Clinical and Molecular Allergy最新文献

{"title":"House dust mite-related respiratory allergies and probiotics: a narrative review.","authors":"Filippo Fassio,&nbsp;Fabio Guagnini","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0092-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0092-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The socio-economic burden of allergic respiratory conditions on continental Europe is even higher than that of mainstream diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as allergic rhinitis alone accounts for billions of Euros in healthcare expenses across Europe. House dust mites (HDM) are one of the most common triggers behind allergic rhinitis and asthma. The role of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of some allergic conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, is already well recognized, whereas evidence about their efficacy in patients with respiratory allergies-while increasing-is still limited. Here the current evidence for the use of probiotics in patients with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma is discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0092-9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36261125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sublingual grass allergen specific immunotherapy: a retrospective study of clinical outcome and discontinuation.","authors":"Christer Janson,&nbsp;Fredrik Sundbom,&nbsp;Peter Arvidsson,&nbsp;Mary Kämpe","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0093-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0093-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is effective, tolerable, and convenient for many allergic patients. Still, real-world evidence is scarce and the aim of this study is to assess the patient reported outcome of treatment with SLIT against grass pollen allergy in a consecutive patient population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients (n = 329) who were confirmed to be allergic to timothy grass and had been prescribed SLIT were consecutively enrolled in the study and completed a questionnaire online or in hard copy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>207 (62.9%) patients responded to the questionnaire. The female/male ratio was 105/102 with a mean age of 39 ± 11 years (range 19-70 years). 113 (55%) patients reported they had completed the full 3-year treatment period, 49 (24%) were still on treatment, and 45 (22%) had discontinued treatment prematurely. Respondents who had completed the full treatment period reported that their allergy symptoms in the most recent grass pollen season had improved to a larger extent than subjects still on treatment or discontinuing the treatment prematurely. Improvement of asthma was twice as common among patients who completed compared to discontinued treatment (42 vs. 20%). Younger age (37 ± 12 vs. 41 ± 11 years, p < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of reported oral and/or gastrointestinal side effects (49 vs. 24%, p = 0.02) characterised the group that terminated SLIT. Forgetfulness was the most commonly reported specific reason.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Treatment perseverance resulted in improved patient reported outcome. Forgetfulness was the most frequently reported reason for discontinuing SLIT treatment against grass pollen allergy.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0093-8","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36246058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regulation of IgE activity in inhalational tolerance via formation of IgG anti-IgE/IgE immune complexes.","authors":"Sonali J Bracken,&nbsp;Alexander J Adami,&nbsp;Ektor Rafti,&nbsp;Craig M Schramm,&nbsp;Adam P Matson","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0091-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0091-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Allergic asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways that results from inappropriate production of IgE against harmless, environmental antigens. Sequestration of free IgE using humanized IgG anti-IgE is an effective therapy for asthma and other atopic disorders. However, the status of free IgE in subjects who have naturally developed immune tolerance to inhaled antigens has not been well studied.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>C57BL/6 mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) for 7 days to induce allergic airway disease (AAD) or 6 weeks to induce a state of local inhalational tolerance (LIT). Serum from AAD or LIT mice, diluted to achieve equivalent levels of total OVA-specific IgE, was used to sensitize rat basophil leukemia cells for allergen-mediated degranulation. Levels of degranulation were measured in relation to serum concentrations of free IgE and IgG anti-IgE/IgE immune complexes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Serum from AAD animals induced a greater degree of basophil degranulation than serum from LIT animals. These results correlated with higher levels of free IgE in AAD animals, whereas LIT mice demonstrated a significant increase in IgG anti-IgE/IgE immune complexes relative to their diseased counterparts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Sequestration of free IgE by naturally occurring IgG anti-IgE may aid in the development of immune tolerance against inhaled allergens. The decrease in bioavailability of free IgE may, in turn, contribute to the overall reduction of asthma symptoms via a mechanism that mimics the therapeutic effects of humanized IgG anti-IgE.