did not have migraine (odds ratio = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75-1.83; p = 0.496). CONCLUSION: The results of this study modified the current criteria for HICS in the ICHD-3 regarding duration and localization. In addition, accompanying symptoms in about one fifth of the participants are not mentioned in the ICHD-3. Neither migraine nor tension-type headache seems to be a risk factor for HICS. However, accompanying symptoms in HICS are more frequent in subjects with another primary headache than in those without such a headache.

Perforación gástrica asociada al consumo de helado con nitrógeno líquido / Gastric perforation associated with the intake of ice cream with liquid nitrogen

La ingestión de nitrógeno líquido es una causa infrecuente de perforación gástrica, se conoce poco sobre como este compuesto afecta el tejido gastrointestinal, sus mecanismos de lesión y sus consecuencias clínicas. Cada vez es más frecuente el uso del nitrógeno líquido de forma comercial en productos de repostería y gastronomía, por lo que es importante reconocer sus potenciales efectos cuando la manipulación no es la adecuada. En este caso clínico describimos una perforación gástrica secundaria al consumo de helado preparado con nitrógeno líquido.

Liquid nitrogene ingestion is a frecuent cause of gastric perforation. It is unknown how this compound afects the gatrointestinal tissue, it mechanisisms of injury and the clinical consecuences. Nowadays, the use of liquid nitrogene in gastronomy is becoming a tendency, for this reason it is important to identify the potencial healt effects of this compound when is not correctly manipulated. The following article describes a secondary gastric perforation, as a consecuence of the consumption of ice cream prepared with liquid nitrogene.

[Gastric perforation associated with the intake of ice cream with liquid nitrogen]. / Perforación gástrica asociada al consumo de helado con nitrógeno líquido.

Liquid nitrogene ingestion is a frecuent cause of gastric perforation. It is unknown how this compound afects the gatrointestinal tissue, it mechanisisms of injury and the clinical consecuences. Nowadays, the use of liquid nitrogene in gastronomy is becoming a tendency, for this reason it is important to identify the potencial healt effects of this compound when is not correctly manipulated. The following article describes a secondary gastric perforation, as a consecuence of the consumption of ice cream prepared with liquid nitrogene.

Experimental provocation of 'ice-cream headache' by ice cubes and ice water.

Background There are various studies on experimentally provoked 'ice-cream headache' or 'headache attributed to ingestion or inhalation of a cold stimulus' (HICS) using different provocation protocols. The aim of this study was to compare two provocation protocols. Methods Ice cubes pressed to the palate and fast ingestion of ice water were used to provoke HICS and clinical features were compared. Results The ice-water stimulus provoked HICS significantly more often than the ice-cube stimulus (9/77 vs. 39/77). Ice-water-provoked HICS had a significantly shorter latency (median 15 s, range 4-97 s vs. median 68 s, range 27-96 s). There was no difference in pain localisation. Character after ice-cube stimulation was predominantly described as pressing and after ice-water stimulation as stabbing. A second HICS followed in 10/39 (26%) of the headaches provoked by ice water. Lacrimation occurred significantly more often in volunteers with than in those without HICS. Discussion HICS provoked by ice water was more frequent, had a shorter latency, different pain character and higher pain intensity than HICS provoked by ice cubes. The finding of two subsequent HICS attacks in the same volunteers supports the notion that two types of HICS exist. Lacrimation during HICS indicates involvement of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex.

Ice cream headache in students and family history of headache: a cross-sectional epidemiological study.

Headache attributed to ingestion of a cold stimulus (ICHD-3 beta 4.5.1) is also known as ice cream headache (ICH). This cross-sectional epidemiological study included 283 students (10-14-year-olds) attending a grammar school in Germany, their parents (n = 401), and 41 teachers. A self-administered questionnaire was used to analyze the prevalence and characteristics of ICH based on the ICHD classification. Additionally, the association between ICH and other headaches was investigated in students and parents. Prevalence of ICH in students was 62 % without gender difference. In adults, only 36 % of females and 22 % of males reported ICH. There was an increased risk for ICH in students when mother (OR 10.7) or father (OR 8.4) had ICH. Other headaches in parents had no influence on the prevalence of ICH in students. However, in the groups of students and parents itself there was a highly significant association between ICH and other headaches (students: OR 2.4, mothers: OR 2.9, fathers: OR 6.8). There was a decreased risk for ICH when parents and students had no headache at all (OR < 0.4). ICH in students clearly shows a familial disposition by both father and mother. There was also an association between ICH and other headaches within the student and adult groups. The absence of headache history seems to be a protective factor for ICH.

[A case of anaphylaxis due to rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream with pollen food allergy syndrome].

