Introduction
Vitamins are heterogenous bioactive substances required by the human body for its healthy functioning. Vitamins are required through a diet as they are normally not produced by the body. Their deficiency may lead to the development of diseases like scurvy, rickets, pellagra, beri-beri and many others. Vitamins have also been produced synthetically and used in supplements. However, they may induce hypersensitivity reactions, ranging from an allergic contact dermatitis to, urticaria as well as life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Hypersensitivity to Vitamins summarizes knowledge from case reports, studies and investigations on hypersensitivity reactions to all types of vitamins (A, B, C, D, E and K). Chapters explain the identification, diagnosis and management of hypersensitivity reactions to vitamins.
Key Features:
- - Provides a general introduction to vitamin allergies
- - Covers the major vitamin types: water soluble (B and C) and fat soluble (A, D, E and K) with chapters dedicated to each type
- - Provides information about identification, diagnosis and management of the specific hypersensitivity reactions in a clear and concise manner
- - Includes a chapter on unusual aspects of vitamin hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity to Vitamins is an essential handbook for clinicians, nutritionists and pharmacists who want to quickly access information about vitamin allergies. Students of clinical immunology and pharmacology will also be able to learn about the subject.
Knut Brockow – January 28, 2022
Even for me as an allergist with special focus on drug hypersensitivity, I have seen hypersensitivity to vitamins seldomly and thus, this is an area of great uncertainty. I thank the author for putting together everything that is known about hypersensitivity to vitamins including immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions. He did it very diligently with a lot of background information, e.g. indications, preparations and structures, and with the main chapters on immediate and delayeed hypersensitivity reactions and on allergological diagnostic methods used. This is to be congratulated, as it makes the book to an important resource on this topic, which provides a helpful wealth of knowledge. I do not know any other comparable source of information in this area and do recommend the book.