We relate our experiences about the number of exacerbations that certain
food preservatives such as
sorbic acid,
benzoic acid,
sodium benzoate,
metabisulfite and
sodium nitrate can provoke in 62 patients affected with
ASA-triad in
steroid dependent intrinsic
asthma with
nasal polyps and acute
bronchospasm caused by
aspirin ingestion, and in 80 patients with
chronic urticaria (C.U.) as well as the first assays of the possible usefulness of the HRT (Histamine release test automatized using whole blood) for the etiologic diagnosis process. In the cases of
ASA-triad, and after the ingestion of
aspirin (alternating with
lactose in identical
capsule), we consider the result as positive when the reduction of FEV1 is superior to 20% from its baseline value. Regarding the cases of C.U., the symptoms always exacerbate twice as much with the same substance within 24 hours of its administration. We have performed the HRT on 59 patients (14 with
ASA-triad, 11 with
steroid dependent intrinsic
asthma; 20 with C.U. were negative to oral intake of
analgesics/additives and 14 with C.U. showed positive results). Successive dilutions were incubated for 30 minutes using:
pyrazolones, acetylsalicylate of
lysine,
sodium salicylate,
sodium benzoate and
4-hydroxybenzoic acid which did not produce liberation of
histamine in 100 controlled individuals. All the determinations were done in duplicate, considering positive those superior to 20% of the difference between total and basal
histamine. We have not observed any significant descent of the FEV1 with
benzoate and
salicylate in our group of 62 patients with
ASA-triad, nor any manifestations presented with
sodium metabisulfite,
sodium nitrate and
sorbic acid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)