Results tagged “ACAAI” from Allergy

By Mark T. O'Hollaren, MD Oregon Health and Science University

In the last several years, the concept of "asthma control" has received significant attention. National and international asthma treatment guidelines increasingly stress the fact that those caring for patients with asthma need to be aware of the impact that asthma has on the daily lives of their patients. Asthma care is moving away from focusing primarily on a number, such as pulmonary function tests or peak expiratory flow measurements, to one in which these numbers are combined with other assessments, such as quality of sleep, limitation of activity and exercise, and requirement for rescue medications.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 20 -- Asthma mortality rates are declining worldwide, largely due to increased use of inhaled corticosteroids to better manage the disease, according to a report from an international group of asthma researchers.

In Argentina, for example, a recent analysis found a negative correlation between annual deaths from asthma and sales of inhaled corticosteroids during the 1990s, said Hugo Neffen, M.D., president of the Argentine Association of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Cordoba, Argentina, at a symposium held in conjunction with the meeting of the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology here.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- There is epidemiological evidence that the prevalence of allergic rhinitis is rising worldwide, according to U.S. researchers.

"Reports indicate (allergic rhinitis) has increased 100 percent in each of the last three decades in developed countries," said Dr. Eli O. Meltzer, co-director of the Allergy & Asthma Medical Group & Research Center and of the University of California in San Diego.

"With allergic disorders estimated to affect some 1.4 billion people globally, there appears to be a worldwide epidemic of allergic diseases. Studies suggest this is likely a consequence of our changing environment, reduced infections and genetic susceptibilities," said Meltzer.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15 -- Children with asthma are more likely to have exacerbations requiring admission to the pediatric ICU in the late summer and early fall months, reported investigators here.

In a retrospective review of records of children admitted to a pediatric ICU for asthma exacerbations over a nine-year period, 41% of all admissions occurred during August, September, and October, reported Pulin Patel, D.O., of the Children's Hospital of Michigan/Detroit Medical Center, and colleagues.

But those exacerbations don't appear to correlate with the airborne concentrations of allergens prevalent at that time of year, suggesting that other factors may also be involved in triggering asthma exacerbations, the investigators wrote in a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology meeting.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15 -- When inhaled corticosteroids don't adequately control a patient's asthma, the choice of next-best add-on therapy is open to debate.

So specialists did just that at a symposium, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, held in conjunction with the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Each argued for one possible add-on therapy -- long-acting beta agonists, immunotherapy, leukotriene receptor antagonists, and plain old aspirin.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov.15 -- Allergic reactions are among the most common side effects of complementary and alternative therapies, researchers reported here, but that doesn't stop patients with allergies from using them.

More than two-thirds of adult patients may use some form of complementary and alternative medicine, said Leonard Bielory, M.D., director of the Asthma & Allergy Research Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Physicians need to find a way to respect those practices and, indeed, incorporate them into their practices Dr. Bielory said at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology meeting here.

PHILADELPHIA -- Home is where the heart is, and increasingly, where allergens lie in wait.

For people with allergies and asthma, home sweet home could be masking a festering stew of molds, dust mites, noxious gases, building debris, and other unhealthy substances, suggested speakers at a symposium held at the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology meeting here.

Variables that can affect the severity of allergic rhinitis and asthma among the occupants of a given house included the age and condition of the house, type and condition of heating and cooling systems, humidity, air flow, indoor tobacco use, pets, and hygiene habits of the occupants, said James L. Sublett, M.D., of the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - Sepracor Inc. today announced that clinical data for XOPENEX HFA(R) (levalbuterol tartrate) Inhalation Aerosol were presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology annual meeting in Philadelphia. This study compared safety and tolerability of cumulative doses of XOPENEX HFA (hydrofluoroalkane) MDI (metered-dose inhaler) with those from a racemic albuterol HFA MDI in a group of asthmatic subjects.

The results demonstrated that both (R)-albuterol systemic exposure and consequent beta-mediated adverse events were less following cumulative dosing with XOPENEX HFA when compared to cumulative dosing with racemic albuterol HFA MDI. Racemic albuterol HFA MDI contains both (R)- and (S)-albuterol, while XOPENEX HFA contains only (R)-albuterol.

Most young children who develop an allergy to cow's milk eventually "outgrow" it within a few years. Experiencing respiratory symptoms with the allergy, however — such as wheezing or runny nose — strongly predicts the likelihood that the allergy will persist considerably longer into childhood. That was the finding of a study presented here at the 52nd annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

"We have known for a long time that food allergies can cause respiratory effects," said researcher Alessandro Fiochi, MD, from the University of Milan Medical School in Italy. "This is the first study that shows these symptoms can actually predict which children are most likely to have a longer-lasting problem with cow's milk allergy."

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 13 -- Rodent allergies, particularly sensitivity to mouse allergens, are common among inner city children, and may be the primary triggers for moderate-to-severe asthma, reported researchers here.

A retrospective study showed that 31% of inner city children in a small sample were sensitive to mouse allergens, and 18.5% were sensitized to rat allergens, said Philip Hemmers, D.O., of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, .N.Y., and colleagues. 

"This study reinforces the importance of rodents in the allergic evaluation of inner-city children, especially those with moderate-severe asthma," the investigators wrote in a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting.

 

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 13 -- Rush immunotherapy can cram into a few days some six to 12 months worth of allergy shots, safely and with a low risk of serious systemic reactions or anaphylaxis, said researchers here.

In separate studies presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology meeting, investigators reported on the use of rapid allergen vaccination, also called rush immunotherapy, for safe, rapid desensitization of patients with allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, and chronic rhinosinusitis.

 

The technique, although controversial because of its potential for inducing serious systemic reactions or anaphylaxis, can be safely used with proper selection of patients, premedication, and careful introduction of highly diluted antigens over a brief period, reported William Smits, M.D., in private practice in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Data Presented at ACAAI Show Patients with Uncontrolled Asthma Cope with Disease Impact on Daily Life

PHILADELPHIA /PRNewswire/ -- A survey of more than 1,300 asthma patients found that the majority of respondents (61 percent) had uncontrolled asthma based on their Asthma Control Test (ACT) score, and nearly one-third (29 percent) of those were not aware that their asthma was uncontrolled. Uncontrolled asthma may place patients at risk for increased symptoms, sudden attacks, hospitalization and even death from asthma.

The survey used the ACT, a clinically validated, patient-administered asthma assessment tool, to evaluate respondents' level of asthma control. The ACT is a five-item questionnaire which gives physicians and patients a simple yet predictive tool they can use to help assess asthma control. The findings were presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

PHILADELPHIA -- Adding the long-acting beta₂-agonist Serevent (salmeterol) to an inhaled corticosteroid reduces the rate of asthma exacerbations and asthma-related hospitalizations, said researchers here. This was covered in New Options in COPD Therapy post.

Servent in combination with Flovent (fluticasone) was associated in the recent SMART (Salmeterol Multi-center Asthma Research Trial) study with severe asthma exacerbations, and an increased risk of life-threatening adverse events and respiratory deaths among African Americans, in particular. Those findings led the FDA to require a "black box" warning on long-acting beta₂ agonists.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 12 -- Infants who are put on food-elimination diets to avoid allergens could be inadvertently robbed of the proteins and nutrients they need to grow, researchers warned here.

Children taking allergen avoidance diets may develop malnutrition due to the severe protein and caloric restrictions involved, said Michael B. Levy, M.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and colleagues.

In a presentation at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting, the investigators reported on two patients in which the diets robbed the children of so many calories and nutrients that they developed failure to thrive.