OCCUPATIONAL LARYNGITIS WITH IMMEDIATE ALLERGIC OR IMMEDIATE-TYPE SPECIFIC CHEMICAL HYPERSENSITIVITY

Reports of allergic laryngitis are sparse. In some reports allergy has been mentioned as an aetiological factor, but the diagnosis has not b een confirmed with provocation tests. This paper reports on 20 patient s in order to show that laryngitis can be caused by organic substances and chemicals with mechanisms of immediate allergy or immediate type specific hypersensitivity. The agents in the former group consisted of flours, obeche, plants and acid anhydrides, whereas these in the latt er group included chemicals like formaldehyde, acrylate compounds, and chemicals used in hairdressing. All the cases were confirmed with pro vocation tests in which the patients displayed a change in vocal cord status. Thirteen patients had positive skin-prick test results with su spected causative agents. Eleven of these 13 patients had an elevated level of specific IgE-antibodies to the same agents.