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Biomedical subjects

N E Eriksson

Publications and source records attributed to N E Eriksson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Allergy screening in asthma and allergic rhinitis. Which allergens should be used?

To detect atopy by a screening method employing skin prick testing with a limited number of allergens, the test results of 939 patients with allergic airways diseases were analysed. It was found that an allergen panel consisting of cat, timothy and house dust mite could detect 85% of atopic patients with asthma and/or rhinitis. For subgroups of patients the results were even more favourable. Thus 98% of atopic patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were detected by an allergen panel consisting of timothy, birch and mugwort. It is concluded that screening methods using only three of four allergens could be used for detecting atopy in patients with airways diseases. The method should be most valuable for in vitro tests used in combination with standardized questionnaires.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Tree pollen allergy. III. Cross reactions based on results from skin prick tests and the RAST in hay fever patients. A multi-centre study.

872 adult hay fever patients were investigated with skin tests, using 20 different tree pollen allergens, and Phadebas RAST, using eight different tree pollen allergens. Correlation between test results with the different allergens were studied employing the Spearman's correlation coefficient (Rho). Most combinations showed statistically significant correlations. The highest values of Rho (0.8-0.9) were found for pollen from combinations of trees belonging to the families Betulaceae, Corylaceae and Fagaceae (birch, alder, hazel, beech and oak). High values were also found between pollens from aspen and sallow (belonging to Salicaceae). With several of the trees a high degree of pollen cross sensitization was found, even with trees from a different plant family. Since most of the patients were allergic to birch pollen, some of the reactions to other pollens could be due to allergens shared by birch. To exclude this possibility, a separate analysis was performed for patients having no birch pollen allergy. Even in these patients evidence of cross sensitization was found. It is concluded that cross reactions are common among tree pollens and are most pronounced within botanical families.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Flowers and other trigger factors in asthma and rhinitis--an inquiry study.

Six hundred and eighty adult patients with asthma and/or rhinitis were questioned about symptoms elicited by 46 different flowers and 10 common non-specific environmental trigger factors listed in a questionnaire. Flowers or birch twigs were reported to elicit symptoms in 79% of the patients, somewhat more often in rhinitis than in asthma patients, and caused symptoms as often in non-atopics as in atopics. Birch twig and marguerite most frequently induced symptoms, followed by strongly smelling flowers such as hyacinth, lilac, and lily of the valley. Unspecific irritants caused symptoms in 98% of the asthmatics and in 67% of patients with rhinitis. Tobacco smoke and perfumes were the most important troublemakers. A significant positive correlation was found for elicitation of symptoms from flowers and from certain non-specific irritants. It is concluded that non-specific hyperreactivity as well as reaginic hypersensitivity are the mechanisms involved when birch twigs and flowers elicit symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Results of biological standardization with standardized allergen preparations.

The aim of biological standardization (BS) is to equilibrate the activity (potency) of allergen extracts from different source materials. This was done by performing skin prick tests (SPT) on patients who were sensitive to one of the following 10 allergens: Birch, alder, hazel, timothy, rye grass, velvet grass, cultivated rye, mugwort, D. farinae and Cladosporium herbarum. Patient sensitivity varied within a range of three to four powers of ten for each allergen investigated. The weal size in each patient corresponding to that elicited by histamine 1 mg/ml was calculated using the model log (mean weal diameter) = a + b log (concentration). The correlation coefficients of the regression lines of the allergen dose response relationship were found to be greater than 0.85 in most cases. The median slope for all extracts was 0.24. The slope for Cladosporium was significantly steeper than that for pollens. The amount of material in microgram dry weight (d.w./ml) equal to 1000 biological units/ml (BU/ml) varied within a factor of three between species for all tested purified allergen preparations but Cladosporium. For Cladosporium, about 30 times more material was needed than for D. farinae. When using crude rather than purified material, it was necessary to use five to ten times more to elicit a reaction corresponding to 1000 BU/ml, but the difference was significant only for Cladosporium. The narrow range of allergen concentrations used by us as well as other investigators does not assure positive skin prick test results in all patients with clinical symptoms due to the allergen in question. Skin prick testing should therefore be done over a wide range of concentrations to improve the methods for BS.

Allergens↗
PubMed1986

Airflows after inhalation of terbutaline sulphate aerosol from a 750-ml spacer for four weeks.

Terbutaline sulphate was administered to 40 adult asthmatic patients via an ordinary metered-dose inhaler (MDI) or one connected to a 750-ml spacer in an open, randomized, crossover study. Spirometry was obtained before the start of the study and again after four weeks of treatment with each inhaler. The patients recorded on a diary card the severity of their asthma symptoms and the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in the morning before and after drug administration and in the evening. Preinhalation spirometric values were higher after four weeks with the 750-ml spacer than at the start of the study (P less than or equal to 0.05). Daily morning and evening PEFR values were higher after use of the 750-ml spacer than after use of the ordinary MDI (P less than 0.05). Daily symptom scores were generally low. A significantly better effect (P less than or equal to 0.05) with the 750-ml spacer was achieved only in daytime dyspnea. The investigators conclude that the attachment of a 750-ml spacer to an ordinary metered-dose inhaler can improve the efficacy of terbutaline sulphate in the long-term treatment of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Tree pollen allergy. I. Features of plant geography and pollen counts.

