Allergy and Immunology

SMJ Article | Perspectives

α-Gal Syndrome in the South: Why We Need Treatment Trials, Not Just Tick Prevention

α-Gal syndrome (AGS), a tick bite-associated allergy to mammalian meat, affects an estimated 450,000 Americans, with the highest prevalence concentrated in the US South and Southeast. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), ubiquitous across the region, transmits AGS sensitization, making reexposure nearly inevitable for outdoor workers and residents. Current management...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11 Anaphylaxis1

SMJ Article | Original Article

White Blood Counts of Hospitalized Patients Without Infection, Malignancy, or Immune Dysfunction

Objectives: An elevated white blood cell (WBC) count may indicate malignancy, infection, and immune dysfunction. In diagnosing these conditions, physicians generally evaluate laboratory results compared with reference ranges based on healthy populations. Reference ranges for hospitalized patients are lacking. This study aims to define a normal reference range for WBC...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11

SMJ Article | Original Article

α-Galactose Syndrome Cases within the Prisma Health System, South Carolina

Objectives: Humans can develop a vector-associated allergy to galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal) a polysaccharide found in mammalian meats and by-products, resulting in α-gal syndrome (AGS). Amblyomma americanum tick bites have been implicated in AGS development in the United States, but the AGS clinical burden in South Carolina is not well understood. Because...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11

SMJ Article | Original Article

Open Access: Social Determinants’ Role in Pediatric Respiratory Health: Health Insights from Central Florida

Objectives: Despite advances in therapies and educational initiatives, pediatric allergy disorders, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema, continue to pose substantial health challenges. Understanding the social determinants of health (SDoH) linked with these conditions is a critical area of research due to their multifactorial nature. This study aimed to assess...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11 Asthma3

SMJ Article | Review Article

Use of Dupilumab in Glucocorticoid-Dependent Asthma

Of the patients with asthma, 20% to 25% progress to severe symptoms, resulting in poor quality of life and increased episodes of exacerbation. There is a broad range of drugs used for asthma; the most used medications for severe asthma are inhaled glucocorticoids with or without long-acting β-agonists. Systemic glucocorticoids...

Posted in: Asthma3

SMJ Article | Original Article

CME Article: Common Variable Immune Deficiency: An Outpatient Experience

Objectives: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is one of the most common primary immunodeficiencies encountered by physicians, yet it is still poorly described and vastly underdiagnosed and underreported. It is characterized by low levels of immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, and IgA, recurrent infections, and an increased incidence of autoimmune conditions and malignancies....

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11 Autoimmune Systemic Disorders2

SMJ Article | Multidisciplinary Clinical Case Study

When Statins Get Physical: A Curious Cause of Statin Myopathy

We present the case of a 61-year-old male with hyperlipidemia and lumbar radiculopathy admitted to our hospital with rhabdomyolysis attributed to the recent initiation of statin therapy. Despite aggressive fluid resuscitation and an initial declination in his creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels, he had persistent myalgias with progressive weakness. Rheumatologic and...

Posted in: Autoimmune Systemic Disorders2 Diseases of Muscle & Neuromuscular Function1

SMJ Article | Review Article

Walking Speed and Mortality: An Updated Systematic Review

Objective: The aim of our systematic review was to update the current evidence on the association between slow walking speed (WS) and mortality, expanding the current knowledge available in the literature. Methods: A systematic review of the published data on the association of WS and mortality was carried out by...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11

SMJ Article | Original Article

CME Article: Use of e-Cigarettes and Development of Respiratory Conditions in Women of Childbearing Age

Objective: Women of childbearing age are encouraged not to smoke because of well-documented adverse health outcomes. This study examines the association between e-cigarette use and respiratory conditions (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) among women of childbearing age. Methods: The study used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance...

Posted in: Asthma3

SMJ Article | Review Article

Red Meat Allergies after Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) Bites

Red meat allergies have followed tick bites on every continent except Antarctica. The sensitizing antigen is galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal), an oligosaccharide constituent of nonprimate blood and meat, acquired by ticks during animal bloodfeeding. Because red meat allergy after tick bites is a worldwide phenomenon, the objectives of this review were to...

Posted in: Allergy and Immunology11

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