Etoricoxib: a safe alternative for NSAID intolerance in Asian patients.

Background: NSAID intolerance is not uncommon. Etoricoxib, a cox-2 inhibitor NSAID, has been shown to be a safe alternative in these patients. This study aims to determine the rate of NSAID intolerant patients who are able to tolerate etoricoxib without adverse reactions.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing drug provocation tests (DPTs).

Introduction: Patients who have an adverse drug reaction are frequently labelled drug allergic without undergoing proper evaluation and confirmatory testing. These drug allergy labels may be inaccurate, leading to unnecessary lifelong avoidance. The aim of this study was to review the patients that underwent drug provocation tests (DPTs) in our centre and examine the usefulness of DPTs in confirming or rejecting a diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity.

Allergies in Asia: differences in prevalence and management compared with western populations.

There is wide variability in the epidemiology and management of childhood asthma and related atopic diseases globally. Urbanized, affluent Western countries tend to have a higher prevalence of these diseases compared with Asian nations. However, recent studies have shown that the prevalence in Asia is increasing, although the rate of increase has slowed in the more developed Asian cities.

Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis - a review of 5 cases.

Introduction: Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) is an uncommon and under-recognised syndrome that clinicians may not consider in a patient presenting with anaphylaxis.

Clinical Picture: We describe here 5 patients aged 9 to 20 years old who presented at a local tertiary hospital over a 2-year period from August 2006 to July 2008. All presented with urticaria, 4 were hypotensive, 2 had angioedema and another 2 had dyspnoea.

Food allergy-lessons from Asia.

Objective: : This is a review on published data available on food allergy in East Asia and a discussion on the insights that it offers.

Methods: : PubMed searches were made for terms food allergy and anaphylaxis, in combination with Asia.

Results: : There is a paucity of population-based prevalence studies on food allergy in Asia.