Incidence of allergic diseases in an elderly population

Recent years have shown a progressive increase of allergic disease in the elderly population worldwide. Naturally, this phenomenon has coincided with attempts to guarantee the best possible quality of life for this age group. As a result, diseases that were previously overlooked are attracting ever greater attention. An epidemiological study of allergic manifestations in the elderly conducted in all consecutive patients referred to an Allergology Unit over a three-month period at the beginning of 2008 showed that 15% belonged to the elderly population and among these, 51.8 % were suffering from an allergic reaction to drugs. Skin manifestations, including both urticaria and eczema, accounted for 71.4% of cases but only in 13.8% of these patients was there a diagnosis of an allergic reaction made and the allergen responsible individuated. Rhinitis was present in 16.8 % of the patients and food allergy in 8 %. Certainly, age-induced modifications in the immunological system can be responsible for allergic reactions. In fact, non specific immunity components such as the production of mucus or a reduced function of the T- and IL-2 cells can induce the onset of symptoms referable to allergic disease. Further studies are ongoing to gain a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms that could justify the development in the elderly population of a cytokine phenotype that is more prone to develop allergic manifestations, and to assess the true incidence of respiratory, food and drug allergies in this stage of life.

Immediate and cell-mediated reactions in parasitic infections by Anisakis simplex

BACKGROUND

Anisakis simplex is responsible for allergic symptoms after repeated ingestion or contact with parasitized fish.

OBJECTIVE

To further analyze type I and IV immunologic mechanisms in a group of patients with allergic reactions to A simplex, we performed prick-by-prick testing with A simplex larvae and patch tests with live, cooked, or frozen larvae of the A simplex parasite.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients underwent skin prick test and radioallergosorbent test with inhalant allergens, foods, and A simplex. Prick-by-prick tests with A simplex and patch tests with live, cooked, and frozen larvae were carried out in 10 patients with evidence of allergy to A simplex.

RESULTS

Prick-by-prick testing yielded a positive result in 100% of cases with live larvae and in 70% with cooked and frozen larvae. Patch tests with A simplex were positive in 8 patients for live larvae, in 3 patients for frozen larvae, and in 1 patient for cooked larvae.

CONCLUSION

Our data emphasize that A simplex is responsible for both immediate allergic reactions and cell-mediated (delayed) reactions, in particular in subjects with occupational exposure. In addition, our data demonstrate that not only live but also frozen and cooked larvae can induce sensitization. This observation may be explained by differences in the allergenic proteins involved, and further studies will be required to address this possibility.

Statistical evaluation and parameters of phlogosis in patients sensitized to cypress

To assess the increasing sensitivity to cypress, we evaluated a group of allergic subjects living in Apulia who had been referred for respiratory symptoms to the Section for Allergic and Immunological Diseases (SAID) of Bari University Hospital in the period between January and March 2006, and compared them with a group evaluated during the same months of 2003. We submitted all patients to Skin Prick Tests (SPT) and Radio-Allergo-Sorbent Tests (RAST). Our data show that the percentage of people sensitised to cypress has increased from 28.6 percent (2003) to 65.5 percent (2006). By contrast, we observed no variations in sensitisation to other substances. Since according to data furnished by the Italian Association of Areobiology (AIA), Monitoring Center of Brindisi 1, there was a variation in the quantity of pollen grains in 2006 as compared to 2003, it seems conceivable that an increase in the amount of pollen grains, together with other factors may influence the increasing sensitization, like the volume and the brittleness of the grain. In addition, other allergo-immunologic parameters are evaluated in order to better evaluate this allergic phlogosis.