We experienced a 10-year-old boy who had anaphylaxis after eating rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream. The patient felt a sense of discomfort in his throat when eating apple, peach, loquat, Japanese pear, and kiwi fruit. Therefore, we measured specific IgE antibodies to allergen components by ImmunoCAP ISAC. Consequently, the patient gave positive results for all PR-10 proteins from birch, alder, hazel, apple, peach, peanut, hazelnut, and soybean, so we diagnosed him with Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome (PFAS) induced by cross reactivity with pollens of birch family and fruits of rose family. When we conducted the skin prick test as is for red rose syrup because of the belief that anaphylaxis was caused by the rose ingredient contained in rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream, the patient gave a strong positive result. However, the results were negative for rose essence and Food Red No. 2 contained. Subsequently, it was found that red rose syrup contained apple juice. Therefore, we conducted the prick-prick test for apple, and the patient was confirmed to be strongly positive to apple. We thus identified apple as the cause of anaphylaxis. Since there is no legal obligation of labeling specific raw materials when directly selling manufactured and processed food products to general consumers, it is possible for general consumers to mistakenly take them in without knowing the containment of allergic substances. It is believed that the labeling method should be improved in the future.

High glycemic load diet, milk and ice cream consumption are related to acne vulgaris in Malaysian young adults: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: The role of dietary factors in the pathophysiology of acne vulgaris is highly controversial. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the association between dietary factors and acne vulgaris among Malaysian young adults. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted among 44 acne vulgaris patients and 44 controls aged 18 to 30 years from October 2010 to January 2011. Comprehensive acne severity scale (CASS) was used to determine acne severity. A questionnaire comprising items enquiring into the respondent's family history and dietary patterns was distributed. Subjects were asked to record their food intake on two weekdays and one day on a weekend in a three day food diary. Anthropometric measurements including body weight, height and body fat percentage were taken. Acne severity was assessed by a dermatologist. RESULTS: Cases had a significantly higher dietary glycemic load (175 ± 35) compared to controls (122 ± 28) (p < 0.001). The frequency of milk (p < 0.01) and ice-cream (p < 0.01) consumptions was significantly higher in cases compared to controls. Females in the case group had a higher daily energy intake compared to their counterparts in the control group, 1812 ± 331 and 1590 ± 148 kcal respectively (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in other nutrient intakes, Body Mass Index, and body fat percentage between case and control groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic load diet and frequencies of milk and ice cream intake were positively associated with acne vulgaris.

Frequent ice cream consumption is associated with reduced striatal response to receipt of an ice cream-based milkshake.

BACKGROUND: Weight gain leads to reduced reward-region responsivity to energy-dense food receipt, and consumption of an energy-dense diet compared with an isocaloric, low-energy-density diet leads to reduced dopamine receptors. Furthermore, phasic dopamine signaling to palatable food receipt decreases after repeated intake of that food, which collectively suggests that frequent intake of an energy-dense food may reduce striatal response to receipt of that food. OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that frequent ice cream consumption would be associated with reduced activation in reward-related brain regions (eg, striatum) in response to receipt of an ice cream-based milkshake and examined the influence of adipose tissue and the specificity of this relation. DESIGN: Healthy-weight adolescents (n = 151) underwent fMRI during receipt of a milkshake and during receipt of a tasteless solution. Percentage body fat, reported food intake, and food craving and liking were assessed. RESULTS: Milkshake receipt robustly activated the striatal regions, yet frequent ice cream consumption was associated with a reduced response to milkshake receipt in these reward-related brain regions. Percentage body fat, total energy intake, percentage of energy from fat and sugar, and intake of other energy-dense foods were not related to the neural response to milkshake receipt. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel evidence that frequent consumption of ice cream, independent of body fat, is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction. Data also imply that intake of a particular energy-dense food results in attenuated reward-region responsivity specifically to that food, which suggests that sensory aspects of eating and reward learning may drive the specificity.

Idiopathic stabbing headache and experimental ice cream headache (short-lived headaches).

Idiopathic stabbing headache (ISH) and ice cream headache occur due to paroxysmal firing of trigeminal pathways and a defect in pain control mechanisms. Any defect in pain control mechanisms appears to be localized to the affected areas. Therefore, we compared ISH and experimentally induced ice cream headache localizations in the same group of migraine sufferers to investigate similarities and differences between these headaches. The percentage of ice cream headache localizations restricted to 'in front of the vertex/on the vertex' was 94%, while it was 45% for ISH. The percentage of ice cream headache occurrence behind the vertex was 6% and 55% for ISH. Due to the widespread distribution of ISH in the head, there might be irritation of various branches of the trigeminal nerve, while the restricted localizations of ice cream headache suggest irritation of a certain branch or branches of the trigeminal nerve, e.g. in the oropharynx. Either widespread or restricted irritation of trigeminal pathways causes either ISH or ice cream headache, in which intermittent deficits in central pain control mechanisms seem to be playing the key role.

