Much progress in the knowledge of immunological and biochemical mechanisms involved in anaphylaxis has been achieved during the last years. The complexity of these mechanisms still makes many of the details enigmatic and difficult to study. The pathogenic mechanisms, symptoms and treatment of anaphylaxis are discussed in the light of our present understanding. Anaphylactic reactions should be rare in childhood as most of them are iatrogenic and thus possible to prevent by suitable precautions.

Anaphylaxis↗

PubMed1977

The effect of orally administered sodium cromoglycate on symptoms of food allergy.

A comparison was made between the effects of sodium cromoglycate (SCG) and placebo on symptoms of food allergy in twenty children. Both the clinician's and patient's preferences and the clinician's evaluation of the specific response to challenge showed a significant benefit from SCG. A striking effect on skin symptoms was seen in some children and the recorded mean score for skin symptoms was lower after 2 weeks' treatment with sodium cromoglycate. However, the differences detected from the mean symptom scores were not statistically significant. Neither were there any significant changes in the IgE, IgG, IgA and IgM food allergen antibody levels related to the treatment.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1977

Clinical and immunological aspects of food allergy in childhood. I. Estimation of IgG, IgA and IgE antibodies to food antigens in children with food allergy and atopic dermatitis.

Sixtynine children with case histories of food intolerance and 30 food tolerant children with atopic dermatitis have been investigated regarding serum IgE levels and IgE-, IgG, and IgA-antibodies to some common foods. Children with food intolerance had significantly higher IgE levels and to a larger extent specific IgE antibodies to the tested allergens. IgE antibodies to cow's milk were found in 71% of the children with histories of cow's milk allergy but occurred also in similar titers in 27% of milk tolerant children with other food allergies. IgE antibodies to egg-white occurred in 88% of egg allergies, but low and moderate titers were also found in 17% of children without food intolerance. However, all children with high titers had symptoms of egg allergy. IgE antibodies to the fish allergen were only found in fish allergic children while IgE antibodies to the fish allergen were only found in fish allergic children while IgE antibodies to soy-bean and green peas were found less consistently. The level of serum IgA antibodies to milk was similar in both groups. The IgG antibody titers to all tested food antigens seemed to parallel the IgE antibody titer to the same food. It was not possible to correlate the IgG antibody titers to symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Immunological studies in vitro and in vivo of children with pollenosis given immunotherapy with an aqueous and a glutaraldehyde-treated tyrosine-absorbed grass pollen extract.

Ten patients treated with an aqueous Timothy grass pollen extracts and given monthly maintenance doses were compared to ten patients given a glutaraldehyde-treated tyrosine-adsorbed grass pollen extract as five weekly injections pre-seasonally. There were four non-treated controls. Both treated groups showed equivalent increases of total IgE, Timothy-specific IgE, and IgG, but the concentrations of Timothy-specific IgG antibodies were sustained only in the patients receiving maintenance therapy. An increase of IgE and RAST titres during the pollen season were obtained in all three groups. No consistent changes were seen in the results of leucocyte histamine release tests and naso-conjunctival provocation tests from spring to autumn. A Sepharo-protein A technique was used for the estimation of Timothy-specific IgG antibodies. The results obtained with this technique correlated excellently with those of the Farr technique and a double-antibody technique.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1975

Inhibition by derivatives of phloretin of anaphylactic histamine release from human lung tissue and of prostaglandin F2alpha-induced bronchoconstriction.

Derivatives of phloretin (25-1,000 mug/ml) among them polyphloretin phosphate (PPP), inhibited in a dose-dependent manner anaphylactic (birch pollen or horse dander) histamine release from human lung tissue passively sensitized with reaginic serum. Pretreatment with PPP of lung tissue sensitized both to birch pollen and horse dander counteracted to a similar extent the release of histamine induced by either allergen administered in sequence. The phloretin derivatives also antagonized the constrictor action of prostaglandin F2alpha on isolated human bronchi at concentrations which did not impair the responses to histamine. The low and high molecular weight derivatives of phloretin were comparably active on a weight basis in both experimental systems.

Bronchial Spasm↗

PubMed1975

Human antibodies to bovine alpha-globulin.

Antibodies to bovine gamma-globulin (anti-BGG antibodies) were detectable by a radio-immunoassay in 70% of healthy blood donors but, generally, the titres were low. Significantly increased concentrations of anti-BGG antibodies were found in patients lacking IgA but not in patients with allergic disorders. The anti-BGG antibodies were shown to give rise to falsely high IgE values in the radio-immunosorbent test for IgE determination (RIST) when a sheep anti-IgE antiserum was used. Furthermore, falsely positive results can sometimes be caused by such antibodies in the determination of cow-dander- or cow's-milk-specific IgE by the radio-allergosorbent test (RAST). When a rabbit anti-IgE antiserum was used instead of the sheep anti-IgE, normal IgE levels and negative RAST results were obtained. The difference is explained by the higher degree of cross-reactivity between the anti-BGG antibodies and sheep alpha-globulin than between anti-BGG antibodies and rabbit alpha-globulin.

Absorption↗