Association between urticaria and nematode infections

Background The association between parasites and urticaria was first suggested in the last century. A wide range, 0-75.4%, of the prevalence of parasitic infection has been reported with chronic urticaria (CU). Moreover, urticaria may be detected in patients with parasitosis. Nematodes are a type of helminth that infect hundreds of millions of people throughout the world. Objective The aim of this work was to collect and review the published studies and cases of urticaria associated with nematode infections. Methods A search of scientific literature data bases from January 1960 until May 2017 was carried out. Results Numerous nematode infections have been associated with urticaria and/or an…

Modification of Interleukin-15 Serum Levels in Workers Exposed to Chemotherapeutic Agents

Cytostatic anticancer drugs are known as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic risk factors for health care workers occupationally exposed. It has been demonstrated that the administration of interleukin-15 in rat models of colon carcinoma protects against chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicities. We found that occupational exposure to chemotherapeutic antiblastic agents in vivo modified circulating levels of interleukin-15 in 17 health care workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs in relation to their jobs and in as many healthy age- and sex-matched subjects. Health care workers displayed significantly higher circulating interleukin-15 levels compared to their age-matched control…

Allergic diseases in the elderly: biological characteristics and main immunological and non-immunological mechanisms

Life expectancy and the number of elderly people are progressively increasing around the world. Together with other pathologies, allergic diseases also show an increasing incidence in geriatric age. This is partly due to the growing emphasis on a more accurate and careful diagnosis of the molecular mechanisms that do not allow to ignore the real pathogenesis of many symptoms until now unknown, and partly to the fact that the allergic people from 20 years ago represent the elderly population now. Moreover, environmental pollution predisposes to the onset of allergic asthma and dermatitis which are the result of internal pathologies more than the expression of allergic manifestations. At the …

Fatal anaphylactic shock and Taenia solium infestation: a possible link?

Association between urticaria and virus infections: A systematic review

Background The association between urticaria and virus infections has rarely been reported in the literature. The lack of reported cases is probably due to the difficulty in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship. It is not possible to challenge the patient with an etiologic agent. Objective The purpose of this work was to perform a systematic review on the association between urticaria and virus infections. Methods This systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched for articles from January 1, 2008, through May 2015, by using two key terms related to urticaria and virus diseases, "urticaria" and…

Bilateral cyclic cheek lesions related to premenstrual syndrome: a multifactorial pathogenesis?

Introduction Cheek biting is a chronic, usually innocuous, self-inXicted injury that often occurs as a parafunctional habit. Case report We report an unusual case of bilateral cyclic cheek lesions in a 34-year-old woman characterized by hyperkeratinization near the biting edges of the teeth and hematic lesions accompanied by a cheek swelling sensation, without pain and burning. The lesions coincided with a premenstrual syndrome, characterized by Xuid retention Introduction Cheek biting is a chronic, usually innocuous, self-inXicted injury that often occurs as a parafunctional habit. Case report We report an unusual case of bilateral cyclic cheek lesions in a 34-year-old woman characterized …

Different clinical allergological features of Taenia solium infestation

The tapeworm Taenia (T.) solium can be responsible for two different conditions: taeniasis and cysticercosis. Helminth infections in human host cause an immune response associated with elevated levels of IgE, tissue eosinophilia and mastocytosis, and with the presence of CD4+ T cells that preferentially produce IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. Individuals exposed to helminth infections may have allergic inflammatory responses to parasites and parasite antigens. PubMed search of human cases of allergic reactions occurring during T. solium infestation was performed combining the terms (allergy, urticaria, angioedema, asthma, anaphylaxis) with T. solium. A study was considered eligible for inclusion in …

Serum levels of interleukin-18 and s-ICAM-1 in patients affected by psoriasis: preliminary considerations.

Objective To find new aspects of the systemic involvement of the Immune System in psoriasis, we determined serum levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18) (Th1-inducing factor cytokine), CD30 (Th2 marker) and sICAM-1 (adhesion molecule). In addition we evaluated the correlation between these molecules and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Background Psoriasis is associated to an overexpression of Th1 cytokines and a relative underexpression of Th2 cytokines. IL-18 plays an important role in inducing Th1 response because it is a potent inductor of synthesis of IFN-γ, TNF and other mediators. The two major sources of IL-18 are monocytes and macrophages but also human keratinocytes constitutive…

Urticaria and bacterial infections

The association between urticaria and infectious diseases has been discussed for >100 years. However, a causal relationship with underlying or precipitating infection is difficult to establish. The purpose of this work was to perform a systematic analysis of the published cases of urticaria associated with bacterial infections. We give an umbrella breakdown of up-to-date systematic reviews and other important publications on the complex association of urticaria and bacterial infections. We did a Medline search, for English language articles published until January 2014, using the key words "urticaria" and "bacteria/bacterial disease"; a second analysis was performed in groups of bacteria an…

Lethal Anaphylactic Reaction to Intravenous Gelatin in the Course of Surgery

Plasma volume expanders (PVEs) are widely used to increase circulating blood volume. Gelatins used as PVEs are heterogeneous mixtures of polypeptides, usually prepared by hydrolysis of bovine collagen containing large amounts of proline and hydroxyproline residues. It has been shown that gelatins can cause anaphylactic reactions. We describe the case of a 73-year-old man who during surgery for intestinal obstruction presented a lethal anaphylactic reaction after the administration of a PVE containing gelatin lysate. The reaction occurred 10 minutes after the start of plasma expander infusion. Then, patient became comatose, and he died without awakening after 76 days. Necroptic aspects and h…

Fatal hypersensitivity reaction to an oral spray of flurbiprofen: a case report

Summary What is known and objective Safety of the anti-inflammatory drug flurbiprofen is comparable with that of other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of the propionic acid class, which are commonly associated with gastrointestinal and renal side effects. Here we report a case of a fatal hypersensitivity reaction to an oral spray of flurbiprofen taken for sore throat. Case summary A 29-year-old man came to the emergency care unit reporting sore throat with an intense burning sensation associated with fever. Pharyngotonsillitis was diagnosed, and local treatment with oral flurbiprofen spray was prescribed. Immediately after using the spray, the patient experienced a severe reaction cha…