title: Microarray based IgE detection in poly-sensitized allergic patients with suspected food allergy - an approach in four clinical cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Component-resolved diagnosis and microarray technology have been recently introduced into clinical allergy practice, and may be particularly useful in poly-sensitized allergic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compare the clinical usefulness of a microarray-based IgE detection assay (ISAC(®)) with skin tests and specific IgE with standard allergens (sIgE) or their monocomponents in four case reports of patients poly-sensitized to aeroallergens and food.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Case 1: a woman with rhinitis, oral allergy syndrome to several fruits and anaphylaxis to cherry. Diagnostic tests supported non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) primary sensitization. Case 2: a woman with exercise-induced asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis and oral allergy syndrome to fresh fruits of different families. A diagnosis of primary grass and weed pollen allergy with profilin and pathogenesis-related protein family 10 (PR-10) cross-reactive food allergy was proposed. Case 3: a man with atopic eczema, asthma, rhinitis, and multiple anaphylactic episodes with cashew nuts and oral allergy syndrome to fruits. The diagnostic workup supported a primary birch pollen allergy with PR-10 and nsLTPs cross-reactive food allergy. Case 4: a woman with rhino-conjunctivitis, per-operative anaphylaxis due to latex and recent pharyngeal angio-oedema episodes. The diagnosis was a primary grass and weed pollen allergy with equivocal profilin sensitization and no obvious cross-reactivity mediated by nsLTPs sensitization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The possibility to carry out multiple sIgE measurements with single protein allergens, in particular with the microarray technique, is a useful, simple and non-invasive diagnostic tool in complex poly-sensitized allergic patients.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Imunoalergologia, Hospital São João, E.P.E., Porto, Portugal. te_vieira@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012882:Skin Tests; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E