The distribution of trees and bushes in Sweden (viz. lignoses) of possible allergic importance is presented and comments made on analyses of pollen counts of lignose taxa from different parts of the country. Based on these data, 20 lignose taxa were selected for an allergen panel and used in a multi-centre study covering Sweden with the aim of revealing the pattern of sensitization to these plants among sufferers of springtime hay fever.

Humans↗
PubMed1984

Tree pollen allergy. II. Sensitization to various tree pollen allergens in Sweden. A multi-centre study.

In a multi-centre study, comprising 16 clinics, 871 adult hay fever patients were studied. Most patients included had springtime hay fever. Skin prick tests were performed with 20 different tree or bush pollen (lignoses) allergens. RAST determinations were done with eight different tree pollen allergens in 590 patients. Birch pollen (BP) allergen gave the highest frequency of positive test results. The test results with the various tree pollen allergens in patients with BP allergy were compared with those in patients without BP allergy. With all the allergens a significantly higher frequency of positive test results was found in those with BP allergy than in those without. Only very small differences were noted between various parts of the country, and sensitization against various tree pollens was common even in regions where the corresponding trees do not grow. It was concluded that a high degree of cross-sensitization exists among tree pollens, and testing with BP allergen is sufficient for the diagnostic screening of tree pollen allergy.

Humans↗
PubMed1983

Birch pollen-related food hypersensitivity: influence of total and specific IgE levels. A multicenter study.

Total IgE, RAST results with tree pollen allergens, and prick test results with birch, grass and mugwort pollen allergens were correlated to 872 hay fever patients' reported food hypersensitivity (FH). A positive correlation was found between FH and the RAST and prick test results with birch pollen allergen. At each level of birch pollen sensitivity the incidence of FH was lower in patients with high total IgE than in those with lower total IgE. A negative correlation was found between grass pollen allergy and FH in birch pollen allergics. It is suggested that antigens in some foods have a specific ability to bridge anti-birch IgE molecules on mast cells. An explanation of the negative correlation between FH and total IgE and grass pollen allergy could be that a high number of non-birch-specific IgE molecules on the mast cells will reduce the probability that two anti-birch IgE molecules should bind on nearby sites.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Hypersensitivity to foods among birch pollen-allergic patients. Immunochemical inhibition studies for evaluation of possible mechanisms.

Several statistical investigations have indicated that an immunological partial identity might exist between birch pollen an some foods because of the existence of concurrent hypersensitivity symptoms to both sources. In order to study this, two groups of BP (birch pollen)-allergic patients (20 with (F+) and 20 without (F-) food hypersensitivity) were skin prick tested with extracts of various foods prepared in different ways. Sera from these patients were inhibited with different foods, including a lectin, Con A (concanavalin A), before analysis in BP-RAST and -CRIE. Corresponding experiments using sera from grass pollen allergics were performed as controls. The two groups of patients showed identical skin reactivities to BP extract whereas the F+ patients bound twice as much BP-specific IgE in RAST and CRIE as the F- patients. BP-RAST performed with sera from F+ patients were in some cases inhibited with foods and Con A; corresponding BP-CRIE were not. Neither BP-RAST (with one exception) nor -CRIE performed with sera from F- patients were inhibited with foods and Con A. TP (timothy pollen)-RAST performed with sera from timothy allergic patients were inhibited with some foods and with Con A; corresponding TP-CRIE were not. Controls performed on sera from normal individuals revealed no inhibition at all in the BP and TP systems. As no direct evidence for immunological partial identity was found from these results the clinical hypersensitivity against some foods among BP-allergics are discussed particularly regarding content of lectin in foods and common carbohydrate components in pollen allergens and food molecules.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Combined theophylline/beta-agonists maintenance therapy in chronic asthma.

The therapeutic value of adding a slow-release theophylline product (Theo-Dur) to the regular treatment program consisting of beta-stimulants and steroids was evaluated in 31 adult asthmatics. Theophylline in a dose of 300 mg or placebo was administered twice daily during two 14-day periods in a randomized double-blind cross-over study. PEF and asthma symptoms were recorded daily. In the morning, 12 h after tablet intake, spirometry was performed and the theophylline concentration determined. The addition of theophylline slightly, but statistically significantly, increased the daily PEF values and reduced dyspnoea, but not cough, sputum volumes and aerosol consumption. The patients showed preference for the combined treatment. Spirometry at the end of each period did not differ significantly between treatments. The mean theophylline concentration in the morning 12 h after tablet intake was 39 mumol/l (range 15-81 mumol/l). The results of the study suggest that the addition of a slow-release theophylline preparation to beta-stimulant therapy provides further relief of asthma symptoms without an unacceptable increase in the incidence of side-effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Food hypersensitivity in patients with pollen allergy.