Ice-cream headache--a large survey of 8359 adolescents.

We conducted a self-administered questionnaire to investigate ice-cream headache in school adolescents aged 13-15 in Taiwan. The target population was 8789 students in 6 public junior high schools. A total of 8359 students completed the questionnaire (response rate 95.1%). The prevalence of ice-cream headache was 40.6%. It was significantly higher in boys than in girls, and increased with grade. Students with migraine had a higher frequency of ice-cream headache compared with the students without migraine (55.2% vs. 39.6%, P < 0.0001). The prevalence of ice-cream headache increased among students with more migrainous features. Approximately one third of students decreased their intake of ice cream, or abstained completely, especially the younger students. Our study suggests ice-cream headache is very common in Taiwanese adolescents, and it is more common in students who experienced migraine.

Peanut and tree nut allergic reactions in restaurants and other food establishments.

BACKGROUND: The clinical features of food-allergic reactions in restaurants and other food establishments have not been studied. Of the registrants in the United States Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy Registry (PAR), 13.7% have reported reactions associated with such establishments. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the features of allergic reactions to peanut and tree nut in restaurant foods and foods purchased at other private establishments (eg, ice cream shops and bakeries). METHODS: Telephone interviews were conducted through use of a structured questionnaire. Subjects/parental surrogates were randomly selected from among the 706 PAR registrants who reported a reaction in a restaurant or other food establishment. RESULTS: Details were obtained for 156 episodes (29 first-time reactions) from 129 subjects/parental surrogates. Most reactions were caused by peanut (67%) or tree nut (24%); for some reactions (9%), the cause was a combination of peanut and another nut or was unknown. Symptoms began at a median of 5 minutes after exposure and were severe in 27% of reactions. Overall, 86% of reactions were treated (antihistamines, 86%; epinephrine, 40%). Establishments commonly cited were Asian food restaurants (19%), ice cream shops (14%), and bakeries/doughnut shops (13%). Among meal courses, desserts were a common cause (43%). Of 106 registrants with previously diagnosed allergy who ordered food specifically for ingestion by the allergic individual, only 45% gave prior notification about the allergy to the establishment. For 83 (78%) of these 106 reactions, someone in the establishment knew that the food contained peanut or tree nut as an ingredient; in 50% of these incidents, the food item was "hidden" (in sauces, dressings, egg rolls, etc), visual identification being prevented. In 23 (22%) of the 106 cases, exposures were reported from contamination caused primarily by shared cooking/serving supplies. In the remaining 21 subjects with previously diagnosed allergy, reactions resulted from ingestion of food not intended for them, ingestion of food selected from buffet/food bars, or skin contact/inhalation (residual food on tables, 2; peanut shells covering floors, 2; being within 2 feet of the cooking of the food, 1). CONCLUSIONS: Restaurants and other food establishments pose a number of dangers for peanut- and tree nut-allergic individuals, particularly with respect to cross-contamination and unexpected ingredients in desserts and Asian food. Failure to establish a clear line of communication between patron and establishment is a frequent cause of errors.

Popsicle-induced anaphylaxis due to carmine dye allergy.

BACKGROUND: IgE-mediated hypersensitivity is a suggested mechanism to explain adverse reactions from carmine-containing products. OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient who experienced anaphylaxis after ingestion of a popsicle colored with carmine and to provide additional evidence that the adverse reaction was IgE-mediated. METHODS: The patient and her husband underwent skin prick tests to the popsicle and carmine. The patient also received skin prick tests and/or open oral challenge to each of the other components of the incriminated food. Topical application of cosmetics with and without carmine to the patient's forearm was also performed. To confirm carmine-specific IgE, a Prausnitz-Kustner (P-K) test was performed using the patient's husband as recipient. Twenty control subjects also were tested to carmine by skin prick test. RESULTS: The patient showed 4+ skin prick test responses to the popsicle and carmine. Skin prick tests and/or open oral challenge to each of the other components of the popsicle were negative. The patient's husband's and 20 control subjects' skin prick tests to carmine were negative as was the patient's husband's skin prick test to the popsicle. Skin prick test reactivity to the popsicle and carmine were successfully transferred to the patient's husband in P-K format. Cosmetics applied to the patient's forearm elicited no immediate response. CONCLUSION: The positive skin prick tests to the popsicle and carmine and the successful (P-K) transfer of skin prick test reactivity support a carmine-specific, IgE-mediated mechanism in explaining our patient's popsicle-induced anaphylaxis.