But patients need to take blood tests in order to determine that they are not allergic to this contrasting material. Despite popular belief, having an allergy to shellfish does not automatically make a person allergic to contrast dyes. This is why allergy testing is done whenever possible.

    Radiocontrast Media Allergy

    To help doctors read CT scans more quickly, it is common practice for the patient to receive an IV of radiocontrast media or a type of iodine dye. Although shellfish is an ingredient in this dye, shellfish proteins are not included, and it’s the proteins that trigger allergic reactions in people with shellfish food allergies.

    Symptoms of radiocontrast media allergy include vomiting, sudden skin swelling, reddening of the skin, and hives. Those patients that had a previous allergic reaction may still get the radiocontrast media IV if a doctor is sure that symptoms can be prevented with antihistamines or epinephrine injections.

    MRIs

    Not all MRIs will need contrast media, made from gadolinium rather than iodine. This depends on what body part is being scanned for what purpose. For example, if the blood vessels need to be scrutinized, then contrast makes it easier to spot any abnormalities. The decision whether an MRI needs contrast depends upon the prescribing physician. Less people are allergic to gadolinium-based contrast dyes than iodine contrast dyes.

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That’s the surprising and effective message in a new video PSA produced by Anaphylaxis Canada to get teens talking about food allergies.

The television spot shows a teenage boy and girl beside each other on a couch, inching toward each other for their first kiss. As the nervous pair gets closer together, the narrator explains that while the girl is concerned about whether to make the first move or close her eyes, the boy is worried about whether the girl has eaten peanut butter, to which he is allergic.
 
Beatrice Povolo, director of marketing communications for Anaphylaxis Canada, said it was important for the PSA to appeal to teens, who are most at risk of severe food allergy reactions.
 
“That age is a time of challenges and figuring out their way in the world, and unfortunately they aren’t as vigilant when it comes to a lot of things in life,” Povolo said. “When they’re younger, they’ve got their parents and their teachers and it’s a much more protective environment in terms of always having an adult watching out for them.
 
“We felt this was a great conversation-starter for pre-teens and existing teens.”

The PSA will be shown mainly in Canadian metro markets and includes print promotions as well.

Of the more than 1.3 million Canadians with serious food allergies, teenagers are unique in the challenges they face. Teens have to manage their food allergies in various social situations, contend with peer pressure, and may exhibit a tendency towards risky behaviour and the awkwardness.

“Teens need to be aware of the risks and equipped with the knowledge and confidence to make safe choices,” said Laurie Harada, executive director of Anaphylaxis Canada and the mother of a teen with multiple food allergies. “Ensuring that their peers understand the seriousness of food allergies is also extremely important.”

The public service announcement is the latest initiative in Anaphylaxis Canada’s Why Risk It? allergy awareness program targeted at pre-teens, teenagers and young adults.

Anaphylaxis Canada is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping those at risk for anaphylaxis and those who care for them, and is committed to creating a safer world for people with food allergies through research, education and advocacy.

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Inhalers that deliver corticosteroids to the lungs have long been the most common form of asthma control. But inhalers need to be used every day to fend off asthma attacks, and that’s a hard sell for lots of kids.

But researchers now think leukotriene modifiers, which reduce inflammation caused by allergies and are already widely prescribed for asthma, might do as good a job as corticosteroids in reducing the risk of asthma attacks.

A group of researchers led by David Price, a respiratory specialist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, gave 306 children and adults with asthma one drug or the other, and followed them for two years.

The participants reported that the two drugs were equally effective in reducing asthma symptoms after two months. At two years, however, the data didn’t prove the different medicines were equal. The results were published in the current New England Journal of Medicine.

What’s interesting about this study is that it didn’t follow standard protocol for clinical trials: There was no placebo group that didn’t take medication, and both patients and doctors knew which medication they were taking.

This way of testing medications has its limitations, but it may more accurately reflect the real world of patient care, according to an NEJM editorial commenting on the study. “The ease of taking a pill should be particularly attractive in developing parts of the world,” the editorialists wrote, “where most patients with asthma remain untreated.”

