Aeroallergen sensitization influences quality of life and comorbidities in patients with nasal polyposis.

Background: Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that impairs quality of life (QoL). The role of atopy in NP is not established. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and QoL in a broad sample of patients with NP and to evaluate the influence of allergy on this disease.

Sensitivity to bee venom antigen phospholipase A2: association with specific HLA class I and class II alleles and haplotypes in beekeepers and allergic patients.

Bee venom hypersensitivity is a clinical entity of outstanding importance because bee stings are a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Individuals with immediate-type bee venom hypersensitivity, beekeepers, and healthy controls were examined for HLA-DRB1, DQB1, and DQA1 alleles by sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe typing. Defined hypersensitivity to bee venom antigen phospholipase A2 (vbPLA2) is significantly associated with the presence of susceptible HLA class II alleles: DRB1*0101 (RR = 2.