Allergic rhinitis facts from an Irish pediatric population

Objective:Assessing the main allergens in the pediatric population from the largest urban area in the country.Methods:Clinical letters of patients referred with possible allergic rhinitis(AR)were retrospectively reviewed over the past 5 years.Results:Five hundred and fifty‐five patients were included.Males suffer twice as often with AR than females and have high titers of allergens.House dust mites(44.7%)and grass pollen(29%)were the main allergens in our area,with 48%of patients sensitized to both allergens.Half of the patients had the diagnosis of AR confirmed with positive allergen‐specific tests.For the other half,the diagnosis was based on a clinical assessment performed by a pediatric otolaryngologist.Conclusions:Half of suspected AR children have environmental allergen sensitivity confirmed by testing,and a large number had a clinical diagnosis of AR after an otolaryngology consultation.Our findings can help clinicians to initiate AR treatment considering the most problematic allergens in the area.

Utility of CT and MRI in assessment of mandibular involvement in oral cavity cancer

Objective:Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may present with early invasion of mandibular bone.Preoperative planning of surgery is essential considering patient's postoperative quality of life.Our purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of computer tomography scan (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting mandibular bone involvement in oral SCC.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 98 patients with SCC of floor of mouth,lower alveolus and retromolar trigone operated on with curative intent.Preoperative CT and MRI scans were re-reviewed by a consultant radiologist and original histology slides were rereviewed by 3 pathologists.Results:Forty-five patients were included in the final study.Combined CT and MRI had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 72%.Conclusion:The results suggest that combined CT and MRI have diagnostic utility in detecting mandibular invasion by oral cancer,but with a significant false positive rate.

A fifteen-year review of skin allergy testing in Irish patients with symptomatic rhinitis

Objective:Our objective was to review skin prick allergy testing(SPAT)results in patients with symptomatic rhinitis in an Irish population.Methods:A fifteen-year retrospective review of our database of symptomatic patients with rhinitis was performed.All patients who had SPAT performed during this interval were included.Data was analysed in terms of demographics and dominant allergens.Results:1158 patients were included.617 Females vs 541 Males.Age range five to eighty-five years old.Mean age thirty-four years.49%of our patients tested positive to at least one aeroallergen.The most common allergens were dust mites(23%)and timothy grass(22%).Patients born during the Irish pollen season(April-July)were between 5 and 7 times more likely to be sensitive to timothy and ryegrass pollens compared to others tested.241 patients had both SPAT and serum allergen specific IgE testing(SASIgET)performed;positive results were consistent between both groups.Conclusion:Results demonstrated that half of our patients with symptomatic rhinitis had allergen sensitisation.Dust mites and grass were the main allergens in our area.Our nurse led clinic has allowed efficient patient education and the development of a unique Irish SPAT database.Retesting a patient with a known allergy test result it is not indicated.