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0091-x","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36127492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low incidence of pneumonia in COPD patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation.","authors":"Erminia Ridolo,&nbsp;Cristoforo Incorvaia,&nbsp;Irene Martignago,&nbsp;Laura Pessina,&nbsp;Fulvio Lauretani,&nbsp;Luciano Loperfido,&nbsp;Gian Galeazzo Riario-Sforza,&nbsp;Annalisa Broglia,&nbsp;Bruna L Gritti,&nbsp;Lorenzo Panella","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0090-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0090-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Based on meta-analyses results, it is currently acknowledged that there is an increased risk of pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) undergoing inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) treatment. However, this is not found to be true in those with asthma. No data on this risk are available for COPD patients involved in pulmonary rehabilitation program (PR).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>For 1 year, we prospectively studied 2 cohorts of COPD patients-undergoing PR and not undergoing PR. The first group included 438 patients undergoing PR of which 353 were treated with ICS, and 85 were treated with bronchodilators only. The second group was comprised of 76 COPD patients who were treated with ICS, but not PR. The control group consisted of 49 ICS-treated patients with asthma. The diagnosis of pneumonia, when suspected, had to be confirmed with a chest x-ray.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 6 cases of pneumonia were diagnosed in the first study group: 5 ICS-treated patients and 1 patient treated only with bronchodilators. This corresponded to a rate of 1.41 and 1.17%, respectively, compared to a rate of 6.6% in COPD patients not treated with PR, which was significantly higher (p = 0.029) than that in the first study group. No case of pneumonia was registered among patients with asthma.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings suggest that a significantly lower incidence of pneumonia is found in COPD patients treated with ICS and PR than in patients treated with ICS but not with PR. This observation deserves to be investigated in large populations of PR-treated COPD patients, possibly in multi-centric cohort studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0090-y","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36127565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hymenoptera sting reactions in southern Italy forestry workers: our experience compared to reported data.","authors":"Luisa Ricciardi,&nbsp;Francesco Papia,&nbsp;Giuseppe Cataldo,&nbsp;Mario Giorgianni,&nbsp;Giovanna Spatari,&nbsp;Sebastiano Gangemi","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0087-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0087-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hymenoptera sting reactions are among life-threatening causes of allergy. Several epidemiology studies have assessed the risk of these kind of reactions, among the general population, around 3% of adults. This incidence increases among highly at risk populations such as outdoor workers. Hymenoptera stings among forestry workers (FW) are occupational triggers but it has not yet been well defined which is the real incidence of anaphylaxis in these workers, not even in Italy. Two Italian studies reported on the risk of hymenoptera stings (HS) in northern Italy (NI) and central Italy (CI) FW while no data is available on the prevalence in southern Italy (SI) ones.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A population of 341 SI FW (301 males and 40 females, mean age 51 years, range 43-63 years), who worked in Sicily, was investigated submitting a standardized questionnaire dealing with reactions to Hymenoptera stings, such as large local reactions (LLR) and systemic reactions (SR).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HS occurred in 203 FW (59%) and caused reactions in 77 (22%); LLR occurred in 46 (13%) and SR in 31 (9%); SR were life threatening in 9/341 (3%) FW and were treated with epinephrine at the emergency unit as workers did not carry an epinephrine auto-injector. A SR at a subsequent HS followed a LLR in 21/46 FW (46%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>FW in SI have a generic risk of HS anaphylaxis as in the general population but a higher risk of SR and LLR respect to forestry populations from different Italian geographical areas.SR among SI FW occurred in 9% of them, while published data report the incidence of SR around 2 and 4%, respectively, in the Centre and North Italy FW. The incidence of LLR in SI FW was also higher (13%) than in CI (2%) and NI (10%) ones. Previous LLR in our SI population represented a high risk factor for developing a SR and therefore a red flag for future anaphylaxis and prescription of an epinephrine auto-injector.