Allergy is defined as an immediate hypersensitivity type I immunological disease, which can be IgE or non-IgE driven, and in the latter case may be antibody or cell mediated. Atopy is a term used to describe individuals with a genetic predisposition for developing IgE-mediated allergic disease. But more recently, it has become evident that IgE-mediated disease can occur in non-atopic subjects. While it is now generally accepted that mucosal local IgE has a role in the expression of atopic allergic disease, the concept of 'local allergy' in non-atopic subjects has been proposed, with the term 'entopy' given to this condition. Although there is increasing evidence supporting this paradigm, entopy is only applicable to a proportion of non-atopic patients, suggesting that other disease mechanisms exist to explain non-atopic disease. This review considers the evidence for local mucosal allergy in atopic and non-atopic individuals with an emphasis on diseases affecting the upper airways and eye. Furthermore, the diagnosis, treatment and relationship between local allergy and conventional (systemic) allergy are discussed, and alternative disease mechanisms predominantly involving antibodies or their sub-components (free light chain Igs) are postulated to explain the 'entopy' paradigm. This review is intended to provide an improved understanding of the mechanisms and causes of local mucosal hypersensitivity.

Hereditary angioedema is characterized by sudden episodes of nonpitting edema that cause discomfort and pain. Typically the extremities, genitalia, trunk, gastrointestinal tract, face, and larynx are affected by attacks of swelling. Laryngeal swelling carries significant risk for asphyxiation. The disease results from mutations in the C1 esterase inhibitor gene that cause C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency. Attacks of hereditary angioedema result from contact, complement, and fibrinolytic plasma cascade activation, where C1 esterase inhibitor irreversibly binds substrates. Patients with hereditary angioedema cannot replenish C1 esterase inhibitor levels on pace with its binding. When C1 esterase inhibitor is depleted in these patients, vasoactive plasma cascade products cause swelling attacks. Trauma is a known trigger for hereditary angioedema attacks, and patients have been denied surgical procedures because of this risk. However, uncomplicated surgeries have been reported. Appropriate prophylaxis can reduce peri-operative morbidity in these patients, despite proteolytic cascade and complement activation during surgical trauma. We report a case of successful short-term prophylaxis with C1 esterase inhibitor in a 51-year-old man with hereditary angioedema who underwent redo mitral valve reconstructive surgery.

BackgroundAngioedema secondary to acquired C1 inhibitor deficiency (AAE) is a rare disease. It usually is associated with lymphoproliferative disorders. We present a case of AAE in a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a non-Hodgkin lymphoproliferative disorder (NHL) with undetectable levels of C2, C4, and an undetectable CH50. The co-existence of AAE, APS, and NHL, with an undetectable C2 level, to the best of our knowledge, has never before reported together in the same patient.Case presentationA patient with a recent history of thrombosis presented with recurrent episodes of angioedema. The workup revealed undetectable levels of C2, C4 and undetectable CH50. Quantitative levels of C1 inhibitor and C1q were low. C1 inhibitor function was less than 40%. Anti-cardiolipin antibodies were found. The patient was initially treated on demand with intravenous plasma-derived human C1-INH concentrates, (Cinryze® Shire). Later the patient received prophylactic therapy with danazol. She was diagnosed with lymphoma 3 years after her first episode of angioedema. Single agent therapy with rituximab was not only effective in treating her lymphoma but also preventing further episodes of angioedema. Anti-cardiolipin antibody titers also declined. Additionally, marked early primary pathway complement component abnormalities and CH50 also corrected, although incomplete normalization of C4 proved to be due to a heterozygous C4 deficiency.ConclusionThis case shows the unique association of AAE, APS and NHL in a patient with undetectable levels of early complement components. Additionally, this case also shows for the first time the effectiveness of rituximab therapy in all three disease states while co-existing simultaneously in the same patient.

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