Allergies & Asthma

Poor sleep patterns and high genetic susceptibility together doubled the risk of asthma development in adults, a prospective study using U.K. Biobank data found. Individuals in the study who had the highest polygenic risk score (PRS) or were poor sleepers had a 47-55% higher risk for asthma over a median 8 years of follow-up compared

Individuals with a history of atopic disease, such as asthma and eczema (a.k.a. atopic dermatitis), are at significantly increased risk for developing osteoarthritis (OA), analysis of medical insurance claims indicated. With some 110,000 people with asthma or atopic dermatitis matched to the same number of individuals without these conditions, the odds of developing OA were

Enhanced treatment of atopic dermatitis with topical corticosteroids significantly reduced hen’s egg allergy compared with conventional reactive treatment in infants, but also resulted in adverse effects on growth, a randomized controlled trial in Japan showed. Among 640 infants ages 7 to 13 weeks, 31.4% of those who received enhanced treatment to clinically affected and unaffected

Skin care has been a trending topic since people were stuck at home in 2020 — having more time to explore self-care than usual. Now, having a skin care routine is commonplace, and social media is filled with tips, tricks, and products that may help stop aging or reduce sun damage. What happens when you

Earlier introduction of common allergenic foods in the first year of life was linked to a lower risk of immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy from 1 to 5 years of age, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized trials. Moderate-certainty evidence from four trials (n=3,295) showed that the introduction of multiple allergenic

Marginalized groups appeared to benefit more from decreasing levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter), according to a study using over 600 million person-years of Medicare data. While the hazard ratio associated with decreasing PM2.5 from 12 μg/m3 to 8 μg/m3 was 0.963 (95% CI 0.955-0.970) for higher-income white populations,

Use of digital measurement tools to track individual adherence to treatment helped avoid raising doses or adding medications and improved adherence in patients with uncontrolled asthma, the INCA Sun trial found. After 32 weeks, 14% of patients in the treatment group and 32% of the control group saw an increase in their asthma medication burden

Long-term exposure to heat and cold from the second trimester to 4 weeks after birth was associated with lung function among female newborns, according to a French population-based cohort study. Specifically, long-term heat and cold exposure were associated with decreased functional residual capacity (FRC) and increased respiratory rate, while only long-term cold exposure was linked

Routine bronchoscopy may clarify the treatment pathways for patients suffering from severe uncontrolled asthma (SUA) who are being considered for biologic therapy indicated for a T2 inflammation phenotype, according to a prospective study. After receiving a bronchoscopy, a substantial number of people were found to have comorbidities aggravating asthma control: 21% had gastroesophageal reflux disease

When patients start allergy drop immunotherapy following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol, they’re aware of the length of treatment. Changing how your body responds when exposed to allergens takes time — often three to five years. So why do some patients stop mid-treatment? Here are some of the common reasons they stop, and why instead,

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with an increased risk of long COVID among young adults, according to a Swedish population-based cohort study. For each increase in interquartile range (IQR) in exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) in 2019 (median annual exposure 6.39 μg/m3), the odds of developing long COVID increased by

A lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in early childhood nearly doubles the risk of premature death from respiratory diseases in adulthood, according to a prospective cohort study that spanned eight decades. The study of over 3,500 individuals born in the U.K. found that participants diagnosed with an LRTI by age 2 years were 93% more

Use of leukotriene-receptor antagonists (LTRAs) during pregnancy was not associated with significant risks of neuropsychiatric events in offspring, according to a nationwide cohort study from Taiwan. Among the children of women with a diagnosis of asthma or allergic rhinitis during pregnancy, no significant associations were found between prenatal LTRA exposure and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD;

Intranasal corticosteroids (INCs) improved quality of life for children suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis, the RAISE randomized trial showed. Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5) scores improved significantly more for children assigned to daily intranasal mometasone spray (Nasonex) along with daily saline solution rinsing with a nasal nebulizer compared with the saline routine alone,

