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 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 and the development of three asthma phenotypes. These included transient wheezing, late-onset asthma (starting after 3 years), and persistent asthma (starting by 3 years and continuing 4- 7 years).
Children exposed to antibiotics were more likely to develop transient wheezing, odds ratio (OR) 2.0, and persistent asthma OR 1.6. There was a significant dose-response effect in children receiving at least 5 courses of antibiotics, OR ratio of 2. This analysis suggests that antibiotic exposure during the first year of life is associated with increased risk of asthma during the first 3 years of life.
Almost 20% of children developed wheezing or asthma between infancy and 7 years. With each course of antibiotic exposure, there was an increased risk of developing asthma. There was also a significant association between early-life upper respiratory infections and each type of asthma phenotype. This study is another warning about the importance of judicious use of antibiotics in children
You Might Also Enjoy...
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.
Mold allergy is difficult to diagnose due to lack of standardized test material.
The current standard for diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) is endoscopy with esophageal biopsy to determine the eosinophil count
Skin prick testing and serum IgE measurement are limited in their ability to predict positive or negative responses to oral peanut challenge.
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.
Recent studies have suggested that early regular exposure to allergenic foods may reduce the risk of food allergy.