Original Article
9 May 2014 / 17 April 2024 by almaware
Background. The development of component-resolved diagnostics constitutes a potential breakthrough in food allergy testing, as detection of specific IgE (sIgE) to individual allergens may make it possible to establish the risk of a mild versus severe reaction. Objective. To compare allergists’ risk assessment based on the current decision making process with that of virtual allergen-oriented […]
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In Europe more than 50% of asthmatic treated patients have a not well-controlled asthma.The present survey aims at investigating how different specialists approach asthmatic patients.A web anonymous questionnaire was randomly administered to 604 General Practitioners (GPs), 241 Pneumologists and 131 Allergists. It concerned: epidemiology, diagnostic workup, follow-up and risk factors, treatment and future risk. A […]
Background. Allergen specific immunotherapy is the only causal therapy for respiratory allergies, and the only treatment that can modify the natural course of the disease. Information and education of patients is essential to successful treatment and, since the General Practitioner is the primary referral, a cooperation between him and the allergy specialists is crucial. We […]
Background. Specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is cost-effective; however its economical burden can lead to non-adherence. We aimed to identify the reported reasons, patient’s personal or socio-demographic characteristics and SCIT-related factors associated with non-adherence to SCIT. Methods. This is a cross-sectional, observational study held in a Portuguese University Hospital. All records from patients starting SCIT in […]
Oral food challenge (OFC) is still considered the gold standard for diagnosis of food allergy (FA). Skin prick test (SPT) and specific IgE (sIgE) tests are very useful but limited in their predictive accuracy. End point test (EPT) has been recently considered to determine the starting dose to induce oral desensitization. Allergometric tests combined may […]
Component resolved diagnosis (CRD) represents an innovative and revolutionary tool in allergy diagnosis. At the same time, some criticisms can be outlined. The present web survey aimed at investigating the role of CRD in daily clinical practice, according to a sample of Italian specialists who manage allergic patients. 127 physicians, mostly allergists, completed the questionnaire, […]
Usually, hyperresponsiveness to inhaled methacholine is considered closely associated with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma. Recently, it has been clearly pointed out that bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) is not a constant feature of asthma and that this condition is not always related to airways inflammation.In the present study we evaluated 42 Patients (21 positive and 21 […]
Background: Recently, it has been reported that nasal cytology in light microscopy can identify biofilms, which appear as cyan-stained “Infectious Spots”. We assessed by the same method and in the same population, the presence of biofilms in different nasal disorders, and estimated if a correlation with the functional grade of obstruction existed.Methods: Subjects suffering from […]
Background. Although cockroach (CR) is an important cause of allergic sensitization worldwide, only a few data are available in Italy and in a previous study we have observed, in Naples area, a low prevalence of CR sensitization. Objectives. We sought to perform a prospective study for assessing the prevalence of allergic sensitization to CR in […]
Background. HDMs are a ubiquitous allergen source, with a very well defined biology, but their role in clinical settings and in everyday clinical practice is not well characterized. Aim of this cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was to assess the clinical characteristics of HDM-related respiratory allergy in a large population of Italian patients. Methods. A structured questionnaire […]