Allergies & Asthma

Disparities in air pollution exposure between racial and ethnic groups are getting worse, according to a new study. From 2000 to 2016, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in the U.S. decreased by 40%, from 12.6 µg/m-3 to 7.5 µg/m-3, according to Abdulrahman Jbaily, PhD, of Harvard T. H. Chan School of

Traveling can bring excitement, anxiety, and stress, whether you’re driving a short distance for the day or flying across the country for an extended business trip or vacation. Add food allergies to the mix and traveling can be overwhelming. Researching dining and flight options, communicating your allergies with others, remembering to pack important allergy-friendly items,

Traffic-related air pollution was responsible for nearly 2 million new asthma cases in children across the globe in 2019, according to a new study. Of the 1.85 million new pediatric asthma cases that were attributed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), two-thirds occurred in urban areas, reported Susan Anenberg, PhD, of George Washington University in Washington, D.C.,

When you hear “environmental allergies,” trees, grasses, and weeds might be the first allergens that come to mind. Just when you breathe a sigh of relief from waning outdoor allergens, prepare for sneaky indoor environmental allergens. Mold and dust mites trigger allergies throughout the year. But, as winter rolls around and you begin spending more

The FDA approved the only biologic for severe asthma without any phenotype or biomarker limitations, manufacturers AstraZeneca and Amgen announced Friday. The first-in-class biologic tezepelumab-ekko (Tezspire) is indicated as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients ages 12 and older with severe asthma. It is not intended for acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus. As a first-in-class

One in 10 people in the U.S. have atopic dermatitis, or eczema. The miserable symptoms — dry, itchy, sore skin — can take a toll on everyday activities, concentration, and sleep. Products and environmental factors you’re exposed to on a daily basis could trigger your eczema flare ups. Underlying allergy may even be at the

Interventions to de-escalate use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are necessary and beneficial, researchers said during the federal posters session at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear virtual meeting. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines recommend long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) and long-acting muscarinic

Immune-mediated diseases collectively were associated with an increased risk of cancer, with the risks not always isolated to the involved organ, a large cohort study demonstrated. Overall, 48 common autoimmune and other immune-mediated conditions were linked with a modest total cancer risk (HR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12), reported Mingyang Song, MD, ScD, of Harvard T.H.

Children with poorly-controlled asthma were at much greater risk for COVID-19 hospitalization, a retrospective study from Scotland found. Among roughly 750,000 children ages 5 to 17, those with an asthma-related hospitalization in the 2 years before the pandemic — a marker for uncontrolled asthma — had a more than sixfold higher risk of being hospitalized

We’ve all heard about food recalls on the news — “food abc” recalled for undeclared allergens, “food xyz” recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination. As scary as they may sound, food recalls often get brushed to the side if it isn’t a food you eat or buy. Undeclared major food allergen, when a food allergen

NEW ORLEANS — Apparently it’s not necessary to have the protein that a monoclonal antibody is designed to bind for it to achieve a clinical benefit, if a study of patients with chronic urticaria can be taken at face value. At the Cleveland Clinic, the condition was brought under complete control in seven patients after

NEW ORLEANS — Everyone who received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 at military facilities after experiencing allergic reactions to the first did just fine without any pretreatment, a physician reported here. These individuals were observed closely, of course, and some underwent allergy testing beforehand to ascertain whether they

You’ve probably heard of some allergy-friendly products, such as HVAC/furnace filters and bedding, but, it might come as a surprise that even some home materials, such as paint and flooring, can be friendlier for allergy and asthma sufferers. Within 46 different product categories, there are over 200 products in the U.S. that have passed the

NEW ORLEANS — Safety of a dermal patch for helping peanut-allergic children tolerate the ubiquitous legume improved over time in a 3-year, open-label study, a researcher reported here. Although adverse effects (AEs) from the product were common in the first year, they diminished markedly in subsequent years, said Terri Brown-Whitehorn, MD, of Children’s Hospital of

