title: Pirenzepine treatment in urticaria-angioedema syndrome caused by adverse reactions to foods.
abstract: An increased gastroenteric mucosal permeability is generally considered a pathophysiological mechanism in the urticaria-angioedema syndrome caused by adverse reactions to foods. Since pirenzepine, an antimuscarinic receptor drug, exerts a cytoprotective activity on digestive mucosa, the authors evaluated the clinical efficacy of pirenzepine and terfenadine (antihistamine), alone or associated, in the treatment of patients with urticaria-angioedema syndrome due to food allergy. Furthermore, additional endoscopy and biopsy studies were performed in order to provide experimental evidence about the cytoprotective activity of this treatment. The results of the present investigation confirm the clinical efficacy, with improvement of histological parameters, of pirenzepine treatment in adverse reactions to foods, as previously demonstrated by our group, and suggest further investigations on the functional mucosal impairment hypothesized in this pathological condition.
authors.affiliation: Semeiotica Medica R & Allergy Centre, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciprandi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perasso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marenco
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santucci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buffa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cheli
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Canonica
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000799:Angioedema / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010890:Pirenzepine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016593:Terfenadine
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D010890:Pirenzepine; D016593:Terfenadine