SAN ANTONIO — Patients with asthma at one large academic medical center were not prescribed a biologic therapy very often over a 5-year period, a researcher reported, although patient adherence to a prescription was also problematic. Just 3.7% of patients received a new biologic prescription within a year of referral to a specialist, according to

SAN ANTONIO — Treatment with the interleukin-5 (IL-5) antagonist mepolizumab (Nucala) increased freedom from oral corticosteroids after 2 years in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, according to a post-hoc analysis of the real-world prospective REALITI-A trial. The proportion of those achieving freedom from oral corticosteroids increased from 4% at week 0 to 22% at week

SAN ANTONIO — Many reported anaphylactic reactions to COVID-19 vaccination may in fact be attributable to vaccine-induced immunization stress-related response (ISRR), suggested findings from a small study presented here. Cases of ISRR — a non-allergic condition that mimics many of the symptoms of anaphylaxis — may help explain why rare anaphylactic reactions to mRNA COVID

SAN ANTONIO — Peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) at maintenance doses 10 times lower than conventional dosing may be an effective strategy for desensitizing peanut-allergic patients, according to findings from an ongoing study. Researchers from academic centers in Toronto and Montreal are randomizing peanut-allergic children to peanut avoidance, very low-dose OIT at a dosage of 30

A one-food elimination diet (1FED) could be just as effective as the popular six-food elimination diet (6FED) for patients suffering from eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a randomized trial showed. Removing animal milk alone led to histological remission at 6 weeks in 35% of people by eosinophil count, which was statistically no different than the 42% in

Your wedding is supposed to be the best day of your life — and there are several things to keep in mind to limit allergy making an objection on your big day. Whether you (or your most important guests!) have food or environmental allergies, there are a few things to avoid or alter to keep

SAN ANTONIO — Epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) administered through an investigational skin patch over 12 months led to more responses — with favorable safety — compared with placebo in peanut-allergic toddlers with and without other food allergies or atopic dermatitis (AD), according to two subanalyses of the phase III EPITOPE trial. Among children ages 1 to

SAN ANTONIO — Among patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE), monthly injections of the investigational biologic garadacimab reduced the mean attack rate substantially in the phase III VANGUARD clinical trial. During the 6-month trial, the average monthly HAE attack rate dropped to 0.27 in the garadacimab group versus 2.01 for the placebo group (P<0.001), representing a

Peanut sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) achieved clinically significant desensitization to peanut allergens in the majority of children in an open-label, prospective study. Among 47 kids who completed therapy and the 48-month double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge, 70% achieved clinically significant desensitization (successfully consumed dose [SCD] >800 mg), and 36% achieved full desensitization (SCD 5,000 mg), reported Edwin

The prevalence of eczema among U.S. children has increased over the last 20 years to varying degrees among racial and ethnic groups, a nationwide study found. In 1997, eczema prevalence was at 7.9% and increased to 12.6% by 2018, reported Siri Choragudi, BS, and Gil Yosipovitch, MD, both of the University of Miami Miller School

Getting a new pet is exciting for all involved, but after having a new dog or cat in your home for a few weeks, you may find a member, or members, of your family start to feel sick. Itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, running nose and more can all be related to an allergy to your

The five-question CAPTURE screening tool showed high specificity but low sensitivity in detecting undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary care. Of 110 patients with undiagnosed but clinically significant COPD, 53 had a positive result on CAPTURE with a specificity of 88.6% (95% CI 87.6%-89.6%) and a sensitivity of 48.2% (95% CI 38.6%-57.9%), reported

Use of the population-based Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) may misclassify frailty in hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation compared with use of the beside Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), according to a cross-sectional study. Using the CFS as a criterion standard measurement, the HFRS had a sensitivity of 27% and a specificity

To many, being tested for allergies seems like a bigger hassle than it’s worth — it can be time consuming and uncomfortable — but that’s changing. This is your sign that it may be time to rethink this notion. Below are three signs you may be a good candidate for allergy testing, and three benefits