NEW ORLEANS — Only a minority of teenagers with asthma got substantial advice and assistance from their pediatricians in how to manage their condition as adults, according to a small single-center study reported here. Young adults surveyed about their experiences in transitioning to adult asthma care mostly got no help from their regular doctors until

NEW ORLEANS — Meet Sally. She’s a 10-year-old who had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts as a toddler. Although she can’t remember it, and hasn’t had another one like it, she worries incessantly about peanut exposure. She runs from the room if she smells peanuts, won’t eat in the school lunchroom, won’t go on playdates

NEW ORLEANS — Although 2017 government-endorsed guidelines called for introducing peanuts in infancy in order to minimize risk of future allergy, few parents are getting that message from their pediatricians, survey results indicate. Among 3,062 parents of young children participating in the survey earlier this year, only 58% recalled any discussion with their child’s pediatrician

NEW ORLEANS — As the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology (ACAAI) annual meeting gets underway on Friday, attendees — online and in person here — can catch up on the latest news on allergy prevention and management, as well as the gamut of topics summed up in the organization’s name. Some of the

Two monoclonal antibodies directed toward different interleukin (IL) targets produced wildly different results in randomized phase II trials involving asthma. On the plus side, an IL-33 inhibitor called itepekimab appeared to help patients keep their asthma under control better than placebo, reported Michael Wechsler, MD, of National Jewish Health in Denver, and colleagues. While on

If you suffer from allergies, you likely feel the everyday impacts allergies can cause. We have good news — there is a safe, cost-effective, and convenient option available that might help you enjoy everyday activities and live your ideal lifestyle without worrying about allergies slowing you down. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), commonly known as allergy drops,

Exacerbations were eliminated in about one-third of adult asthma patients treated prophylactically with the macrolide azithromycin, a researcher reported. In the real-world study presented at CHEST 2021, the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting held online, Hanan Ajay, a fifth-year medical student at the University of Liverpool in England said that of the 34

An oral abstract session at CHEST 2021 on Wednesday devoted to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) offered a prime example of how a question-and-answer segment can be far more interesting than the actual presentations. One of the abstracts was a run-of-the-mill secondary analysis of years-old clinical trial data, while another examined claims data related to

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. Pfizer announced the first data from its phase III COVID-19 booster trial involving 10,000 individuals ages 16 and up. The study showed 95.6% efficacy (95% CI 89.3-98.6) for those who received a booster shot 6 months following their primary series: with five cases in the boosted

Children with uncontrolled, moderate-to-severe asthma had better long-term lung function when they were treated with dupilumab (Dupixent), a randomized study showed. In the year-long trial, add-on dupilumab given to children ages 6-11 improved forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) by a pre-bronchodilator average of 0.06 liters at week 2 versus placebo (P=0.025), and by

It’s probably no surprise that the most significant respiratory disease epidemic in 100 years is the number one subject at this year’s CHEST meeting. But healthcare professionals with interests in more traditional topics shouldn’t feel cheated, a review of abstracts and scheduled sessions indicates. Of the nearly 2,100 abstracts published ahead of the meeting —

Are you one of the over 50 million Americans who experiences allergies each year? Signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction can range from a bothersome stuffy/runny nose, sneezing, and itchy/watery eyes to a rash, difficulty swallowing and anaphylaxis. What actually happens during an allergic reaction? Is there a way to treat the cause? We’ll

In today’s world, there are endless options for the same or similar services – even when it comes to healthcare. We understand that it can be difficult to decide which allergy skin test option is best for you, or to know who or what to trust when it comes to diagnosing your allergies. Dr. Mary

Diagnostic accuracy of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) was too low to identify wheat sensitivities in non-celiac irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, according to a prospective multicenter study. The method accurately detected wheat sensitivity in only about half of the individuals who responded to a gluten-free diet at 2 months (51.4% sensitivity, 97.5% CI 38.7-63.9%), reported