All 306 South African platinum refinery workers (116 white, 190 coloured) accepted for employment on grounds of absence of evidence of atopy were investigated using the skin prick test and RAST to detect sensitivity to platinum, palladium, and rhodium salts. RAST studies were made for these, together with HSA and DNP-HSA RAST. Of the 306 workers, 38 had a positive skin prick test to the platinu...

www.aafp.org/afp AMERICAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN 621 patient, such as allergen avoidance, medications, and, sometimes, immunotherapy (Table 2). For example, a patient with a specific pollen allergy may be instructed to increase medication use during the pollen season. Patients with an animal allergy may be instructed to use allergy or asthma medication before exposure. There are several types of spec...

There is a substantial body of evidence supporting an association between asthma severity and fungal exposure and sensitization. Fungal allergens are a recognized risk factor for severe asthma. We describe the case of a 44-year-old asthmatic whose asthma control deteriorated after moving to a new flat with walls covered in mould. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis was excluded. Although se...

BACKGROUND Hypersensitivity to penicillin has been studied worldwide, but data regarding patterns of sensitization in Arabian Gulf countries are scarce. OBJECTIVE To describe the patterns of penicillin hypersensitivity during a 6-year study in Kuwait in terms of demographics, type of the culprit drug, in vivo and in vitro allergy testing. METHODS One hundred and twenty-four patients referre...

BACKGROUND Lupin, a legume with good nutritional value, is used in food production today, most often in bakery products. Lupin sensitization is often seen among patients with reactions to legumes, but the number of reports describing lupin anaphylaxis is also increasing. OBJECTIVE To investigate the occurrence of lupin sensitization, cross-reactivity, and lupin allergy among patients with sus...

Isocyanates are the most significant cause of occupational asthma in our country. To evaluate the prevalence of work-related respiratory symptoms and immunologic sensitization to it, we performed a questionnaire survey, allergy skin test, radioallergosorbent test (RAST) to toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-human serum albumin (HSA) conjugate and methacholine bronchial challenge test on 23 isocyanate-e...

Milk elimination diets are frequently adopted in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, although the real prevalence of clinically relevant food allergy remains unclear and reports from different authors are often in disagreement. We investigated the percentage of children allergic to cow's milk compared with the rate of milk exclusion diets in a group of patients with atopic dermatitis. We enroll...