Singulair, the brand name for one of the leukotriene modifier pills, goes off patent in 2012, so cheaper versions should be available before too long. (The original patent protection was embroiled in lawsuits for years.) The patent for Accolate, a similar product, expired last year, but cheaper generic versions haven’t yet been approved.

There are some caveats. Although the study was commissioned by and funded mostly by the U.K. government, the same drug companies that make leukotriene inhibitors — Merck (Singulair) and AstraZeneca (Accolate) — also kicked in some cash.

And lead researcher Price has gotten grants, research support, and speaking fees from Merck and AstraZeneca, as well as other pharmaceutical companies. So, as exciting as the prospect of tossing the inhaler might be, hold on to it until more research is available.

Source: NPR News

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Failure to remove contaminated materials and to reduce moisture and humidity in a home that has been flooded can lead to long-term health risks, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Standing water and wet materials quickly lead to the growth of mold, a common allergen, the ACAAI says. Symptoms of mold allergy include sneezing, itching, congestion, nasal discharge, coughing and wheezing.

“One of the biggest issues homeowners face is what to do about flooded carpeting,” Dr. James L. Sublett, who chairs the group’s indoor environments committee, said in a news release.

“The pads cannot be dried out and should be thrown away,” Sublett said. “Carpets should be pulled up and thoroughly dried within the first 24 hours. In addition, wallboard damage will be hidden and, if it has become wet, it should be replaced to above the water line.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urges anyone cleaning a home after a flood to wear an N-95 respirator mask, goggles, gloves, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and boots or work shoes. Then, discard any items that got wet but cannot be cleaned.

The agency also emphasizes that portable generators should be placed outside and far away from the home to protect people from breathing in carbon dioxide and other harmful substances in the generator’s exhaust fumes.

Source: HealthDay

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Researchers found that among 2- and 3-year-olds whose parents suffered from allergies, those who were started early on solid foods or cow’s milk were about five times less likely to be sensitized to peanuts.

“Sensitized” means that a child has immune-system antibodies directed at a potential allergen — in this case, peanut proteins — and is at increased risk of having a full-blown allergy to that substance.

But the findings do not prove that early introduction of “complementary” foods prevents peanut allergies, said Christine Joseph, the lead researcher on the study and an epidemiologist at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

The study shows an association, but cannot prove cause-and-effect, she said.

At one time, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents not give children cow’s milk until after their first birthday, eggs until the age of two, or peanuts until age three. But the group reversed that position in 2008, after studies showed no good evidence that the advice lowered kids’ food allergy risks.

Now, experts generally recommend that infants be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life because it is the best form of nutrition. Whether that has any benefit on food allergy risks, though, remains unclear.

The new findings are based on 594 children whose mothers were interviewed when the children were one, six, and 12 months old. When the children were 2 to 3 years old, the researchers tested their blood samples for antibodies against peanut, egg and milk — three common triggers of childhood food allergies.

Overall, 11 percent of the children were sensitized to peanut. Among children whose parents had allergies or asthma, the risk of peanut sensitization was lower if they’d been started on solid food or cow’s milk before the age of four months.

Of those children, just under 6 percent had peanut sensitivity, versus 16 percent of those who’d had the foods introduced later in infancy. That corresponds to a five-fold difference in risk, after taking into account other things that might set the toddlers up for allergies.
There was no similar pattern among children whose parents were allergy-free.

It’s too early to tell whether early solid foods are a “good thing” for infants with a family history of allergies, Joseph said.
“Intuitively, it does seem like the opposite of what you’d expect,” she noted.

However, Joseph explained, for infants with a genetic susceptibility to allergies, early exposure to a broader range of foods could be the “kick start” needed for immune-system cells in the gut to mature.

And that, in turn, could make them less likely to develop food allergies later in childhood.

It’s estimated that just over one per cent of U.S. children are allergic to peanuts.

Source: Reuters, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

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