Characteristics of food allergy in children: National multicenter study

Conference: Congress of the European-Academy-of-Allergy-and-Clinical-Immunology (EAACI) Location: Lisbon, PORTUGAL Date: JUN 01-05, 2019Background : Food allergies impose a significant burden on the life of the child and the family. In this study, to determine the demographic characteristics of food allergies, we investigated the characteristics of patients with food allergies in different regions of Pediatric Allergy- Immunology departments in Turkey. Method : Turkey ' s National Study of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society has conducted a Study Group on Food Allergies. 25 centers participated in this multicenter, cross- sectional and descriptive study.European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunolog

An Update on the Management of Severe Cutaneous Drug Hypersensitivity Reactions

Severe cutaneous drug hypersensitivity reactions involve of different mechanisms, some of which are life-threatening, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis, drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, generalized bullous fixed drug eruptions, serum sickness and serum sickness-like reaction and drug-induced vasculitis. These reactions may have substantial morbidity and mortality. in the past years, successive studies have provided new evidence regarding the pathogenesis of some of these severe reactions and revealed that underlying mechanisms are highly variable. Since these reactions have unique presentations and distinct pathomechanisms, the treatment methods and response rates might be different among various entities. Although supportive and local therapies are sufficient in some of these reactions, targeted immunosuppressive treatments and even mechanistic therapies such as plasmapheresis may be required in severe ones. However, there is still insufficient evidence to support the best treatment options for these patients since number of patients and large-scale studies are limited. In this review, conventional and new treatment options for severe cutaneous drug hypersensitivity reactions are presented in detail in order to provide the contemporary approaches to lessen the morbidity and mortality relevant to these severe iatrogenic diseases

Hypersensitivity Reactions to Antiepileptic Drugs in Children: Epidemiologic, Pathogenetic, Clinical, and Diagnostic Aspects

Epilepsy affects approximately 10 million children globally. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are among the most frequent causes of drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHRs), especially severe ones. However, systematic studies about AED hypersensitivity among children are very rare. In this review, we aimed to gather all relevant and important data about different aspects of DHRs to AEDs in children by conducting a PubMed search including English-language studies published between January 1990 and June 2017. In these studies, aromatic AEDs were mostly incriminated in DHRs, but still being dominantly prescribed in both developed and developing countries. Although newer AEDs were increasingly prescribed owing to their presumed low toxicity profile, surveillance of DHRs is strongly recommended because case reports about severe reactions were recently reported. The pathogenesis seemed to be multifactorial including metabolic, genetic, and immunologic factors. Recent pharmacogenomic studies demonstrated strong genetic associations between some human leucocyte antigens and/or polymorphisms of AED metabolic enzymes and AED-induced DHRs among both adults and children. Young children, concurrent medications, a high starting dose and rapid dose escalation, and some genetic markers are important risk factors for AED-induced hypersensitivity. There were a very limited number of studies in the pediatric population evaluating the efficacy of different available diagnostic tools, such as intradermal, patch, and drug provocation tests. Data including mostly adult patients showed that patch tests had relatively high diagnostic value to identify the culprit with a positivity rate that ranged between 19.7% and 100% in delayed reactions to AEDs. Clinical cross-reactivity rates of 15% to 70% have been reported mainly between aromatic AEDs. In selected cases, where there is no other option, desensitization can be considered, although experience in children remained limited

Different Presentations of Patients with Transcobalamin II Deficiency: A Single-Center Experience from Turkey

Objective: Transcobalamin II deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by decreased cobalamin availability, which in turn causes accumulation of homocysteine and methylmalonic acid. The presenting clinical features are failure to thrive, diarrhea, megaloblastic anemia, pancytopenia, neurologic abnormalities, and also recurrent infections due to immune abnormalities in early infancy. Materials and Methods: Here, we report the clinical and laboratory features of six children with transcobalamin II deficiency who were all molecularly confirmed. Results: The patients were admitted between 1 and 7 months of age with anemia or pancytopenia. Unexpectedly, one patient had a serum vitamin B12 level lower than the normal range and another one had nonsignificantly elevated serum homocysteine levels. Four patients had lymphopenia, four had neutropenia and three also had hypogammaglobulinemia. Suggesting the consideration of transcobalamin II deficiency in the differential diagnosis of immune deficiency. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis was also detected in one patient. Furthermore, two patients had vacuolization in the myeloid lineage in bone marrow aspiration, which may be an additional finding of transcobalamin II deficiency. The hematological abnormalities in all patients resolved after parenteral cobalamin treatment. In follow-up, two patients showed neurological impairments such as impaired speech and walking. Among our six patients who were all molecularly confirmed, two had the mutation that was reported in transcobalamin II-deficient patients of Turkish ancestry. Also, a novel TCN2 gene mutation was detected in one of the remaining patients. Conclusion: Transcobalamin II deficiency should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infants with immunological abnormalities as well as cytopenia and neurological dysfunction. Early recognition of this rare condition and initiation of adequate treatment is critical for control of the disease and better prognosis

