Renin angiotensin aldosterone system in anaphylactic reactions induced by immunotherapy

Abstract

Although patients with a history of hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis showed significantly reduced plasma levels of angiotensin-I and angiotensin-II compared to controls, there is no study in the literature to investigate the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) in patients with anaphylactic reaction induced by immunotherapy. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system in patients who had an anaphylactic reaction induced by allergen immunotherapy with pollen, house-dust and mold extracts. Plasma levels of angiotensin-I, angiotensin-II, angiotensin converting enzyme and aldosterone were measured in 20 patients who experienced anaphylaxis during allergen immunotherapy. The control group consisted of 15 immunotherapy patients without any history of anaphylaxis. The Mann–Whitney U-test was performed for comparison of the two groups, and a P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Angiotensin-I, angiotensin-II, angiotensin converting enzyme and aldosterone levels were similar in both the study and control groups and no statistical significance was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). The RAAS does not appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of anaphylactic reactions due to allergen immunotherapy with pollen, house-dust and mold extracts.

Keywords

• anaphylaxis
• immunotherapy
• renin angiotensin system