Assessing anaphylactic risk? Consider mast cell clonality

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 123; no. 3; pp. 687 - 688
• Main Authors: Metcalfe, Dean D., Schwartz, Lawrence B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.03.2009; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Allergies; Allergy and Immunology; Anaphylaxis; Anaphylaxis - diagnosis; Anaphylaxis - genetics; Bone marrow; Cell Degranulation - immunology; Cell Degranulation - physiology; Clone Cells; Genotype & phenotype; Humans; Hymenoptera; mast cells; Mast Cells - metabolism; Mastocytosis - diagnosis; Mastocytosis - genetics; Mutation; Patients; Population; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - metabolism; tryptase; Tryptases - blood; venom; Anaphylaxis; venom; sBT; mast cells; tryptase; KIT; Serum baseline total tryptase
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.02.003

[...]even in this early study that predated more sensitive markers of mastocytosis, such as expression of surface CD25 or CD2 on mast cells, and of activating c-kit mutations, it was apparent that as many as 20% of the cases of systemic mastocytosis might be missed with a threshold sBT of 20 ng/mL. [...]the current World Health Organization criterion of a sBT level of >20 ng/mL as one of the minor diagnostic markers for mastocytosis7 may need to be lowered, at least in patients with a history of a systemic immediate hypersensitivity reaction to a Hymenoptera sting.