Plant-derived foods cause most food allergies in Italian adults. The pollen-food allergy syndrome is the most frequent type of food allergy followed by allergy to LTP whose frequency increases southbound. The pattern of allergy to certain foods is clearly influenced by specific geographic features such as pollen exposure and dietary habits.

We have undertaken a survey to establish current practices and differences in the use of bronchoscopes in children in European centres.A questionnaire was sent to all 220 members of the Paediatric Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). The questions concerned the following points: indications for bronchoscopy; site of bronchoscopy; type of sedation; any oxygen supplementation during the procedure; number of procedures performed in the previous 12 months; number of procedures performed in the neonatal intensive care unit; number of bronchoalveolar lavages (BALs); side-effects during and after the procedures; and diagnostic yield.Fifty one European centres (40.8% of the European centres contacted) took part in the study. A total of 7,446 bronchoscopies had been performed in the last 12 months: 4,587 using the flexible bronchoscope and 2,859 using the rigid bronchoscope. At centres using only the fibreoptic bronchoscope, the most frequent indication was "recurrent/persistent pneumonia" (17%); at centres using only the rigid bronchoscope, it was "foreign body inhalation" (36.7%); at centres using both methods, the most frequent indication was "other indications" (23.9%).In 12 months, 2,231 BALs were performed: 1,419 in immunocompetent children and 812 in immunocompromised patients. In centres using only the fibreoptic bronchoscope, the highest yield was for "stridor" (81%); in centres using only the rigid bronchoscope, the highest yield was for "persistent atelectasis" (68%); and in centres using both instruments, it was for "foreign body inhalation" (93%).The results of the study suggest that bronchoscopy in children is now a wellestablished procedure at several European centres, while others are just beginning to use this technique. Eur Respir J 1997; 10: 1761-1766 In the past, bronchial endoscopy called for the use of the rigid bronchoscope and was consequently used very infrequently in children [1]. The advent of thin and ultrathin fibreoptic bronchoscopes has considerably extended the use of this procedure [2], even in the neonatal field [3].Since there is no European survey of the highly specialized paediatric pneumology centres where rigid and flexible bronchoscopes are routinely used in children, the Paediatric Bronchology Group of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) prepared a questionnaire and sent it to all member paediatricians with a view to gaining a picture of the situation in Europe and obtaining information on the most common indications for paediatric bronchoscopy, the number of procedures performed each year, where such procedures are carried out, what type of sedation is used and what results are obtained. Materials and methodsThe questionnaire was sent in March 1995 to all 220 members of the Paediatric Assembly listed on the ERS Roster of July 1993, using the Scientific Group Code 07.01, .02, .03, .04, .05, .06 and .07. There were 172 paediatricians from 125 European centres, and 48 from 43 centres outside Europe. The questions concerned the following points: the most c...

Background: Data about food-induced anaphylaxis in Italy are missing. Objective: It was the aim of this study to detect the main foods/food allergens causing anaphylaxis in Italy. Methods: The frequency of anaphylaxis and the relative importance of many offending foods were assessed in 1,110 adult patients with food allergy diagnosed by common criteria at 19 allergy centres scattered throughout Italy from 1 January to 31 December 2007. Results: Fifty-eight of 1,110 (5%) food-allergic patients experienced at least 1 episode of anaphylaxis. On average, they were older than other food-allergic patients (34 vs. 31 years; p < 0.05). The majority of anaphylactic episodes occurred in patients sensitized to lipid transfer protein (LTP; n = 19), followed by shrimp (n = 10), tree nuts (n = 9), legumes other than peanut (n = 4), and seeds (n = 2); peanut, spinach, celery, buckwheat, wheat, avocado, tomato, fish, meat, and Anisakis caused an anaphylactic reaction in single patients. Among LTP-hypersensitive patients, peach caused 13/19 anaphylactic episodes. Shrimp-allergic patients were significantly older than other patients with food-induced anaphylaxis (p < 0.05), whereas patients allergic to LTP experienced their anaphylactic episodes at a younger age (p < 0.001). The frequency of anaphylaxis among patients sensitized to LTP, shrimp or tree nuts did not differ between northern and central/southern Italy. Conclusion: LTP is the most important allergen causing food-induced anaphylaxis in Italy, peach being the most frequently offending food. Peanut-induced anaphylaxis seems very uncommon. Geographic and environmental differences both between Italy and other countries and within Italy seem to play a relevant role in the pattern of sensitization to foods.

Our results highlight the need to specifically evaluate the coexistence of features of COPD in elderly asthmatics, a factor that worsens asthma control.