Early Life Markers to Predict the Risk for Frequent Wheezing in Infants; Going on a Mysterious Road with an Old Friend, "The Eosinophil"

Objective: In most cases of asthma, wheezing symptoms start in early childhood. Although there are studies evaluating the factors that play a role in the development of childhood asthma, the predictive markers for frequent wheezing in early childhood are still unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the relation between the wheezing episodes and the familial, prenatal, and postnatal risk factors, and the sensitivity of serum eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil levels for predicting frequent wheezing. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven children with acute wheezing and fifty healthy children aged between 1-36 months were included in the study. The children who had >= 3 episodes of wheezing in the next year after presentation were classified as the frequent wheezing group and those with fewer episodes were classified as the infrequent wheezing group. Administration of a comprehensive questionnaire about risk factors for wheezing; blood sampling for serum total IgE, ECP, eosinophil count, food and inhaled specific IgE levels and RSV/adenovirus serology; and skin prick tests were performed. Oral provocation tests were applied in cases of suspected food allergy. Results: Male gender (p=0.024), low socioeconomic level (p=0.046), initiation of milk formula (p=0.009) and eggs (p=0.018) before the fourth month, the presence of mold / umidity at home (p=0.023), eczema (p= 7.9 mu g/L at enrollment had higher risk of frequent wheezing than those with serum ECP 7.9 mu g/L (p=0.008). The sensitivity of ECP >= 7.9 mu g/L for frequent wheezing was 75.9% and the specificity was 68.7%. Similarly, serum total IgE (>= 154 IU/ml) and total eosinophil count (>= 390 /mm3) were found to be significantly higher in infants in the frequent wheezing group than the other groups (p=0.049, p=0.019). The multivariate analysis showed that the risk of frequent wheezing was 6.6 fold higher in children with a serum ECP level >= 7.9 mu g /L and 5.3 fold higher in the presence of RSV / adenovirus infection (p=0.026, p=0.038, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggested that the increase in serum ECP levels and the presence of RSV / denovirus infection significantly increased the risk of frequent wheezing in children with acute wheezing attacks

Prevalence and risk factors for wheezing and allergic diseases in preschool children: A perspective from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey

WOS: 000405643900008PubMed: 28410872Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of allergic diseases in preschool children from one of the biggest cities in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Methods: The study population included 396 preschool children attending to urban daycare centres in Mersin. In the first stage, a comprehensive standardised questionnaire modified from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was employed. In the second stage, serum food and inhalant specific IgE, and skin tests were performed in 45 children with frequent wheezing and 28 children with no wheezing. Results: The prevalence of ever wheezing, current wheezing, physician-diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were 53% (210), 33.3% (132), 27.3% (108), 13.4% (53) and 8.3% (33), respectively. A family history of atopy (OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.34.7, p = 0.004), dampness at home (OR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.24.8, p = 0.008), a history of intestinal parasites (OR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.710.9, p = 0.002), previous history of pneumonia (OR = 6.9, 95% CI: 1.925.9, p = 0.004), initiation of complementary foods before the age of three months (OR = 6.1, 95%CI: 1.426.9, p = 0.02) and presence of food allergy (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.19.2, p = 0.03) were found to be significant risk factors for physician-diagnosed asthma. The risk factors for frequent wheezing were maternal smoking during pregnancy (OR = 5.2, 95% CI: 0.928.7, p = 0.05) and high serum IgE levels (OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 0.99.0, p = 0.05) at borderline significance. Conclusion: Our study was the first epidemiological study in preschool children in the Mediterranean region of Turkey and demonstrated a high prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases, probably related to humid climatic properties in addition to other environmental and genetic factors. (C) 2017 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved

