Current allergy and asthma reports
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Curr Allergy Asthma Rep · Feb 2013
ReviewAllergen component testing for food allergy: ready for prime time?
Food allergies can cause life-threatening reactions and greatly influence quality of life. Accurate diagnosis of food allergies is important to avoid serious allergic reactions and prevent unnecessary dietary restrictions, but can be difficult. ⋯ Recently, a number of studies have demonstrated that CRD may improve the specificity of allergy testing to a variety of foods including peanut, milk, and egg. While it may be a helpful adjunct to current diagnostic testing, CRD is not ready to replace existing methods of allergy testing, as it not as sensitive, is not widely available, and evaluations of component testing for a number of major food allergens are lacking.
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Curr Allergy Asthma Rep · Feb 2013
ReviewDelayed anaphylaxis to red meat in patients with IgE specific for galactose alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal).
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be rapidly progressing and fatal. In instances where the triggering allergen is not known, establishing the etiology of anaphylaxis is pivotal to long-term risk management. ⋯ Patients with IgE Ab to alpha-gal continue to emerge and, increasingly, these cases involve children. This IgE Ab response cross-reacts with cat and dog but does not appear to pose a risk for asthma; however, it may impair diagnostic testing in some situations.
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Curr Allergy Asthma Rep · Feb 2013
ReviewSkin testing for Beta-lactam antibiotics: impact of the availability of a major determinant.
Beta-lactam antibiotics are very effective agents for a variety of infections. In patients with beta-lactam allergy, these drugs are withheld due to fear of subsequent allergic reactions. ⋯ Skin testing to beta-lactam agents is the gold standard in evaluating patients with type I, immediate hypersensitivity reactions. The robust negative predictive value of this test has yet to be surpassed by any other testing modality currently available.