The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered dramatic changes throughout everyday life — and in the medical community as well. Not only are providers across the country postponing elective procedures, but many are also encouraging people to avoid in-office appointments to reduce their risk of exposure to this highly contagious coronavirus.But what...
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Having asthma increases your risk of severe complications and from the flu. The best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu shot. But if you have fever, muscle aches, fatigue, call your allergist immediately as medications can help the respiratory symptoms
Two large trials, DREAM and MENSA have found IL-5 therapy with mepolizumab to lower risk of exacerbation in patients with asthma with an eosinophilic phenotype. The studies had patients 12 years or older with asthma, at least two exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids, and eosinophilic airway inflammation. The rate ratio for...
Mold allergy is difficult to diagnose due to lack of standardized test material. A recent study evaluated if there are differences in skin-prick tests from different manufacturers and how they are comparable to results from specific IgE testing. The study included 169 patients with mold-induced respiratory symptoms. Skin-prick tests from...
The current standard for diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is endoscopy with esophageal biopsy to determine the eosinophil count. A non-invasive biomarker of eosinophil activation would be helpful in management. A recent study investigated urinary 3-bromotyrosine (3-BT) measurements as a possible biomarker.An assay called the Eosinophil Quantitated Urine Kinetic was...
Bee Sting Season is approaching: Risk Factor for Venom AnaphylaxisSkin involvement is an early sign of anaphylaxis, but hypotension and respiratory symptoms can occur even without skin involvement. Various risk factors for severe anaphylaxis related toHymenoptera stings include:· Elevated tryptase: possible mastocytosis· Lack of urticaria or angioedema during the anaphylactic...
There is lack of evidence to describe any dog breed as hypoallergenic. A recent article sampled dog hair and coat, settled floor dust, and airborne samples. It demonstrated that hypoallergenic dogs such as labradoodle, poodle, Spanish waterdog, and Airedale terrier, are no less allergenic than any other dogs. Can f...
Allergic rhinitis affects 1 in 5 people in the US and is associated with high economic burden. Allergic rhinitis (AR) can lead to decreased energy, poor concentration, disturbed sleep, and decrements in performance at school and work. In 2011, US costs of AR were $14 billion, with 60% towards prescription medications....
Skin prick testing and serum IgE measurement are limited in their ability to predict positive or negative responses to oral peanut challenge. We know that a percentage of patients who test positive for peanut in serum IgE or skin test, may not have clinical peanut allergy.A few studies have examined...
Chronic rhinosinusitis can occasionally lead to headaches. Patients who experience blocked nasal passages should visit an allergist for testing. An allergist can find out what you are allergic to and help you manage your symptoms. Treatment strategies could include steps to avoid specific allergens, medications or allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots)....
Bronchial Thermoplasty (BT) has been shown to result in significant improvements in a number of asthma control measures in three randomized clinical trials in patients with moderate-to-severe, persistent asthma. The Asthma Intervention Research 2 (AIR2) Trial, a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial of BT in patients with severe asthma, showed...
Cow's milk is one of the most common foods causing eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Elimination of cow's milk from the diet is an effective treatment. However, adherence to a milk-free diet is difficult because milk proteins are also present in baked foods such as muffins, cakes, and breads. Studies show that...
Many patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) experience symptoms despite high doses of H1-antihistamines, H2-antihistamines and/or leukotriene receptor antagonists. This placebo-controlled trial evaluated Omalizumab or safety ad add-on treatment of patients with CIU. It included 336 patients with CIU. They were randomly assigned to treatment group receiving six 300mg sc...
Epinephrine is the first-line therapy for anaphylactic reactions. The market now includes Auvi-Q, a self-injectable epinephrine with a prompting audiovisual system. There is a comparative study of the traditional EpiPen vs Auvi-Q that indicates that the 0.3mg dose of epinephrine was bioequivalent with similar peak and epinephrine exposure. Safety and...
Many children with IgE-mediated egg allergy can tolerate foods containing baked egg, suggesting that complete egg avoidance may not be necessary. Skin prick testing (SPT) to baked egg and ovomucoid was evaluated as a predictor of tolerance to baked-egg challenge. 143 egg-allergic children underwent SPT to egg white, ovomucoid, and...
Recent studies have suggested that early regular exposure to allergenic foods may reduce the risk of food allergy. Ingestion of egg was tested in a randomized double-blind trial that included 86 infants with a history of eczema.Infants were assigned to receive a once-daily, 1-teaspoon dose of pasteurized raw whole egg...