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0087-6","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36035661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A case of atopic dermatitis caused by <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> infection.","authors":"Rosanna Qualizza,&nbsp;Laura M Losappio,&nbsp;Fabiana Furci","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0088-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0088-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Parasite infections stimulate total and specific IgE production that, in the case of <i>Toxocara canis</i> infection, corresponds to chronic allergic symptoms. There may also be other infections which have similar symptoms, such as <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> infection. <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> is a large nematode that causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, anorexia and intermittent diarrhoea. Patients with ascaridiasis and high IgE levels may also have allergy-like symptoms such as asthma, urticaria and atopic dermatitis.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>We report a case of atopic dermatitis caused by Ascaris lumbricoides which shows the important role of parasitic infection in patients with long-lasting dermatitis. The patient was a 12-year old female suffering since early infancy from atopic dermatitis and asthma. She was treated for dermatitis with oral bethametasone and topical pimecrolimus with little benefit. After two cycles of mebendazole therapy, the patient showed progressive improvement of symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In patients with dermatitis, Ascaris lumbricoides infection should be not excluded: adequate anthelmintic treatment may result in complete regression from the disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0088-5","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"36006737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of genetic variations of <i>chitinase 3</i>-<i>like 1</i> in bronchial asthmatic patients.","authors":"Kazuyuki Abe,&nbsp;Yutaka Nakamura,&nbsp;Kohei Yamauchi,&nbsp;Makoto Maemondo","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0086-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0086-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in <i>chitinase 3</i>-<i>like 1</i> (<i>CHI3L1</i>) are associated with bronchial severity and pulmonary function. CHI3L1 proteins are involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses; however, to date, the correlation of these SNPs and their age of onset of bronchial asthma has not been demonstrated.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To address the role of these genetic variations, 390 patients with well-controlled bronchial asthma and living in Japan were recruited, genotyped, and had a pulmonary function test performed on them in this study. To analyze the concentration levels of CHI3L1 protein, bronchial lavage fluids were examined.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forced expiratory volume in one second, %predicted (%FEV1), was significantly decreased in homozygotes of rs1214194 compared to heterozygotes and wild type. The age of onset of adult bronchial asthma was significantly younger in GG homozygotes of rs4950928 and AA homozygotes of rs1214194 than in the other two genotypes. The concentration of CHI3L1 protein in bronchial lavage fluid increased in both homozygotes of rs4950928 and rs1214194.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study demonstrated that the homozygotes of rs4950928 and rs1214194 of <i>CHI3L1</i> might predict an early onset of bronchial asthma and have the propensity to promote airway remodeling.<i>Trial registration</i> JMA-IIA00045 remodeling-ICS.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0086-7","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35978410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bench to bedside review of myositis autoantibodies.","authors":"Boaz Palterer,&nbsp;Gianfranco Vitiello,&nbsp;Alessia Carraresi,&nbsp;Maria Grazia Giudizi,&nbsp;Daniele Cammelli,&nbsp;Paola Parronchi","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0084-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0084-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies represent a heterogeneous group of autoimmune diseases with systemic involvement. Even though numerous specific autoantibodies have been recognized, they have not been included, with the only exception of anti-Jo-1, into the 2017 Classification Criteria, thus perpetuating a clinical-serologic gap. The lack of homogeneous grouping based on the antibody profile deeply impacts the diagnostic approach, therapeutic choices and prognostic stratification of these patients. This review is intended to highlight the comprehensive scenario regarding myositis-related autoantibodies, from the molecular characterization and biological significance to target antigens, from the detection tools, with a special focus on immunofluorescence patterns on HEp-2 cells, to their relative prevalence and ethnic diversity, from the clinical presentation to prognosis. If, on the one hand, a notable body of literature is present, on the other data are fragmented, retrospectively based and collected from small case series, so that they do not sufficiently support the decision-making process (i.e. therapeutic approach) into the clinics.