Allergies & Asthma

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

Deciding to bite the bullet and treat the cause of your allergies instead of treating symptoms temporarily can seem like a big commitment. And while patients know the commitment when they begin allergy immunotherapy, many may experience reduced symptoms early on in treatment and are tempted to stop treatment before directed. Stopping immunotherapy (or any

Researchers looking for post-breastfeeding dietary patterns in two prospective birth cohorts that predispose infants to asthma found one, and it wasn’t what anyone expected. After switching from breast milk, babies up to age 1 whose protein intake came largely from meat products — as opposed to dairy, fish, or egg proteins — showed more than

Several studies caught our eye at the just-concluded European Respiratory Society’s virtual annual meeting. Among them: more negative findings for ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment; clinical performance of a novel image-analysis system that determines in real time whether lung tissue biopsies collected during surgery contain malignant cells; and insights into just how triple therapy for

Two studies presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) virtual meeting should reassure asthma patients and their physicians about their risks from COVID-19. On the one hand, “no evidence of excess deaths was directly attributed to asthma” in a study of Scottish data on hospital admissions and death certificates during the first COVID-19 wave in

One study of an immunotherapy for reducing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations missed its primary endpoint and failed to show a statistically significant benefit even in the subgroup that showed the greatest response. Another study, involving a similar product, showed results so dramatic that an independent expert suspected they were “too good to be

Exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increased substantially following a single IV iron infusion, a researcher reported. With patients’ tolerance for physical activity measured with two standard assessments — the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and a constant work-rate exercise test — more than half the patients receiving the infusion achieved the

Here’s another likely health impact from climate change to add to the ever-growing list: more frequent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. Each 1°C increment in outdoor temperature, after adjustment for humidity levels, was associated with a 2% increase in odds that COPD patients would experience exacerbations 2 days later (P=0.002), reported Supaksh Gupta, MD,

Managing your allergies can be costly — especially when your daily antihistamine isn’t cutting out all of your symptoms. With so many products that claim to reduce allergy symptoms, it can be difficult to know which are worth the investment. In this blog, read about three of the top allergy products that we find to

Most highly allergic adults were able to safely receive the two-dose series of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2; Comirnaty), a prospective single-center study found. Of 429 highly allergic patients who received the first dose of the mRNA vaccine, mild allergic reactions occurred in 1.4% and 0.7% experienced anaphylaxis, reported Nancy Agmon-Levin, MD, of Sheba Medical

When most people think about animal allergies, they typically jump to dogs and cats – the usual household pets. But, because humans have allergic reactions to animal saliva, dander, and urine, allergic symptoms may come from a wide variety of critters. Allergy drop treatment following the La Crosse Method™ Protocol can be used to treat

Lessons learned from responding to the COVID-19 pandemic can also be applied to fighting climate change, Renee Salas, MD, MPH, said Tuesday at an event sponsored by the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and WGBH‘s The World. The first lesson “is recognizing that prevention has to be prioritized,” said Salas, an emergency

Questions about whether COVID symptoms are different with Delta compared with earlier variants have been raised again, after a Louisiana public health official recently said patients are presenting with more mild symptoms. Louisiana’s State Health Officer Joe Kanter, MD, MPH, told a local New Orleans radio station that many COVID patients are now developing symptoms

Does the simple thought of fall allergies make you cringe? You’re not alone. Of environmental allergy sufferers, 75% are allergic to ragweed, which is one of the most notorious allergens in the fall. But, ragweed isn’t the only pesky allergy trigger to watch out for during the fall season — mold allergy and allergic asthma

While a completely peanut-free environment is difficult to provide in an open baseball stadium where peanuts are sold and consumed by many of the fans, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are reaching out to the baseball fans with peanut allergies by providing peanut controlled seating for selected games. Here is a comprehensive list of all

Patients who experienced allergic or potentially allergic reactions to their first dose of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 were able to tolerate the second dose, a retrospective study found. Among 189 patients who had immediate reactions after their first dose of either Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccine, all 159 who received a second dose tolerated it, including

The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act was signed into law on April 23, 2021, making sesame the 9th major U.S. allergen. The Act should help bring relief to the approximately 1.6 million Americans with sesame allergy. Food makers are required to clearly label sesame on food packages beginning Jan. 1, 2023.2

Women continued to be paid less than men in academic medicine, with gender gaps in salary and representation most pronounced in cardiology and other procedural specialties, according to a cross-sectional analysis. In 2018 and 2019, female representation approached 50% at the instructor and assistant professor ranks in internal medicine, but fell to 24% at full

Two questions that come up this time of year – year after year – are: What is Oral Allergy Syndrome How do I manage Oral Allergy Syndrome? OAS is something that’s not well known outside of the allergy community. It can be irritating, and for people experiencing it for the first time, kind of alarming.

WASHINGTON — A coal-powered electricity plant in Puerto Rico that is releasing toxic coal ash should be shut down immediately because it is harming patients’ health, several House members said. “Whether through production or storage, there is no good outcome related to coal ash,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), who is originally from the Dominican

ZED1227, a potential therapeutic transglutaminase 2 inhibitor, reduced mucosal damage from gluten in celiac disease patients, a randomized proof-of-concept trial found. At week 6, the difference in villus height-to-crypt depth average ratio, a measurement of intestinal injury, was significant at three different dosages of ZED1227 (10 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg) compared to placebo,

It’s all fun and games (and barbecues and boating) until your allergies kick in and put a pause on your Fourth of July celebrations. Whether you struggle with food or environmental allergies, there are steps you can take to help steer clear of reactions this holiday weekend. Avoid environmental triggers In early July, grass and

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. COVID deaths in Brazil surpassed 500,000, and protesters in more than 20 cities are blaming President Jair Bolsonaro for downplaying the pandemic. (NPR) The more contagious and possibly more deadly Delta variant will “probably” become the dominant strain in the U.S. in the next couple of

When most people think of seasonal allergies, they think of itching, sniffling and sneezing. There are other symptoms that can appear seasonally which can be attributed to allergy, too. Since they’re less known allergy symptoms, you may not even notice that they arrive at the same time each year — think throat clearing, dark circles

For patients using allergy immunotherapy — either allergy drops or allergy shots — it can take months to alleviate symptoms and three to five years, and sometimes longer, to build long-term tolerance. While the end result is worth it, getting over the initial hump can be tough as you begin the steps to building tolerance