Skin testing with food, codeine, and histamine in exercise-induced anaphylaxis
Lin, R.Y.; Barnard, M.
Annals of Allergy 70(6): 475-478
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-4738 PMID: 8507042 Document Number: 421931
A Chinese woman 33 years old with exercise-induced anaphylaxis after ingesting Chinese seafood noodle soup, was studied for skin test reactivity to food, histamine, and codeine. Prick skin tests were negative for shrimp, wheat and chicken soup base, but were positive at 5 to 6 mm (wheal diameter) to the whole broth after it had been combined with the other ingredients. No significant (>3 mm) wheals were observed in 8 controls who were simultaneously tested with the broth. To assess the role of exercise, 3 series of skin tests were performed with histamine, codeine and whole broth before and after aerobic exercise on 2 occasions. Codeine elicited consistent increase in wheal size after exercise compared with pre-exercise skin tests. Histamine and whole broth wheal sizes did not increase significantly. 3 controls also had codeine and histamine skin tests before and afer exercise, No exercise-associated increases were noted for codeine. Potential insights into mast cell abnormalities in exercise-induced anaphylaxis may be gained by skin testing patterns with codeine and other mast cell degranulating agents.