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0084-9","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35914366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The control of allergic rhinitis in real life: a multicenter cross-sectional Italian study.","authors":"Federica Gani,&nbsp;Carlo Lombardi,&nbsp;Laura Barrocu,&nbsp;Massimo Landi,&nbsp;Erminia Ridolo,&nbsp;Massimo Bugiani,&nbsp;Giovanni Rolla,&nbsp;Gianenrico Senna,&nbsp;Giovanni Passalacqua","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0082-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0082-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is a high-prevalence disease. In Europe about 25% of the general population is affected, and in Italy the prevalence is estimated to be 19.8%. The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) international document underlined that the prevalence of severe or refractory or overlapping rhinitis is increasing and represents a non-negligible socio-economic burden. In general, despite the social healthcare costs, allergic rhinitis remains underestimated, not sufficiently controlled and often undertreated.</p><p><strong>Aim of the study: </strong>In this multi-center Italian observational and prospective study we assessed the control of AR in patients (> 16 years) without previous asthma diagnosis, referred to Allergy Centers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients of both sexes and older than 16 with rhinitis symptoms and without asthma were studied. A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the CARAT (Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test) were used as patient reported outcome. The possible causes of poor control of AR, as per protocol, were assessed accordingly.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We observed 250 patients in a real-life setting: more than 60% of them had an uncontrolled AR, only about 50% used multiple medications, and only a minority were receiving allergen immunotherapy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This survey, conducted in a real-life setting, confirmed that AR is overall poorly controlled. The VAS assessment well correlates with the structured CARAT questionnaire and with the relevant symptoms of AR.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0082-y","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35822362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Allergic sensitization to common pets (cats/dogs) according to different possible modalities of exposure: an Italian Multicenter Study.","authors":"G Liccardi,&nbsp;L Calzetta,&nbsp;G Baldi,&nbsp;A Berra,&nbsp;L Billeri,&nbsp;M Caminati,&nbsp;P Capano,&nbsp;E Carpentieri,&nbsp;A Ciccarelli,&nbsp;M A Crivellaro,&nbsp;M Cutajar,&nbsp;M D'Amato,&nbsp;I Folletti,&nbsp;F Gani,&nbsp;D Gargano,&nbsp;D Giannattasio,&nbsp;M Giovannini,&nbsp;C Lombardi,&nbsp;M Lo Schiavo,&nbsp;F Madonna,&nbsp;M Maniscalco,&nbsp;A Meriggi,&nbsp;C Micucci,&nbsp;M Milanese,&nbsp;C Montera,&nbsp;G Paolocci,&nbsp;R Parente,&nbsp;A Pedicini,&nbsp;R Pio,&nbsp;F Puggioni,&nbsp;M Russo,&nbsp;A Salzillo,&nbsp;P Scavalli,&nbsp;N Scichilone,&nbsp;B Sposato,&nbsp;A Stanziola,&nbsp;G Steinhilber,&nbsp;A Vatrella,&nbsp;P Rogliani,&nbsp;G Passalacqua","doi":"10.1186/s12948-018-0081-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-018-0081-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The query \"are there animals at home?\" is usually administered for collecting information on anamnesis. This modality to consider exposure to pet allergens constitutes a potential bias in epidemiological studies and in clinical practice. The aim of our study was to evaluate/quantify different modalities of exposure to cat/dog in inducing allergic sensitization.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty Italian Allergy units participated in this study. Each centre was required to collect the data of at least 20 consecutive outpatients sensitized to cat/dog allergens. A standardized form reported all demographic data and a particular attention was paid in relieving possible modalities of exposure to cat/dog.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total 723 patients sensitized to cat/dog were recorded, 359 (49.65%) reported direct pet contact, 213 patients (29.46%) were pet owners, and 146 subjects (20.19%) were exposed to pets in other settings. Other patients were sensitized by previous pet ownership (150-20.75%) or indirect contact (103-14.25%), in 111 subjects (15.35%) any contact was reported.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Only 213 patients (29.46%) would be classified as \"exposed to animals\" and 510 (70.54%) as \"not exposed\" according to usual query. Our classification has shown that many \"not-exposed\" subjects (399-55.19%) were \"really exposed\". The magnitude of exposure to pet allergens at home is not related exclusively to pet ownership. These considerations should be taken into account during the planning of epidemiological studies and in clinical practice for the management of pet allergic individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":38753,"journal":{"name":"Clinical and Molecular Allergy","volume":"16 ","pages":"3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/s12948-018-0081-z","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"35822363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}