Six hundred patients with pollen allergy answered a questionnaire about food hypersensitivity. Hypersensitivity to various nuts, fruits and roots was reported more often by patients with birch pollen allergy (70%) than by patients without birch pollen allergy (19%). The stronger the skin test reaction to birch pollen, the higher was the incidence of food hypersensitivity. A negative correlation was found between grass pollen allergy and food hypersensitivity. In the diagnosis of springtime hayfever, the presence of hypersensitivity to nuts, fruits and roots supports a diagnosis of birch pollen allergy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

A comparison of sustained-release terbutaline and ordinary terbutaline in bronchial asthma.

The effects and side effects in steady state of a sustained-release preparation of terbutaline 7.5 mg twice daily were compared with ordinary tablets 5 mg three times daily. The study performed for two weeks was double-blind, double-dummy, cross-over with randomized allocation of the drugs. 20 patients completed the trial and the results show higher mean morning PEFR values and a tendency to milder side effects with depot tablets.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A new inhalation technique for freon aerosols. Terbutaline aerosol with a tube extension in a 2-day cross-over comparison with salbutamol aerosol.

In a double-blind, cross-over, 2-day study 32 adult asthmatic patients compared the bronchodilating effect of 0.5 mg terbutaline sulphate aerosol, administered via a 10 cm tube extension attached to the actuator of a pressurized aerosol, with that of 0.2 mg salbutamol sulphate, administered by a conventional pressurized aerosol. New instructions for the inhalation technique were given for the terbutaline aerosol, dividing the actuation of the aerosol and the slow inhalation into two steps. The salbutamol aerosol was to be taken according to the instructions enclosed, i.e. coordinating the actuation of the aerosol and the inhalation. The improvement in peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) values was similar for the two treatments. Subjective assessments by the patients showed no differences between the two regimens. As the effect seems to be equal, an aerosol actuator furnished with a tube extension, with no strict demands of synchronizing the actuation of the aerosol and the inhalation, could be a suitable alternative treatment in patients who find self-administration with conventional asthma aerosols difficult.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Immunotherapy in spring-time hay fever. A clinical and immunological study comparing two different treatment extract compositions.

In a study of the efficacy of two different treatment schedules for perennial immunotherapy, 47 adult patients with spring-time hay fever due to allergy against birch and other deciduous trees were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: one group received birch, alder and hazel allergen in Allpyral, another group received the same Allpyral mixture and in addition all relevant tree pollens in aqueous extract and a control group received no injections. For determination of antibody titres the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and the ammonium sulphate precipitation (ASP) technique were used. Cellular responsiveness was studied by measuring birch pollen (BP) induced leucocyte histamine release in peripheral blood. The clinical and immunological response was similar in the two treated groups. Treated patients had less symptoms and a lower consumption of antihistamine tablets during the pollen season than the control group. Non-IgE BP antibodies and IgE antibodies recorded with the ASP technique increased after immunotherapy while RAST values did not change significantly. A decrease of RAST values from postseasonal values during the first year to preseasonal values in the following year was seen in all patient groups but was less pronounced in treated than in untreated patients. The decrease was more pronounced in patients with high RAST values of postseasonal sera than in patients with low RAST values. Cellular reactivity increased slightly during the first phase of therapy but returned to the pre-treatment level later. Clinical improvement was positively correlated to the percentage increase of non-IgE antibody titre and to the pre-treatment non-IgE/IgE antibody ratio. Patients with high preseasonal RAST titres or high cellular sensitivity tended to have more severe symptoms during the pollen season. It is concluded that a mixture of birch, alder and hazel is sufficient for immunotherapy in spring-term hay fever. It is obvious that changes of a single immunological variable do not account for the therapeutic results in immunotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Food sensitivity reported by patients with asthma and hay fever. A relationship between food sensitivity and birch pollen-allergy and between food sensitivity and acetylsalicylic acid intolerance.

Among adult patients with bronchial asthma and/or allergic rhinitis undergoing allergological investigation with skin test, nasal provocation test and RAST, 1129 answered a questionaire regarding food sensitivity (FS). 276 (24%) of the patients reported some kind of allergic symptoms on eating or handling various foods, of which hazel nut, apple and shell fish were the most often named. Females reported FS more often than males. A correlation was found between birch pollen allergy and FS with nuts, apple, peach, cherry, pear, plum, carrot and new potato. The higher the degree of birch pollen allergy, according to skin test, RAST or provocation test, the higher the frequency of FS. A correlation was found too between acetylsalicylic acid intolerance and FS with some foods, e.g. nuts, strawberry, almond, green pepper, hip, chocolate, egg, cabbage, milk and wine. The connection between birch pollen allergy and FS is probably explained by the structural relationship between birch pollen allergen and some allergens of the foodstuffs, whereas the high incidence of FS in acetylsalicylic acid-intolerant patients is probably explained by additives in foods as well as salicylates or benzoates naturally occurring in some food.

Adolescent↗