Comparative study between conventional and new methods in defining the cause of death from anaphylactic shock

• Published in: Clinica terapeutica Vol. 172; no. 4; p. 369
• Main Authors: Costantino, A, Mezzetti, E, De Matteis, A, Volonnino, G, De Simone, S, Fazio, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy 05-07-2021
• Subjects: Anaphylaxis - diagnosis; Anaphylaxis - mortality; Anaphylaxis - physiopathology; Autopsy - methods; Biomarkers - analysis; Cause of Death; Forensic Pathology - methods; Humans; Tryptases - analysis; forensic medicine; Anaphylaxis; LTE4; anti-CD117; anaphylactic shock; mast cell; miRNA; immunohistochemistry; tryptase
• ISSN: 1972-6007
• DOI: 10.7417/CT.2021.2342

Anaphylaxis is defined as a rapid systemic reaction that develops in individuals previously exposed to specific allergens. The new exposure causes systemic cellular degranulation, which in turn leads to cardiovascular and respiratory changes that are fatal if not treated immediately. One of the main problems of this scenario in the forensic field is the determination of a correct post-mortem diagnosis. Traditional methods, such as histopathological examination of the respiratory tract and the use of specific antibodies used in immunohistochemistry, are sensitive but not always specific and therefore do not guarantee a high degree of probability in the diagnosis of anaphylaxis. For this reason, a new and promising research frontier in this field of forensic pathology could be represented by the application of miRNAs as biomarkers, as has been done in other areas of medicine.