Relationship of atopy and anaphylactic sensitization: a bee sting allergy model

Abstract

Summary This study attempts to determine if atopy predisposes to, or affects the severity of, bee sting allergy. 119 consecutive patients with definite systemic reactions to Hymenoptera stings and 119 matched controls without a history of Hymenoptera allergy were interviewed and evaluated. These patients with a definite systemic reaction to Hymenoptera had a mean age of 27 years with an age range of 2‐73 years; 38% (forty‐five out of 119) were 12 years of age or younger. The frequency of atopy (asthma/allergic rhinitis) was 25% (thirty out of 119), and resembles that found in a general population. In the eighty‐nine patients (75%) without a personal history of atopy, only 8% had positive scratch tests to pollens, danders or molds, 44% had a positive family history of atopy and a majority had normal serum total IgE levels. Results of the RAST for specific IgE to venoms of honey bee, yellow jacket, hornet, wasp and to phospholipase A were obtained. Patients with asthma had a significantly more severe reaction to their Hymenoptera sting than non‐atopic patients, 65%vs 38%, with P <0.05. The severity of sting reaction in those patients with allergic rhinitis without asthma resembled that of the non‐atopic patients. Although atopy does not appear to predispose patients to Hymenoptera allergy, asthmatics’Who also have Hymenoptera allergy do have a significantly more severe reaction to a bee sting.

Sensitivity to local anaesthetics among asthmatic children

“…The reactions that did occur may have been due to the direct histamine‐releasing effects of the drugs. In this study, an atopic constitution did not appear to predispose an individual to a higher frequency of IgE‐mediated local anaesthetic reaction unlike the reported response to many other drugs and insect stings [14,15]; this hypothesis may only be verified through further research.…”

Pattern of sensitization to honeybee venom in beekeepers: A 5-year prospective study

“…Other published studies report atopic background in similar frequency among allergic beekeepers, allergic family members, and allergic controls. 11,12,13,16 Miyachi et al 17 observed a significantly higher frequency of atopic background in allergic beekeepers than in nonallergic beekeepers. They suggested that during their work, either through inhalation or multiple stings, atopic beekeepers are sensitized more easily than nonatopic beekeepers.…”

Anaphylaxis from insect stings

“…The overall frequency of asthma andjor hay fever was similar to that found in a college population. In another study, 9 we reported that the frequency of positive scratch tests to pollens, danders, or molds in patients with sting sensitivity was very low (8%).…”