Hypersensitivity reactions to non-betalactam antibiotics in children: An extensive review

In contrast to hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to -lactam antibiotics in children, studies about HSR to non--lactam antibiotics (NBLAs) such as sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and antituberculosis agents are scarce, and information is generally limited to case reports. The aim of this extensive review was to summarize our present knowledge on clinical characteristics, evaluation, and management of HSR to NBLAs in children based on the literature published between 1980 and 2013. NBLAs have been reported to induce a wide spectrum of HSRs from mild eruptions to severe, and sometimes fatal, systemic drug reactions, especially in some high-risk groups. The diagnosis relied upon history and remained unconfirmed by allergological tests in most of the cases. Obtaining a detailed history is valuable in the diagnosis of suspected reactions to NBLAs. Diagnostic in vivo and in vitro tests for NBLAs lack validation, which makes the diagnosis challenging. The definitive diagnosis of NBLA hypersensitivity frequently depends upon drug provocation tests. Studies including children showed that only 7.8 to 36% of suspected immediate and delayed HSRs to NBLAs could be confirmed by skin and/or provocation tests. Therefore, a standardized diagnostic approach and management strategy should be developed and employed for pediatric patients in the evaluation of suspected HSRs to NBLAs, some of which may be critical and unreplaceable in certain clinical situations. image </inline-graphi

Impulse oscillometry in acute and stable asthmatic children: a comparison with spirometry

<p><i>Objective</i>: Lung function tests have attracted interest for the diagnosis and follow-up of childhood asthma in recent years. For patients who cannot perform forced expiratory maneuvers, impulse oscillometry (IOS), performed during spontaneous breathing, may be an alternative tool. <i>Methods</i>: Thirty-five acute, 107 stable asthmatic and 103 healthy children who presented to our clinic performed IOS followed by spirometry before and after salbutamol inhalation. The mean baseline and reversibility of IOS and spirometry parameters were compared between the groups. Correlation analyses were undertaken within the asthmatics, and the healthy controls separately. To distinguish the three groups, the sensitivity and specificity of baseline and reversibility values of IOS and spirometry were computed. When spirometry was taken as the gold standard, the discriminating performance of IOS to detect the airway obstruction and reversibility was investigated. <i>Results</i>: The mean absolute values of Zrs, R5, R5−R20, X5, X10, X15, Fres, AX, and all spirometric parameters, and the mean reversibility values of R5, R10, Fres, AX and forced expiratory volume in one second were different between the groups and the highest area under curve values to discriminate the groups was obtained from area of reactance (AX) and ΔAX. Zrs, all resistance (including R5−R20) and reactance parameters, Fres and AX were correlated with at least one spirometric parameter. Spirometric reversibility was detected by ≤−22.34 and ≤−39.05 cut-off values of ΔR5 and ΔAX, respectively. <i>Conclusions</i>: IOS has shown a highly significant association with spirometric indices and reversibility testing. It may be a substitute for spirometry in children who fail to perform forced expiratory maneuvers.</p

Hypersensitivity reactions to non-betalactam antibiotics in children: an extensive review

In contrast to hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) to β-lactam antibiotics in children, studies about HSR to non-β-lactam antibiotics (NBLAs) such as sulfonamides, macrolides, quinolones, and antituberculosis agents are scarce, and information is generally limited to case reports. The aim of this extensive review was to summarize our present knowledge on clinical characteristics, evaluation, and management of HSR to NBLAs in children based on the literature published between 1980 and 2013. NBLAs have been reported to induce a wide spectrum of HSRs from mild eruptions to severe, and sometimes fatal, systemic drug reactions, especially in some high-risk groups. The diagnosis relied upon history and remained unconfirmed by allergological tests in most of the cases. Obtaining a detailed history is valuable in the diagnosis of suspected reactions to NBLAs. Diagnostic in vivo and in vitro tests for NBLAs lack validation, which makes the diagnosis challenging. The definitive diagnosis of NBLA hypersensitivity frequently depends upon drug provocation tests. Studies including children showed that only 7.8 to 36% of suspected immediate and delayed HSRs to NBLAs could be confirmed by skin and/or provocation tests. Therefore, a standardized diagnostic approach and management strategy should be developed and employed for pediatric patients in the evaluation of suspected HSRs to NBLAs, some of which may be critical and unreplaceable in certain clinical situations