Department of Pediatrics and Emergency, Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria "Consorziale-Policlinico", Pediatric Hospital Giovanni XXIII, 70126 Bari, Italy
Dr. Carla Mastrorilli
Department of Pediatrics and Emergency, Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria "Consorziale-Policlinico", Pediatric Hospital Giovanni XXIII, 70126 Bari, Italy
The aim of this guidance is to provide recommendations to clinicians and other interested parties on chronic urticaria in children. The Italian Society for Pediatrics (SIP), the Italian Society for Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP), the Italian Society for Pediatric dermatology (SIDerP) convened a multidisciplinary panel that prepared clinical guidelines for diagnosis and management of chronic urticaria in childhood. Key questions on epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis, and management were developed. The literature was systematically searched and evaluated, recommendations were rated and algorithms for diagnosis and treatment were developed. The recommendations focus on identification of diseases and comorbidities, strategies to recognize triggering factors, improvement of treatment by individualized care.
Seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR) affects millions of people worldwide, particularly in childhood and adolescence. Pollen food allergy syndrome (PFAS) is a common adverse reaction occurring few minutes after the consumption of vegetable foods in patients with pollen-induced SAR. PFAS has rarely been investigated in the pediatric population, as it has been mainly examined as an adult disease. Recent studies suggested that PFAS might be more frequent in childhood than previously recognized. The present review aims to give an overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, management and prognosis of PFAS in children with SAR-induced by pollens.
21 December 2017 in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic clinical-pathologic disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the esophageal epithelium with esophageal dysfunction symptoms.EoE can occur at any age and has different clinical manifestations depending on the age onset.To date, esophago-gastroduodenal endoscopy (EGD) with biopsy is the gold-standard for EoE diagnosis.According to the recent consensus guidelines, proton pump inhibitors, corticosteroids and elimination diets could be a first-line therapy option. The aim of the treatment is clinical and histological remission for preventing long-lasting untreatable fibrosis.A multidisciplinary approach (allergist, gastroenterology, dietitian, and pathologist) is recommended for managing patients affected by EoE, given the complexity of its treatment.This review will provide a practical guide to assist pediatricians treating children with EoE.Moreover, it highlights the unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment that require urgent attention from the scientific community in the aim of improving the management of patients with EoE.
The rise of food allergy in childhood, particularly among developed countries, has a significant weight on public health and involves serious implications for patients’ quality of life. Even if the mechanisms of food tolerance and the complex interactions between the immune system and environmental factors are still mainly unknown, pediatricians have worldwide implemented preventive measures against allergic diseases. In the last few decades, the prevention of food allergy has tracked various strategies of complementary feeding with a modification of international guidelines from delayed introduction to early weaning. Current evidence shows that complementary foods, including allergenic ones, should be introduced into diet after four months, or even better, following World Health Organization advice, around six months irrespective of risk for allergy of the individual. The introduction of peanut is recommended before 12 months of age among infants affected by severe eczema and/or egg allergy to diminish the occurrence of peanut allergy in countries with high peanut consumption. The introduction of heated egg at 6–8 months of age may reduce egg allergy. Infants at high risk of allergy similarly to healthy children should introduce complementary foods taking into account family and cultural preferences.
Tuberculosis is one of the most common infectious diseases and infectious causes of death worldwide. Over the last decades, significant research effort has been directed towards defining the understanding of the pathogenesis of tuberculosis to improve diagnosis and therapeutic options. Emerging scientific evidence indicates a possible role of the human microbiota in the pathophysiology of tuberculosis, response to therapy, clinical outcomes, and post-treatment outcomes. Although human studies on the role of the microbiota in tuberculosis are limited, published data in recent years, both from experimental and clinical studies, suggest that a better understanding of the gut–lung microbiome axis and microbiome–immune crosstalk could shed light on the specific pathogenetic mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and identify new therapeutic targets. In this review, we address the current knowledge of the host immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the emerging evidence on how gut and lung microbiota can modulate susceptibility to tuberculosis, the available studies on the possible use of probiotic–antibiotic combination therapy for the treatment of tuberculosis, and the knowledge gaps and future research priorities in this field.