Carmelo Escudero

Oral desensitization as a useful treatment in 2-year-old children with cow's milk allergy: Oral desensitization to cow's milk allergy

Background Limited published evidence shows oral desensitization to be a potential intervention option for cows milk protein (CMPs) allergy.

Bronchial responsiveness to bakery-derived allergens is strongly dependent on specific skin sensitivity

Background:  Quantitative relationships between immunological reactivity, non‐specific bronchial responsiveness and bronchial responsiveness to allergens have scarcely been investigated in occupational asthma.

Early sustained unresponsiveness after short‐course egg oral immunotherapy: a randomized controlled study in egg‐allergic children

No studies have evaluated the potential of egg oral immunotherapy (egg‐OIT) to induce sustained unresponsiveness after discontinuing therapy following short‐term treatments.

Dehydrated egg white: An allergen source for improving efficacy and safety in the diagnosis and treatment for egg allergy

Raw and cooked eggs are used as allergens in oral food challenge (OFC). Raw egg is the best option, as it keeps proteins intact and retains their allergenicity, albeit microbiologically safe manipulation is difficult. Therefore, the use of dehydrated egg white (DEW) could improve the efficacy and safety profile of OFC. The aim of the study was to compare the allergenicity of DEW, a product that undergoes a double heat treatment (pasteurization and drying), with that of raw egg white (REW) and determine the efficacy of DEW in the diagnosis of egg allergy.

Allergy to goat’s and sheep’s milk in a population of cow’s milk–allergic children treated with oral immunotherapy*

To cite this article: Rodríguez del Río P, Sánchez‐García S, Escudero C, Pastor‐Vargas C, Sánchez Hernández JJ, Pérez‐Rangel I, Ibáñez MD. Allergy to goat’s and sheep’s milk in a population of cow’s milk–allergic children treated with oral immunotherapy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012: 23: 128–132.

Efficacy and safety of high-dose rush oral immunotherapy in persistent egg allergic children: A randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND Egg oral immunotherapy is effective but time consuming. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of egg rush oral immunotherapy (ROIT) with a targeted dose equivalent to a raw egg white. METHODS Thirty-three persistent egg allergic children confirmed by double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) were randomized to receive egg ROIT immediately after randomization (ROIT1 group), or to continue an egg avoidance diet for 5 months after randomization (control group [CG]). A 5-day build-up phase starting with the highest single tolerated dose at baseline DBPCFC was scheduled and several doses administered daily until achieving a dose of approximately 2,808 mg of egg white protein. In the maintenance phase, patients ate an undercooked egg every 48 hours for 5 months. The CG participants who failed the DBPCFC at 5 months began active treatment. Children from the ROIT1 group plus children from the CG who failed a second DBPCFC at 5 months and then received egg ROIT were randomized to the ROIT2 group. Adverse events (AEs) and immune marker evolution were recorded. RESULTS A total of 17 (89%) of 19 children in the ROIT1 group and no CG patients were desensitized at 5 months (P < .001). A total of 31 (97%) of the 32 children in the ROIT2 group completed the build-up phase in a median of 3 days (range, 1-14 days), and 30 (94%) of 32 maintained desensitization at 5 months. From baseline to 5 months of treatment, skin prick test, specific IgE, and specific IgE/IgG4 ratio to egg fractions significantly decreased, whereas specific IgG4 increased. During the build-up phase, AEs occurred in 69% of patients (50% had ≤2 AEs) and 31% of doses (2% severe, 55% gastrointestinal). Lower threshold dose in the DBPCFC and higher egg white and ovalbumin specific IgE levels at baseline revealed an association with a higher rate of AEs. CONCLUSION The proposed 5-day egg ROIT desensitized 94% of the allergic patients, with most AEs being mild or moderate.

Exercise-induced bronchospasm diagnosis in children. Utility of combined lung function tests.

The diagnosis of exercise‐induced asthma or bronchospasm (EIB) is a complex dare in daily clinical practice. The consensus is that if bronchial hyper‐responsiveness (BHR) is demonstrated in a patient with symptoms consistent with EIB, then that patient can be diagnosed with exercise‐induced bronchospasm. The aim of this study was to determine which BHR test is the most efficient to diagnose EIB.

Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy: A Spanish Guideline. Immunotherapy Egg and Milk Spanish Guide (ITEMS Guide). Part I: Cow Milk and Egg Oral Immunotherapy: Introduction, Methodology, Rationale, Current State, Indications, Contraindications, and Oral Immunotherapy Build-up Phase.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Cow´s milk and egg are the most frequent causes of food allergy in the first years of life. Treatments such as oral immunotherapy (OIT) have been investigated as an alternative to avoidance diets. No clinical practice guides on the management of OIT with milk and egg are currently available. Objectives: To develop a clinical guide on OIT based on the available scientific evidence and the opinions of experts. METHODS A review was made of studies published in the period between 1984 and June 2016, Doctoral Theses published in Spain, and summaries of communications at congresses (SEAIC, SEICAP, EAACI, AAAAI), with evaluation of the opinion consensus established by a group of experts pertaining to the scientific societies SEICAP and SEAIC. RESULTS Recommendations have been established regarding the indications, requirements and practical aspects of the different phases of OIT, as well as special protocols for patients at high risk of suffering adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS A clinical practice guide is presented for the management of OIT with milk and egg, based on the opinion consensus of Spanish experts.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Cow milk and egg are the most frequent causes of food allergy in the first years of life. Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has been investigated as an alternative to avoidance diets. No clinical practice guidelines on the management of OIT with milk and egg are currently available. Objectives: To develop clinical guidelines for OIT based on available scientific evidence and the opinions of experts. METHODS A review was made of studies published between 1984 and June 2016, doctoral theses published in Spain, summaries of communications at scientific meetings (SEAIC, SEICAP, EAACI, and AAAAI), and the consensus of opinion established by a group of experts from the scientific societies SEICAP and SEAIC. RESULTS Recommendations were established regarding the indications, requirements and practical aspects of the different phases of OIT, as well as special protocols for patients at high risk of adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS Clinical practice guidelines based on the consensus reached between Spanish experts are presented for the management of OIT with milk and egg.

Prospective assessment of diagnostic tests for pediatric penicillin allergy, from clinical history to challenge tests✰,✰✰,✰✰✰

BACKGROUND Diagnostic guidelines for penicillin allergy in children recommend cumbersome protocols based partially on data from adults, which may be suboptimal for pediatric use. OBJECTIVE To assess the accuracy of tools for diagnosis of penicillin allergy in children. METHODS A prospective, multicenter study was conducted in children with reported adverse events related to penicillin, excluding severe reactions. All patients underwent a uniform diagnostic protocol that consisted of clinical history, skin tests, serum specific IgE (sIgE), and, regardless of these results, drug provocation tests (DPTs). RESULTS A total of 732 children (mean age, 5.5 years; 51.2% males) completed the allergy workup, including DPTs. Amoxicillin triggered 96.9% of all reactions. None of the patients with an immediate index reaction (IR) developed a reaction on DPT. Penicillin allergy was confirmed in 35 children (4.8%): 6 immediate reactions (17%) and 29 nonimmediate reactions (83%) on the DPT. No severe reactions were recorded. The allergist diagnosis based on the clinical history was not associated with the DPT final outcome. In 30 of 33 allergic patients (91%), the results of all skin tests and sIgE tests were negative. A logistic regression model identified the following to be associated with penicillin allergy: a family history of drug allergy (odds ratio [OR], 3.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-6.89; P = .008), an IR lasting more than 3 days vs 24 hours or less (OR, 8.96; 95% CI, 2.01-39.86; P = .004), and an IR treated with corticosteroids (OR, 2.68; 95% CI, 1.30-5.54; P = .007). CONCLUSION Conventional predictors of allergy to penicillin performed weakly. The authors propose straightforward penicillin provocation testing in controlled, experienced centers for the diagnosis of nonsevere penicillin allergy in children.

Profilin, a change in the paradigm

Profilin is a protein that is present in all eukaryotic cells and is responsible for cross-reactivity between pollen, latex, and plant foods. It has been classically acknowledged as a minor or nearly irrelevant allergen, although recent data are changing this conception. The objective of this manuscript is to provide a comprehensive review of published data on the role of this ubiquitous allergen in pollen, latex, and plant food allergy. The patterns of recognition of this minor allergen follow a north-south gradient. Although present in all pollens and vegetables, profilin is significantly associated with allergy to grass pollen and to Cucurbitaceae fruits. Heb v 8, the latex profilin, is usually a marker of profilin allergy in plant food-allergic patients, although it has no clinical relevance in latex allergy. Sensitization to profilin jeopardizes the diagnosis of pollen allergy and selection of immunotherapy, and although component-resolved diagnosis can identify its impact, there are no tailored treatments available. In recent years, several new publications have shown how profilin should be taken into account and, under certain circumstances, considered a marker of severity, an allergen capable of inducing respiratory symptoms, and, in its natural purified form, a potential candidate for etiological treatment of food allergy. Current data on profilin strongly support the need for a shift in the previously accepted paradigm for this allergen. More research should be done to assess the real clinical impact of sensitization in specific populations and to develop therapeutic strategies.