Science / Medicine : Allergies Found in Marrow Transplants

Recipients of bone marrow transplants have a good chance of “inheriting” allergies from their donors, according to a University of Washington study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. William Henderson said physicians must be aware of the finding when treating bone marrow transplant recipients, some of whom might not know they’ve acquired, for example, an allergy to penicillin or other medications and environmental allergens.

Henderson said his findings also shed new light on how allergies develop, suggesting the process may be quicker and simpler than generally thought.

“What we found to be especially interesting, in addition to the fact that allergies can be acquired and lost (through bone marrow transplants), was how fast new allergy symptoms can develop,” Henderson said. “Through periodic monitoring after the transplants occurred, we learned that it can take a very short period to develop a new allergy--a matter of months.”

Henderson’s study observed 12 bone marrow transplant recipients. The patients’ donors all had a history of allergies to pollens, insect venoms, dander and other substances.

After a year, eight of 11 surviving transplant recipients had a total of 20 positive allergic skin reactions that corresponded to 46 positive reactions among the donor group.