RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Rhinitis caused by ninhydrin develops into occupational asthma
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 1918
OP 1921
DO 10.1183/09031936.97.10081918
VO 10
IS 8
A1 P Piirila
A1 T Estlander
A1 M Hytonen
A1 H Keskinen
A1 O Tupasela
A1 M Tuppurainen
YR 1997
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/8/1918.abstract
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.