| Autor: |
Villalta D; Immunologia e Allergologia, Ospedale 'S. Maria degli Angeli', Via Montereale 24, 33170 Pordenone, Italy Phone: +39 0434 399647 281 Fax: +39 0434 399344 E-mail: danilo.villalta@aas5.sanita.fvg.it., Cecchi L; SOS Allergologia e Immunologia Clinica, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy., Farsi A; SOS Allergologia e Immunologia Clinica, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy., Chiarini F; SOS Allergologia e Immunologia Clinica, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy., Minale P; SOC di Allergologia, IRCCS S. Martino - IST, Genova, Italy., Voltolini S; SOC di Allergologia, IRCCS S. Martino - IST, Genova, Italy., Scala E; Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata - IRCCS, Roma, Italy., Quercia O; Unità ad Alta Specializzazione di Allergologia, Ospedale di Faenza, Faenza, Italy., Muratore L; Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service, Vito Fazio Hospital, Lecce, Italy., Pravettoni V; UOC Clinical Allergy and Immunology, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy., Calamari AM; Ospedale Castelli, Pallanza, Italy., Cortellini G; UO di Medicina Interna e Reumatologia, Azienda Sanitaria della Romagna, Rimini, Italy., Asero R; Ambulatorio di Allergologia, Clinica S. Carlo, Paderno Dugnano, Milan, Italy. |
| Abstrakt: |
Summary: Background. The term of α-Gal syndrome, which includes the delayed allergy to red meat and the allergic reactions following the administration of cetuximab, is associated to the presence of specific IgE to α-Gal. In Italy, only anecdotal cases were reported so far. The Association of Italian Allergists (AAITO) carried out a survey with the aim of evaluating presence, characteristics, clinical features, and distribution of the syndrome in Italy. Methods. A web structured questionnaire was made available on the website of AAIITO from July 2016 to January 2017. It included 31 multiple-choice questions concerning different items, including the site of physicians, the number of patients diagnosed as having cetuximab allergy and/or delayed red meat allergy, recall of tick bites, symptoms, time to reactions, elicitor foods, reactions with foods other than meat, and in-vivo and in-vitro tests used for the diagnosis. Results. Seventy-nine physicians completed the questionnaire. Nine cases of allergy to cetuximab and 40 cases of delayed red meat allergy were recorded across Italy. 22.5% of patients with cetuximab allergy and 62.5% of those with delayed red meat allergy recalled a tick bite. 75% of patients with delayed red meat allergy experienced symptoms after eating beef (butcher's cut in 72.5%). Urticaria was the most frequent clinical manifestation (65% of cases). In 60.6% of cases symptoms appeared 2 - 4 hours after meat ingestion, while in 7.9% symptoms appeared after > 4 hours. The most used diagnostic methods were the intradermal test for cetuximab allergy (88.9%) and the detection of IgE to α-Gal (55.5%) for red meat allergy. Most case reports came from Northern Italy. Conclusions. α-Gal syndrome is present in Italy and beef is the most frequent offending food. In most cases symptoms were not severe. |
