‘Allergic’ to bath water? Time to rule out disease and test various solutions

‘Allergic’ to bath water? Time to rule out disease and test various solutions

Dear Dr. K:  My cousin who lives in New Hampshire has developed an allergy to water. For the past two years she gets extremely itchy every time she showers, or whenever water touches her skin – but there is no rash. She has seen an allergist, but the various prescribed antihistamines haven’t helped. Do you have any suggestions? Yes, I do.  First of all it sounds as if your cousin has idiopathic aquagenic pruritis. Usually, this condition just develops out…

Read More Read More

‘Grout’ proteins: more is better of these gatekeeper cells

‘Grout’ proteins: more is better of these gatekeeper cells

A recent breakthrough in understanding people with chronic rhino-sinusitis was made at the University of Zurich. Scientists there found that patients with severe nasal allergy, especially those with nasal polyps, have a defective epithelial cell barrier lining their nose. The normal epithelium of the nose has tight junctions between the individual cells consisting of trans-membrane scaffolding cells. This can best be visualized as being like the grout between individual floor tiles in your home. The Zurich researchers found a direct…

Read More Read More

Pre-medicating can head off injected contrast reaction

Pre-medicating can head off injected contrast reaction

The Mayo Clinic Proceedings recently had a review of adverse reactions to the various types and routes of injection of the most common iodinated contrast agents used in obtaining X-rays. Contrast media are usually safe, but severe reactions can occur. The injection sites – in order of increasing risk for reaction – include into tissue spaces or cavities, into an artery and into a vein. The two main causes for acute reactions are allergic and anaphylactoid, with the latter accounting…

Read More Read More

Cheers for the terminator – a better, safer, lice remover

Cheers for the terminator – a better, safer, lice remover

Acknowledged in the classic poem by Robert Burns, “Ode to a Louse,” lice are definitely an unfortunate part of communal life, especially involving school attendance. But take hope. There is a new treatment available that has been a health boon for several reasons. With existing medicines for treating lice there are two major problems: resistance and allergy. Unfortunately, many species of head lice have developed resistance to the standard therapies; that is, they aren’t killed by the once-effective therapies such…

Read More Read More

Q-Tips: Steroids and height

Q-Tips: Steroids and height

The European Respiratory Society completed a long-term study on the effect of extended use of inhaled steroids on the ultimate height of asthmatic children. They found that in children with moderate asthma who required daily use of inhaled steroids over many years, their ultimate adult height was within one centimeter of that expected.

Q-Tips: RSV, asthma

Q-Tips: RSV, asthma

A high correlation exists between having RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infection and developing childhood asthma. Research is being done to determine whether latent asthma predisposes to catching RSV, or whether RSV activates latent asthma.

Q-Tips: COPD

Q-Tips: COPD

The triotropium inhaler has been used for some time to treat COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), but recent studies have shown that it also has value to asthmatics. It can be added to existing therapies such as inhaled corticosteroids and inhaled bronchodilators, and seems to have a synergistic effect with the latter.

Slow dosage start more prudent?

Slow dosage start more prudent?

Questioning whether the starting dosage of a medication might influence the likelihood of hypersensitivity reactions, research scientists at the Medical University in New Zealand conducted a study using a time-honored therapy for gout. Unfortunately this medication, Allopurinol, has a predilection to cause hypersensitivity reactions that can be troublesome because, in addition to an allergic skin rash, there also may be inflammation of the liver and kidneys. The study was simple, comparing two groups starting Allopurinol. One group started with the…

Read More Read More

Anaphylaxis care in pregnancy: New guidance published

Anaphylaxis care in pregnancy: New guidance published

 Anaphylaxis in pregnancy – a condition that poses risks for both the mother and the fetus – now has published guidelines, thanks to work done at the University of California in San Diego and the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. Guidelines previously did not exist.  The authors point out that just as the general incidence of anaphylaxis is increasing, it is also increasing in pregnant women. During the three trimesters of pregnancy the causes of anaphylaxis are the same as in…

Read More Read More

Dear Doc: Wise to give MMR vaccine if child has allergy to eggs?

Dear Doc: Wise to give MMR vaccine if child has allergy to eggs?

 Dear Dr. K.: My daughter is allergic to eggs. They cause her to have hives. Should we avoid the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella – formerly known as German measles) shot? The old answer to your question is a qualified “no.” The new answer is an unqualified “no.” But, let me explain. Three primary vaccines exist that are produced using egg embryo fibroblasts. Because of this milieu, there is some – at least theoretical – potential for the vaccines to elicit an allergy…

Read More Read More