Publications by authors named "Kara Robertson"

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an atopic condition of the esophagus that has become increasingly recognized. Diagnosis of the disorder is dependent on the patient's clinical manifestations and must be confirmed by histologic findings on esophageal mucosal biopsies. The epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of EoE are discussed in this review.

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Introduction: Low Count Monoclonal B-Cell Lymphocytosis (LC-MBL) is a relatively poorly understood entity which has been suggested to be very common in asymptomatic adults and possibly related to infectious complications despite not progressing to CLL.

Methods: We describe the first case of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) presenting in a 72-year-old man with LC-MBL but no other immunocompromising conditions.

Results: A diagnosis of PML was confirmed with classic MRI findings in association with a high CSF John Cunningham polyomavirus (JCV) viral load (4.

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Key Clinical Message: Additional investigations for systemic involvement should be initiated once the diagnosis of cutaneous mastocytosis has been established in an adult patient. A serum tryptase can serve as a screening test for systemic mastocytosis, and persistent elevations should prompt further investigations, such as bone marrow studies.

Abstract: Urticaria pigmentosa (UP) is the most common form of cutaneous mastocytosis, presenting as a wide variety of macroscopic appearances.

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Background: The safety of pediatric food oral immunotherapy (Ped-OIT) has been depicted by some as less favorable than subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) owing to the increased number of serious adverse events requiring epinephrine. A review of real-world data comparing Ped-OIT and SCIT safety is necessary to guide shared decision making.

Objectives: Our aim was to compare the safety and adverse event profiles of peanut Ped-OIT and SCIT using Canadian real-word literature.

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This guidance updates 2021 GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) recommendations regarding immediate allergic reactions following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines and addresses revaccinating individuals with first-dose allergic reactions and allergy testing to determine revaccination outcomes. Recent meta-analyses assessed the incidence of severe allergic reactions to initial COVID-19 vaccination, risk of mRNA-COVID-19 revaccination after an initial reaction, and diagnostic accuracy of COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine excipient testing in predicting reactions. GRADE methods informed rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendations.

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Concerns for anaphylaxis may hamper severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunization efforts. We convened a multidisciplinary group of international experts in anaphylaxis composed of allergy, infectious disease, emergency medicine, and front-line clinicians to systematically develop recommendations regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immediate allergic reactions. Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, the World Health Organizstion (WHO) global coronavirus database, and the gray literature (inception, March 19, 2021) were systematically searched.

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Background: Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is the standard approach for treating patients with sensitizations to aeroallergens. However, immunotherapy can trigger severe systemic reactions if delivered inappropriately or to high risk patients. We sought to characterize and quantify SCIT systemic reactions requiring epinephrine administration during a 6-year period in a Canadian setting following the recommendations for components and dosages published in the 2010 Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) Immunotherapy Manual.

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Background: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections, granuloma formation and intestinal disease. This disease is caused by defects in NADPH oxidase, which result in the inability of phagocytes (neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages) to destroy certain microbes. The only established curative therapy for CGD is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

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