Airway allergies

Zuleger CL, Gao X, Burger MS, Chu Q, Payne LG, Chen D Peptide induces CD4+CD25+ andIL-10+ T cells and protection in airway allergy models. Vaccine 2005 23 3181-3186. 

Pujols L, Mullol J, Torrego A, Picado C. Glucocorticoid receptors in human airways. Allergy. 2004 59 1042-1052. 

The immune system constitutes an impoitant taiget for anthropogenically introduced pollutants, i.e. the so-called xenobiotics. The interactions between the immune system and xenobiotics may alter the immune system giving rise to the development of diseases, including allergy. Diesel exhaust particles, DEPs, constitute the best known example of a xenobiotic, which have been shown to promote airway allergies such as asthma and rhinitis (hay fever).Substances with this type of effect are called adjuvants. Other examples of xenobiotics with adjuvant effect include certain anionic," non-ionic, and cationic detergents. 

Recently, the most important phthalate plasticizers have been investigated for adjuvant effect. The first investigation, indicating a possible interplay between phthalate plasticizers and airway allergy, was an epidemiological study published in 1997. This study hypothesized that the plasticizer di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, DEHP, in PVC materials promoted development of asthma in children. However, it was not possible to show definitively that DEHP is an adjuvant. To elucidate whether phthalate plasticizers actually possess adjuvant effect, series of phthalates and their monophthalate metabolites were studied in an animal model. These studies " are the only controlled studies, which allow scientific insight in adjuvant effect of phthalate plasticizers and the results are summarized in the present chapter. 

Allergy in the respiratory tract may be defined as an overreaction of the immune system to inhaled, virtually harmless substances. Airway allergies, including rhinitis (hay fever) and allergic asthma, are commonly caused by proteins from house dust mites, cockroaches. 

The last decades have witnessed an enormous increase in the number of subjects suffering from airway allergies. Thus, the prevalence of hay fever in adolescents is reported to be 33.6% in the Urrited States. However, there is a huge difference in prevalence between countries. Thus, the prevalence of asthma is only 2% in Chinese and Indonesian children but about 30% among children residing in the United Kingdom and Australia. ... 

The increase in airway allergy is mainly ascribed to changes in environmental factors. These include ... 

Several studies indicate that the presence of errvirorrmental adjuvants such as diesel exhaust particles may play a role in the development of airway allergies. " It has recently been suggested that also phthalate plasticizers may possess adjuvant effect, which is in... 

Immunologic Three cases of occupationally exposed workers with airway allergy to chlorhexidine were described [33 ]. A patient experienced anaphylaxis due to chlorhexidine delivered through multiple routes including a central venous catheter with chlorhexidine coating [34 ]. Three cases of anaphylaxis were caused by the insertion of central venous catheters impregnated with chlorhexidine [35 ]. Two further cases of anaphylaxis during urinary catheterisation with the aid of chlorhexidine gel lubrication were reported [36, 37 ]. 

Devalia JL, Bayram H, Rusznak C, Calderon M, Sapsford RJ, Abdelaziz MA, Wang J, Davies RJ. Mechanisms of pollution-induced airway disease in vitro studies in the upper and lower airways. Allergy 1997 52 45-51. 

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