Allergy and asthma proceedings :
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Nasal congestion is a common problem in outpatient allergy and immunology. Here, we present the case of an 80-year-old woman with long-standing nasal congestion of uncommon cause and discuss its diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Although most patients with chronic nasal congestion do not have a life-threatening condition, it is important to remain vigilant for warning signs that a rare disease is at work behind this common complaint.
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Peanut allergies have become a major health concern in the United States. Peanuts are one of the most common causes of food allergies and along with tree nuts they account for most of the cases of fatal and near-fatal anaphylactic reactions to food. ⋯ Future treatment strategies may include recombinant peanut protein immunotherapy and anti-Immunoglobulin E therapy to modulate clinical reactivity to peanuts. This article reviews the current understanding of the clinical characteristics, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of the peanut allergy.
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Allergy Asthma Proc · May 2003
Case ReportsAnaphylaxis to insect sting associated with urticaria pigmentosa.
Anaphylaxis associated with insect stings has been reported to cause approximately 40 deaths per year in the United States. Immunotherapy with venom extracts is a well-established method of treatment of allergy to insect stings. The duration of therapy is based mainly on the initial symptoms and the presence or absence of systemic symptoms during therapy. ⋯ Patients with mastocytosis have a particularly increased risk for anaphylaxis after insect stings. There are many case reports of individuals first diagnosed with mastocytosis after an episode of anaphylaxis after an insect sting, in addition these patients tend to have more severe reactions as well as repeated episodes of systemic reactions during immunotherapy. Early diagnosis of mastocytosis and proper treatment can contribute greatly to the outcome in patients who present with venom allergy.
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Allergy Asthma Proc · Mar 2003
Case ReportsAsthma or not? The value of flow volume loops in evaluating airflow obstruction.
Large airway obstruction can present with symptoms typically associated with asthma, including cough, dyspnea, or wheezing. Obstruction of the large airways should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with difficult to manage asthma, particularly those with known risk factors for tracheal disease, atypical clinical features, or lack of response to standard asthma therapy. Spirometry and flow volume loops are valuable diagnostic tools in this evaluation. This article discusses two cases in which large airway obstruction mimicked asthma and reviews the characteristic flow volume loop patterns associated with large airway lesions.
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Allergy Asthma Proc · Jan 2003
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyHypersensitivity to molds in New York City in adults who have asthma.
Molds have been linked epidemiologically to asthma as a key aeroallergen in several studies. Other allergens such as cockroach have been linked to asthma in New York City (NYC). To our knowledge, however, the pattern of mold hypersensitivity has never been examined systematically in the NYC area. ⋯ Mold hypersensitivity was strongly correlated with hypersensitivity to cat or dust mites in patients who did not have asthma but not in patients who did have asthma. In the NYC area, recent pollen and spore counts show that mold spores are measurable in at least 75% of the year. Thus it is conceivable that mold hypersensitivity plays a contributing and independent role in initiating or perpetuating the allergic response in patients with asthma in the New York area.