Although allergic diseases are generally considered to be diseases of childhood and youth, the first symptoms of allergic diseases can be seen in old age sometimes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of allergic diseases in the elderly population admitted to the allergy unit on an outpatient basis. The files of the patients who applied to our clinic's allergy unit during the 8-year period were retrospectively analyzed. The data of patients aged ? 65 years were obtained from the files of our allergy unit archive. A total of 1,272 patients aged ? 65 years old were included in the study. The mean age was 70 years (range: 65?97 years). Most of the patients were female (n = 704, 55.3%). Of the patients, 887 (69.8%) presented with cutaneous symptoms, and urticaria was identified in 500 of them (56.3%). Drug hypersensitivity reactions were detected in 175 (13.7%) patients. A total of 71 (5.6%) patients had asthma, 65 (5.1%) had anaphylaxis, 48 (3.8%) had allergic rhinitis, 24 (1.9%) had hymenoptera venom allergy, and 18 (1.4%) had food allergies. Atopy history (OR = 2.323, 95% CI = 1.590-3.393, p < 0.001) and comorbidity (OR = 1.631, 95% CI = 1.050-2.533, p = 0.029) were found to be risk factors for drug hypersensitivity reactions. Male gender (OR = 3.462, 95% CI = 1.097-10.933, p = 0.034) and atopy history (OR = 14.877, 95% CI = 6.081-36.393, p < 0.001) were found to be risk factors for hymenoptera venom allergy. Diagnosis becomes difficult due to the perception that allergic diseases mainly affect young people. Clinical symptoms are not evident in the elderly and age-related difficulties are encountered in diagnostic tests. There is a need to develop specific guidelines for the diagnosis of allergic diseases in the elderly.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the frequency of autoimmune diseases (ADs) accompanying common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and evaluate clinical and immunological features, organ manifestation, and effects on malignancy and mortality. Patients and methods: The retrospective study was conducted with 85 patients (47 males, 38 females; median age: 38 years; range, 30 to 53 years) with CVID between January 2013 and January 2023. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of ADs: CVID patients with ADs [AD-CVID (+) group; n=36] and CVID patients without ADs [AD-CVID (–) group; n=49]. The clinical and immunological features of the groups were compared, and the effects on organ manifestations, malignancy development, and mortality were evaluated. Results: The diagnostic delay in the AD-CVID (+) group was 84 months and was longer than that in the AD-CVID (–) group. The most common AD was cytopenia, particularly immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Splenomegaly was the most common organ manifestation. Sjögren syndrome was the most common rheumatic disease. There was no difference between the immunoglobulin levels and lymphocyte subgroup levels, whereas the class-switched memory B cell levels were lower in the AD-CVID (+) group. While malignancy, particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma, was more common in the AD-CVID (+) group, no difference was observed in mortality between the groups. Conclusion: Adult CVID patients with ADs have a longer diagnostic delay. Autoimmune conditions, particularly autoimmune cytopenias and inflammatory diseases, are much more common in patients with CVID than in the general population. Therefore, physicians’ awareness of autoimmune manifestations in CVID patients should be increased to prevent delays in diagnosis.

It is known that the use of inhaled corticosteroids increases the incidence of pneumonia in patients followed up with the diagnosis of chronic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to investigate the contribution of inhaled steroid use to pneumonia severity and mortality in cases with COVID-19 pneumonia. The study is a retrospective, observational study. Among the cases admitted to the pandemic clinic, patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia were included. The plan was to compare cases who received and did not receive inhaled corticosteroids in terms of pneumonia severity and mortality. In order to define risk factors for mortality, univariate and multivariable negative binomial regression analyses were performed. In our study, it was observed that n= 540 (75%) cases did not receive inhaled corticosteroids (group 1), and 180 (25%) cases used inhaled corti costeroids (group 2). Group 1 and group 2 cases were compared in terms of pneumonia severity with no significant difference between the two groups (p= 0.11). Then, risk factors affecting mortality in all cases were examined with univariate analyses. Increasing age, applying mechanical ventilation, having severe pneumonia, having interstitial lung disease, and applying prone position were found to be statistically significant factors in mortality (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in our study, it was observed that the use of inhaled corticosteroids did not increase the severity of pneumonia and mortality. It was thought that the treatment they received could be continued when the patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids due to asthma and COPD had COVID-19 pneumonia.