Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology
-
Pyrazolones are a major cause of immediate IgE-mediated reactions to drugs in many countries. ⋯ BAT is a useful complement to skin testing for the evaluation of immediate allergic reactions to pyrazolones. Although not optimal, BAT sensitivity was also positive in patients with a negative skin test and it is a reasonable alternative in patients with severe reactions who may develop symptoms after skin testing. The time of performance of the test is critical to obtain a positive response.
-
Positive skin prick tests (SPT) for food allergens and specific IgE (sIgE) in serum indicate sensitization but do not enable distinction between sensitized but tolerant and clinically allergic patients. ⋯ Neither conventional tests nor BATs are sensitive and specific enough to predict food allergy accurately. However, BATs may helpfully complete conventional tests, especially SPT, allowing improved discrimination between allergic and non-allergic individuals.
-
Several risk factors for asthma have been identified in infants and young children with recurrent wheeze. However, published literature has reported contradictory findings regarding the underlying immunological mechanisms. ⋯ Although our findings suggest that some immunological parameters are impaired in children with recurrent wheeze, particularly with a high risk for asthma, further studies are needed in order to assess their potential as surrogate predictor factors for asthma in early life.