TIO NICKEL: IN SEARCH OF LOST TOLERANCE! TIO nickel : in search of lost tolerance! Nickel (Ni) is a silvery white metal, it is hard, malleable and ductile, due to its excellent resistance to oxidation and chemical stability when exposed to air, it is used to mint coins. It is ferromagnetic and is often accompanied by cobalt: both can be found in meteoric iron. About 65% of nickel is used to manufacture stainless steel, another 12% is used in superalloys, the remaining 23% of the requirement is divided between other types of steel, rechargeable batteries, catalysts and other chemicals, coinage, foundry products and plating Nickel allergy affects a large number of people in the most diverse environments and sectors. Nickel present in many products and also in some foods, is the agent most responsible for allergic dermatitis. However, now thanks to an Oral Hyposensitizing Treatment (TIO) it is possible to develop a tolerance to this metal Nickel is a very resistant, ductile and malleable metal and is one of the most used metals in the world both in its pure state and in alloy with other metals . This great diffusion explains why it is the most frequent cause of contact allergy in the industrialized world with a percentage of 15-20% of the world population, especially women. Nickel is a metal with ubiquitous diffusion, it is found everywhere, avoiding it is impossible and from a clinical point of view the symptoms due to nickel allergy worsen in the summer season and with the hot-humid climate. In recent years, a great deal of interest has developed on the issue of ACD caused by cosmetics whose clinical pictures appear to be variable both from the point of view of morphology and from the point of view of severity with local skin reactions, but which can reach the importance of a systemic framework. There are many common objects that contain nickel: metallic clothing accessories, earrings, watch straps, necklaces, bracelets, water taps, coins, mechanical equipment, eyeglass frames and many others. Significant quantities of this metal are also contained in water and in various foods. Nickel introduced with food can cause, over time, a systemic nickel allergy syndrome (SNAS)manifested by chronic dermatological symptoms (urticaria-angioedema), atypical systemic manifestations (headache, chronic fatigue) and gastrointestinal disorders (abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting). For the control of this syndrome, in patients with widespread manifestations, a reduction of the symptoms is obtained thanks to a diet free of foods containing high quantities of nickel: the diet, however, just improves the symptoms but does not cure the intolerance. With this in mind, the use of an oral hyposensitizing therapy to nickel ( thio nickel), in selected patients, which allows a gradual reintroduction of foods containing nickel into the diet. This treatment involves a first phase with minimal but gradually increasing dosages of nickel sulphate for 10 weeks, followed by a maintenance phase with constant dosage of the substance for at least one year. It is very likely that this Oral Nickel Hyposensitizing Treatment ( TIO nickel ) may play an important role in immunological tolerance to nickel sulphate, increasing the levels of IL-10, a key cytokine of immunological tolerance by activating regulatory T-lymphocytes. In reality, this happens in hypersensitivity to nickel: on contact the skin cells (Langerhans) bind the allergen (nickel) and transmit it to the T lymphocytes, activating the cytotoxic mechanisms with the production of lymphocytotoxins. This cell-mediated immunoreaction causes damage to sensitization in the form of edema due to dilation of the capillaries, increased permeability, infiltration; which translated into skin suffering means erythematous lesions, blisters, serous exudation, eczema, crusts. Continuing the contact with the foreign substance in ever higher concentrations there is a suppressive reaction on the part of the lymphocytes which desensitize giving as a functional effect an immunological tolerance. First they become sensitized, then they become tolerant: one of the many suggestions of immunology! To undergo the treatment it is always necessary to confirm the nickel allergy with the patch test . Copyright © 2008 - all rights reserved - Lofarma - Viale Cassala 40 - VAT number 00713510154 Disclaimer | Site Map | Credits