Asthma exacerbations are linked to variations in air allergens, respiratory infections, and weather. A study evaluated 2,637 young adult asthma patients. Skin prick test was used to identify sensitizations and asthma attacks were assessed by questionnaire. Patients report more frequent asthma attacks during certain times of the year, ranging from...
Are intranasal steroids effective in minimizing utilization of antibiotics for acute rhinosinusitis?A randomized placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that mometasone furoate nasal spray 200 mcg twice daily significantly enhanced minimal symptom days versus amoxicillin or placebo in rhinosinusitis patients aged 12 years and older. This benefit was noted within 2 days and...
Rapid desensitization is a procedure which patients with allergic disease are treated with increasing doses of antigen until they tolerate a large dose. It is an effective way to induce tolerance quickly. Methods include rush or cluster immunotherapy. Patients receive a series of ten injections with increasing dosages of antigen...
Primary immunodeficiency caused children and young adults to have infections that recur frequently or are unusually hard to cure. In America, up to 0.5 million people suffer from an immunodeficiency. If you are affected by two or more of the following warning signs, consider screening for immunodeficiency.Eight or more new...
Hairdressers May be More Likely to React to Neuromuscular Blocking Agents (NMBA)A study was performed to evaluate if quaternary and tertiary ammonium ions may be important antigens. The study included 128 hairdressers and 108 bakers/pastry makers with occupational exposure to quaternary ammonium ions, along with 379 controls. Positive IgE against...
A systemic review was performed evaluating 31 studies that examined the association between indoor dampness, mold and the outcomes of nasal allergies and conjunctivitis. The most strongly related factor was mold odor. Significant association was also found for visible mold. The strong link to mold odor suggests that microbial causes...
Ragweed is a major source of allergic rhinitis in North America. Initial studies have shown promising results with sublingual immunotherapy for grass allergy. There was a recent study comparing two doses of allergy immunotherapy tables for ragweed for allergic patients. The trial included 565 patients with ragweed pollen-induced allergic rhinitis....
A randomized double-blind study evaluated the effectiveness of anti-IgE therapy with Xolair for patients with chronic hives. It included 68 patients with severe hives. The diagnosis were idiopathic hives in 61 patients, cold induced hives in 6 and urticarial vasculitis in 1. All patients were steroid dependent. All received Xolair...
Because both atopic dermatitis (AD) and contact dermatitis (CD) are characterized by a similar morphologic appearance and similar distribution of skin involvement, the diagnosis of CD in AD has been difficult. Recent studies have shown that patients with AD have similar if not higher rates of positive patch test results...
Research reported online in July Nature Genetics identifies a new genetic and molecular pathway in the esophagus that causes eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).EoE is triggered by allergic hypersensitivity to certain foods and an accumulation of eosinophils in the esophagus. It causes difficulty swallowing, tissue scarring, fibrosis and strictures.A molecular pathway specific...
Diverse Diet in Infancy Can Lower Allergy RiskPreviously, it was recommended that delayed introduction of food has a beneficial effect. However, the most recent studies demonstrate that a greater diversity of foods in the first year of life in fact lower risk of allergic disease.The study included 856 children form...
The use of antibiotics during infancy might contribute to the rising prevalence of childhood asthma. These effects may arise on the composition of the intestinal microbiota. 62,576 US children enrolled from birth through age 5 from 1999 through 2006 were reviewed for antibiotic exposure during the first year of life...
Tagged: asthma, antibiotic, smoking, infantAn Assorted Diet in Infancy Can Lower Allergy RiskThere is no clear evidence that allergen avoidance or delayed introduction of foods has any beneficial effect. A recent study was conducted to assess relationship between food diversity and other allergic diseases. The study included 856 children and...
Childhood asthma risk is affected not only by mother’s smoking, but by in utero exposure to grandmother’s smoking. A recent longitudinal study was performed to evaluate effects of grandmother’s smoking on childhood asthma risk. It looked at 966 cases of asthma and 5,915 controls without asthma.Prenatal exposure of the mother...
There is no clear evidence that allergen avoidance or delayed introduction of foods has any beneficial effect. A recent study was conducted to assess relationship between food diversity and other allergic diseases. The study included 856 children and included information on feeding during the first year of life from parental...
