Sulfa vs Sulfate vs Sulfur vs Sulfite Allergy

Having a "sulfa" allergy is quite common... What is uncommon is understanding that being "sulfa" allergic does not necessarily mean that one is also allergic to sulfates, sulfur, and sulfites. Also, when a patient states that have a sulfa allergy, they typically mean they have a "sulfonamide" allergy. Why is this understanding of significance? It's because there is confusion whether a patient with a sulfa allergy can take sulfate containing medications safe…

11/18/2014 7

Continue Reading

What are the Most Common Severe Drug-Induced Anaphylaxis?

Image by James Heilman, MD from Wikipedia Interesting paper came out listing the most common severe drug-induced anaphylaxis . From a database of 333 patients who suffered from anaphylaxis, • Anaphylactic shock (76.6%) • Severe systemic reactions (10.5%) • Acute laryngeal edema (9%) • Severe bronchospasm (2.1%) • Fatal in 6 cases (1.8%) There were 270 cases (81.1%) of ambulatory anaphylaxis. Sixty-three cases (18.9%) occurred during anesthesia. 84 drugs were identified as being …

6/08/2013 0

Continue Reading

Why Does EpiPen Have to be Injected into the Thigh?

As any severely food allergic patients know, when suffering from a potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction, they need to jab an epinephrine needle into the side of their thigh... But... why the thigh? Why not the arm like most other shots? Per AAAAI , there have been 3 anatomic sites investigated to determine which location offers the fastest systemic absorption of epinephrine when injected intramuscularly and/or subcutaneously. Intramuscular injection in the upper arm (delto…

4/20/2012 2

Continue Reading

Hypoallergenic Cats and Dogs

CBS news published a story on hypoallergenic pets on their website here . The story did report that pricey pets that claim to be easy on allergy sufferers are probably more hype than true, but than did go on to list dogs and cats that are purportedly hypoallergenic. The claim for hypoallergenicity is based on hair/fur/dander length or quantity... mainly the shorter or smaller the amount, the less allergenic. However, there are other reasons why hypoallergenic pets are NOT hypoallergenic.…

4/01/2011 0

Continue Reading

Tongue Piercing Infections

It seems that tongue piercing is slowly becoming more popular than ever... and correspondingly, there seems to be even more tongue infections than ever before due to the piercing. If tongue piercing MUST happen, it is recommended that you avoid studs made of metal which increases the risk of infection, at least according to a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health . The study demonstrated that studs made of steel might promote the development of a bacterial biofilm leading to i…

1/16/2011 2

Continue Reading

You May Have a Condition Called Local Allergic Rhinitis Even If Allergy Testing Negative!!!

Image from Wikipedia A recent study was published describing a condition called " Local Allergic Rhinitis ." This condition is when a patient appears to have sino-nasal allergies, but yet, have negative allergy test results whether on skin prick or RAST . Up to 40% of patients with negative allergy test results may have this condition. In order to diagnose this condition, it requires the detection of local antigen specific IgE in nasal secretions during natural exposure to aer…

1/13/2010 0

Continue Reading

Stress Can INCREASE a Person's Allergies!

Researchers at Ohio State University recently published an article in the June 2009 journal Psychoneuroendocrinology titled " How stress and anxiety can alter immediate and late phase skin test responses in allergic rhinitis ." What they found was that allergic responses to a skin prick increased after a stressful event compared to a non-stressful event. Anxiety also substantially enhanced the effects of stress far into the future as even skin tests performed the day after the stre…

8/17/2009 0

Continue Reading