[Special features of NSAID intolerance in children]

Diplomats' Mystery Illness and Pulsed Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation

Importance: A mystery illness striking U.S. and Canadian diplomats to Cuba (and now China) "has confounded the FBI, the State Department and US intelligence agencies" (Lederman, Weissenstein, & Lee, 2017). Sonic explanations for the so-called health attacks have long dominated media reports, propelled by peculiar sounds heard and auditory symptoms experienced. Sonic mediation was justly rejected by experts. We assessed whether pulsed radiofrequency/microwave radiation (RF/MW) exposure can accommodate reported facts in diplomats, including unusual ones. Observations: (1) Noises: Many diplomats heard chirping, ringing or grinding noises at night during episodes reportedly triggering health problems. Some reported that noises were localized with laser-like precision or said the sounds seemed to follow them (within the territory in which they were perceived). Pulsed RF/MW engenders just these apparent "sounds" via the Frey effect. Perceived "sounds" differ by head dimensions and pulse characteristics and can be perceived as located behind in or above the head. Ability to hear the "sounds" depends on high-frequency hearing and low ambient noise. (2) Signs/symptoms: Hearing loss and tinnitus are prominent in affected diplomats and in RF/MW-affected individuals. Each of the protean symptoms that diplomats report also affect persons reporting symptoms from RF/MW: sleep problems, headaches, and cognitive problems dominate in both groups. Sensations of pressure or vibration figure in each. Both encompass vision, balance, and speech problems and nosebleeds. Brain injury and brain swelling are reported in both. (3) Mechanisms: Oxidative stress provides a documented mechanism of RF/MW injury compatible with reported signs and symptoms; sequelae of endothelial dysfunction (yielding blood flow compromise), membrane damage, blood-brain barrier disruption, mitochondrial injury, apoptosis, and autoimmune triggering afford downstream mechanisms, of varying persistence, that merit investigation. (4) Of note, microwaving of the U.S. embassy in Moscow is historically documented. Conclusions and relevance: Reported facts appear consistent with pulsed RF/MW as the source of injury in affected diplomats. Nondiplomats citing symptoms from RF/MW, often with an inciting pulsed-RF/MW exposure, report compatible health conditions. Under the RF/MW hypothesis, lessons learned for diplomats and for RF/MW-affected civilians may each aid the other.

Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of aspirin intolerance

OBJECTIVES

To provide an overview of aspirin intolerance (AI), to summarize the latest genetic and pathophysiologic findings, and to discuss the current therapeutic recommendations, including aspirin desensitization.

DATA SOURCES

Using the PubMed database, a systematic search of articles published between 1968 and 2006 was performed to evaluate the current literature on AI. The bibliographies of selected articles served as a source of additional literature.

STUDY SELECTION

Included articles were selected for their relevance to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of AI.

RESULTS

The prevalence of AI is approximately 0.3% to 0.9%, but AI is often overlooked. It can display a wide range of clinical pictures, such as acute asthma attacks, urticaria, angioedema, chronic rhinitis, myocardial ischemia, and anaphylactic shock. Regarding the pathogenesis of AI, modifications of eicosanoid metabolism are supposed to underlie AI, including aspirin-induced asthma and aspirin-induced urticaria. However, the pathogenesis of AI has not yet been clearly elucidated. Associations of several HLA alleles with subtypes of AI, such as aspirin-induced urticaria and aspirin-induced asthma, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes encoding enzymes involved in arachidonic acid metabolism have been shown.

CONCLUSIONS

Because aspirin therapy should be avoided in AI patients, the use of alternative drugs is recommended. Patients intolerant of alternative drugs and those with therapy-resistant asthma or sinusitis benefit from aspirin desensitization.

Multiple chemical sensitivities following intolerance to azo dye in sweets in a 5-year-old girl

BACKGROUND

Cases of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) have been reported predominantly in adult patients, but pediatric cases have rarely been reported.

METHODS

We present a 5-year-old girl who suffered from recurrent reactions accompanied by urticaria, angioedema, headaches, dyspnea, loss of consciousness, and abdominal pain that were not eradicated, but were instead exacerbated, by various treatments with antihistamines and intravenous corticosteroids. Her diet diary revealed that symptoms occurred after ingestion of colorful sweets such as candies and jellybeans. Open challenge tests with food additives and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were performed after elimination of these items. Skin prick tests using additives and NSAIDs, which were dissolved in saline, and prick- prick tests using candies and jellybeans, were carried out.

RESULTS

Open challenge tests with Tartrazine, aspirin and acetaminophen were positive, whereas skin prick tests using additives and NSAIDs and prick-prick tests using candies and jellybeans were all negative. Consequently, intolerance to azo dyes and NSAIDs such as aspirin was diagnosed. However, she appeared to react to multiple chemical odors such as those of cigarette smoke, disinfectant, detergent, cleaning compounds, perfume, and hairdressing, all while avoiding additives and NSAIDs. On the basis of her history and the neuro-ophthalmological abnormalities, a diagnosis of severe MCS was made and she was prescribed multiple vitamins and glutathione.

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest that in pediatric MCS, food and drug additives containing azo dyes might play important roles as elicitors.