Bronchial provocation studies on 15 workers occupationally exposed to formaldehyde are described. The results show that formaldehyde exposure can cause asthmatic reactions, and suggest that these are sometimes due to hypersensitivity and sometimes to a direct irritant effect. Three workers had classical occupational asthma caused by formaldehyde fumes, which was likely to be due to hypersensiti...

BACKGROUND Rush immunotherapy results obtained in Der PI-sensitive children with asthma and the changes in clinical and immunological parameters were investigated. METHODS We studied 18 patients with Der PI sensitivity. Two groups were randomized: nine patients received RIT and nine patients received conventional immunotherapy (CIT) for three years. The RIT group reached the optimal maintenan...

Methods Four groups of patients (n=48) underwent nasal allergen provocation test for grass pollen. We included 12 patients with allergic rhinitis based on grass allergy, 12 patients with CRSwNP without grass allergy, 12 patients with CRSwNP with grass allergy, and 12 control patients. The diagnosis of grass allergy was based on skin prick test and RAST. The test was positive based on change in ...

The effect of hyposensitization (HS) upon the allergen evoked immediate asthmatic reaction (IAR), late asthmatic reaction (LAR) and upon bronchial reactivity towards histamine was examined. Eighteen young asthmatic patients were studied using a double-blind, placebo-controlled design. All were allergic to house dust mite (HDM) and demonstrated an IAR and a LAR after bronchial provocation with H...

Two carpenters developed rhinitis, conjunctivitis, bronchial wheezing, and dyspnoea while using obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon, African maple) at their work while they built saunas. Skin prick tests showed an immediate reaction, specific IgE to obeche was detected in their serum, and bronchial provocation test with obeche gave an immediate reaction with decrease of FEV1 and PEF values. The sy...

In sensitized subjects, provocation tests to latex may induce severe systemic reactions and even anaphylactic shock. It is probable that part of the risk is due to the difficulty in grading the stimulating dose and in starting from very low levels of exposure. To identify the aetiological agent of work-related asthma in four nurses with previous allergic contact urticaria to latex surgical glov...

Occupational asthma among hairdressers has been recognised for some years and cases of work related asthma due to hair bleaches containing persulphates and hair dyes have been reported. The extent of the disease among hairdressers remains unknown. An investigation was carried out on an entire hairdressing salon, which specialised in hair bleaching and colouring and which employed 23 staff. On t...

The diagnosis of allergic diseases is based on a combination of clinical history, physical examination, in vivo challenges, and in vitro test methods for the detection of allergen-specific IgE antibodies in the serum of patients. In spite of the fact that the determination of allergen-specific IgE in serum is widely used in daily clinical practice, one should be aware that such determinations, ...

The relationship between allergen-induced ventilatory drive and bronchoconstriction was investigated in dust mite-sensitive cynomolgus macaques periodically exposed to low doses of aerosolized antigen for up to 5.5 yr. Initially, the animals responded to aerosolized dust mite allergen at a concentration of 350 arbitrary units (AU)/ml with simultaneous increases in lung resistance (RL) and respi...

BACKGROUND Mite-allergic patients with allergic disease should benefit from avoiding mite allergens. Many physicians, however, are yet to be convinced that allergen avoidance can make a significant contribution to asthma management in these patients. Many allergen-avoidance regimes include multiple measures of allergen reduction, but as mite exposure in the home is most likely to be greatest in...