Allergies & Asthma

The monovalent Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine may be associated with an elevated risk for new-onset chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), or hives lasting more than 6 weeks, according to a Swiss study. Among people who got an mRNA COVID vaccine booster and had new-onset hives reported to local allergists, 90% had vaccination precede CSU in the

The management and control of asthma across age groups is often inadequate, especially in lower-income nations, according to a global cross-sectional study. Across the 25 nations included in the study, which included over 25,000 individuals with asthma confirmed by a doctor, plans used to assist in the management of asthma symptoms were used in 62.8%

More than a quarter of adults and children experienced some kind of allergic condition in 2021, according to two National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports. The rate of 27.2% among children 17 years and under represented an increase from previous decades, reported Benjamin Zablotsky, PhD, of the NCHS in Hyattsville, Maryland, and coauthors in

Many people suffer through their allergy symptoms for far too long, thinking they’re something everyone “just has to deal with.” Most don’t even know what their problematic allergens are; they just know the time of year their allergies hit, or the measures they take to make themselves feel better throughout the year. This blog gives

The FDA approved a pressured, metered-dose inhaler containing albuterol and budesonide (Airsupra) for treating adults with asthma, drugmaker AstraZeneca announced. The combination, formerly known as PT027, is specifically indicated for the as-needed treatment or prevention of bronchoconstriction and to reduce the risk of exacerbations in adults with asthma, and is the first product containing both

While there was no association between prenatal exposure to acid-suppressive medications and allergic diseases in kids, infant exposure was linked to a higher risk of developing asthma, a South Korean nationwide cohort study showed. Among over 84,000 pairs of infants exposed and unexposed to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), the

The affected products are being recalled from the marketplace because they contain milk which is not declared on the label. The recalled products have been sold in British Columbia.   What you should do Check to see if you have recalled products Do not consume recalled products to which you are allergic or sensitive as

TTHealthWatch is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. This week’s topics include sodium levels and health

It finally happened! Thanks to The Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act that was passed in April of 2021, sesame is required to be listed as a major food allergen on food and beverage package labels. This change went into effect on January 1, 2023. This blog breaks down the importance of

In this video, MedPage Today editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust, MD, sits down with allergist and immunologist Zachary Rubin, MD, of Oak Brook Allergists in Illinois, to discuss the lasting affects of COVID-19 on pediatric health. Part one of their discussion — where they discuss the pediatric “tripledemic” of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 —

In this video, Jeremy Faust, MD, editor-in-chief of MedPage Today, sits down with Zachary Rubin, MD, to discuss the “tripledemic” of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID that has led to a wave of pediatric hospitalizations in the past few weeks. Rubin is with Oak Brook Allergists in Illinois. The following is a transcript

A gene therapy for a rare type of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) was safe and sufficiently restored T-cell immunity in an early trial, results from a phase I/II study showed. At a single center, all 10 infants with Artemis-deficient SCID (ART-SCID) produced functioning T cells at a median of 12 weeks after the procedure, reported

After suffering allergy season after allergy season, many people will offer their best piece of advice for managing your symptoms. One common recommendation is nasal sprays. This blog dives into how nasal sprays work, how they’re different than oral antihistamines, and how disease-modifying treatment can help reduce the need for symptom relievers over time. How

Dupilumab (Dupixent) was superior to placebo in the phase III trial underpinning its approval last spring for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), researchers said. About 60% of patients receiving the active drug — a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin (IL) types 4 and 13 — achieved histologic remission, compared with just 5%-6% assigned to placebo in the multi-part

LAS VEGAS — Families who received the results of pharmacogenomic testing for their children at one center understood the results they received but didn’t often share the test results with other outside providers, a survey showed. Among 128 family members surveyed on their perceptions of pharmacogenomic testing, 90% of those who said they received results

Presentation A 7-year-old boy was brought to the doctor by his mother regarding a facial rash that had developed over the past few weeks. On examination, smooth, pink papules were seen around his mouth. The patient had a history of asthma, for which he used inhalational budesonide daily, through a mask, as maintenance therapy. He

‘Tis the season of giving – not only gifts for family and friends, but many get in the spirit of giving to their community during the holidays, too. Giving to a cause you’re passionate about is even more rewarding, knowing that you’re helping someone who you may relate to or have a special connection to.

TTHealthWatch is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. This week’s topics include stopping cervical cancer screening,

It’s that time of year when you head to the back of your closet or the depths of your storage area to pull out your winter items. Jackets, sweaters, mittens, hats, even holiday décor and winter quilts are making their appearance in your home. Outdoor allergens, like pollens, tend to become minimal once the first

Mothers who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy, but also took vitamin C supplements, had children with improved airway function and lower risk of wheeze later on, according to a follow-up study of a randomized trial. At 5 years, kids born to mothers who smoked and took daily vitamin C during pregnancy had 17.2% higher average forced

Among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe chronic breathlessness, short-term daily treatment with low doses of extended-release morphine did not significantly reduce the intensity of worst breathlessness, a randomized trial showed. At 1 week, change in the intensity of worst breathlessness was not significantly different between patients who received 8 mg/day of

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An investigational fixed-dose combination of a short-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist and an inhaled corticosteroid appeared to slow the deterioration in lung function and reduce severe exacerbations for patients with mild-to-moderate asthma, according to an exploratory analysis of a phase III trial. Among the nearly 1,000 patients in the DENALI trial, those in the

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kids under 4 years old with peanut allergies seemed to overcome their sensitivity with a treatment using peanut (Arachis hypogaea) allergen powder (PTAH, Palforzia), according to results from the POSEIDON trial. At the end of the up-dosing schedule, 73.5% of children who were being desensitized using PTAH were able to tolerate at

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The future medical promise of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing appears to be a present-day reality for a small group of patients with the rare genetic condition known as hereditary angioedema (HAE). Interim results reported here from a phase I/II study involving 10 HAE patients showed a single infusion of a CRISPR/Cas9-based treatment to be

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A sublingual film may be able to deliver epinephrine as effectively as intramuscular injections and provide an alternate pathway for urgent treatment of allergic anaphylaxis, a researcher suggested here. In testing with healthy volunteers, the sublingual film loaded with AQST-109, which delivers 12 mg of epinephrine, appeared to have similar pharmacokinetics as

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Treatment with add-on dupilumab (Dupixent) was linked with clinically meaningful improvements in hives and itch severity in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), according to the LIBERTY-CSU CUPID Study A trial. In patients as young as 6 years with itch and hives that were not adequately controlled on antihistamine treatment alone, dupilumab

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Epicutaneous immunotherapy administered through a patch applied to the skin (VP250) led to better responses compared with placebo for peanut allergies in toddlers, the phase III randomized EPITOPE study showed. At 12 months, 67% of children ages 1 to 3 years met responder criteria compared with 33.5% of those on placebo (P<0.001),

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Eczema during infancy is a known risk factor for the development of food allergies later in childhood, but what role do moisturizers play in altering that risk? Roughly one in five infants with severe, early onset atopic dermatitis or eczema will develop allergies to peanut or other foods during childhood, said Helen