Annals of allergy
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Case Reports
Successful treatment of idiopathic cold urticaria with the association of H1 and H2 antagonists: a case report.
We report here the case of a patient suffering from idiopathic cold urticaria who did not respond to H1 antihistamine but who responded dramatically to the combination of H1 and H2 antagonists. Under H1 treatment, the urticaria was florid and the ice cube test clearly positive. After the addition of an H2 antihistamine, all the symptoms disappeared and the ice cube test became negative. The different therapeutic schedules proposed thereafter, showed that only the combination therapy was effective H1 antihistamine alone or H2 antihistamine alone being unable to modify the course of the disease.
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Two workers, who developed asthmatic symptoms, were studied with inhalation provocation tests using diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). The subjects showed specific asthmatic reactions to MDI challenge (more than 20% fall in FEV1), and one also had an alveolar response. ⋯ The asthmatic reaction to MDI challenge was associated with an increase in airway responsiveness to methacholine in both subjects. We conclude that MDI is a cause of asthma and/or hypersensitivity pneumonitis in workers exposed to diphenylmethane diisocyanate.
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We evaluated the utility of a newly designed electronic stethoscope that can be used with the telephone system. Nine patients with wheezing, crackles, or other adventitious sounds were evaluated by a physician examiner who used a conventional stethoscope and another physician who received the signal of the electronic stethoscope via telephone. When their findings were compared, it was found that physicians agreed in 95% of observations. The potential uses of the electronic stethoscope are discussed.
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The autonomic nervous system plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, especially asthma. This paper details the components of the autonomic nervous system, defines the role that these individual components play in allergy and details the abnormalities found in the autonomic nervous system in allergic subjects that may contribute to the disease state.