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.
Severe asthma (SA) is a heterogeneous disease composed of various clinical phenotypes, and criteria for selecting the most appropriate biological agent rem
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.
18 November 2025 in International Archives of Allergy and Immunology
Introduction: Relapse after omalizumab discontinuation in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is frequent, but predictors of recurrence remain unclear. This study aimed to identify clinical and laboratory factors associated with relapse within 12 months after treatment withdrawal. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 176 adult CSU patients who received omalizumab for ≥6 months and were followed for ≥12 months after discontinuation. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were compared between relapse and non-relapse groups using logistic regression analyses. Results: Relapse occurred in 118 patients (67.0%) within 12 months after omalizumab discontinuation. In multivariable analysis, three variables were independently associated with relapse: lower baseline Urticaria Control Test (UCT) score (odds ratio [OR] per 1-point increase = 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47–0.77; p < 0.001), longer time to response after omalizumab initiation (OR per month = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.36–5.12; p = 0.004), and a history of prior relapse after treatment withdrawal (OR = 9.80; 95% CI: 1.52–63.14; p = 0.016). In univariate analysis, urticaria duration was significantly longer in relapsing patients (p < 0.001), but it was not an independent predictor. Additionally, no independent associations were found for age, sex, treatment duration, total immunoglobulin E, anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody, or comorbidities (all p > 0.05). The multivariable model showed excellent discrimination (area under the curve = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.84–0.95). Conclusion: Lower baseline disease control, delayed clinical response, and prior relapse history were independent predictors of recurrence within 12 months after omalizumab discontinuation, whereas treatment duration and routine serologic markers were not. These findings highlight the need for individualized discontinuation strategies in CSU management.
6 September 2022 in Journal of Turkish Sleep Medicine