PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - P Piirila
AU  - T Estlander
AU  - M Hytonen
AU  - H Keskinen
AU  - O Tupasela
AU  - M Tuppurainen
TI  - Rhinitis caused by ninhydrin develops into occupational asthma
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.97.10081918
DP  - 1997 Aug 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 1918--1921
VI  - 10
IP  - 8
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/8/1918.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/8/1918.full
SO  - Eur Respir J1997 Aug 01; 10
AB  - Ninhydrin (2,2-dihydroxy-1,3-indanedione or 1,2,3-triketo-hydrindene hydrate) is a chemical used in the detection of free amino and carboxyl groups in proteins and peptides. Allergic, immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated rhinitis caused by ninhydrin was diagnosed earlier in a 41 yr old woman working as a laboratory technician in a forensic laboratory. Despite handling ninhydrin only in a flow cabinet, symptoms of dyspnoea developed 6 months later. Peak flow was found to vary by 20% during working days. In the specific inhalation challenge it was shown that occupational asthma had also developed due to continuing slight exposure to ninhydrin. The titre of ninhydrin-specific IgE also increased from 0.6 to 1.1 kU x L(-1) in the follow-up. This case stresses the importance of cessation of allergen exposure in occupational allergic rhinitis, in order to prevent asthma.