Allergic and Non Allergic Asthma
30th July 2013
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20 Questions About Allergy-Triggered Asthma
How to prevent attacks and manage symptoms
Interview by Anne Harding
Robert A. Nathan, MD, is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and director of the Asthma and Allergy Associates and Research Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Q: What’s the difference between asthma that is due to allergies and asthma that is not?
A: Allergic asthma is an overreactive immunologic response that occurs because a person’s body makes too much of an immune system component called immunoglobulin E (IgE). People with allergic asthma are bothered by common allergens like animal dander, dust mites, pollen, mold, or cockroaches, and they are often allergic to more than one of these things.
When a person has asthma that isn’t related to allergies, but is instead triggered by factors that act directly on the lungs, such as infections, exercise, cold air, pollution, and stress, they have non-allergic asthma. Many people with asthma have a combination of non-allergic and allergic asthma. Of the nearly 19 million adults in the United States with asthma, about half have asthma that’s related to allergies. But just 20 percent of adults with asthma have symptoms triggered by just allergies alone.
Read more
All you need to know about adult-onset asthma
30th July 2013
BREATHLESS
Asthma is a condition that affects the airways — the thin tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. From time to time, the airways are constricted (narrowed) and this manifests as asthma, thereby setting off a series of alarms or symptoms. The extent of the narrowing, and how long each episode lasts, can vary greatly from person to person.
Many develop asthma in childhood. However, asthma symptoms can appear at any stage in life. It is possible to develop asthma at the age of 30 or 50 or even later. Some individuals who have had allergies as children or young adults with no asthma symptoms could develop asthma as adults.
What is adult asthma? Read more
Airborne lipid antigens mobilize resident intravascular NKT cells to induce allergic airway inflammation
30th July 2013
- Seth T. Scanlon1,2,3,
- Seddon Y. Thomas1,2,3,
- Caroline M. Ferreira4,
- Li Bai1,2,3,
- Thomas Krausz2,
- Paul B. Savage5, and
- Albert Bendelac1,2,3
jem.rupress.org
Airborne exposure to microbial cell wall lipids such as lipopolysaccharide triggers innate immune responses that regulate susceptibility to allergic airway inflammation.
Adrenal suppression
30th July 2013
Alexandra Ahmet1*, Harold Kim2,3 and Sheldon Spier4
…effective anti-inflammatory therapy is essential for the treatment of asthma, that ICSs are the most effective anti-inflammatory agents available, and that the suppressive effects of ICS therapy on the HPA axis is markedly less than clinically equivalent doses of oral corticosteroids. At low-to-moderate doses, ICS therapy does not present any significant risk for systemic side effects. However, when high doses are used for prolonged periods, serious adverse events, including AS, are possible. The risk for AS can be minimized through increased awareness and early recognition of at-risk patients, regular patient follow-up to ensure the lowest effective ICS doses are utilized, and by choosing an ICS medication with minimal systemic effects. When high-dose ICS therapy is required, important differences in the PK and PD characteristics of the available ICSs warrant consideration in clinical practice. For patients with proven AS, family education and stress steroids during times of illness, injury or surgery are imperative and will help reduce the morbidity associated with this serious complication of ICS therapy….
A case of dog-related human seminal plasma allergy
30th July 2013
Kofler L, Kofler H, Mattsson L, Lidholm J.
Source
Allergieambulatorium Hall i.T, Austria.
Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 2012; 44(2):89-92
Abstract
Allergy to human seminal plasma (HSP) is rare. It presents with a variety of symptoms, ranging from localized changes to generalized reactions or even anaphylactic shock. Symptoms typically start within minutes to one hour after exposure. Diagnosis is based on history, evidence of specific IgE antibodies and skin prick testing (SPT). A 25-year-old Caucasian woman presented with eyelid swelling, generalized urticaria and dyspnea immediately after unprotected coitus with her partner. No symptoms occurred when barrier contraception was used. SPTand IgE testing (ImmunoCAP) demonstrated sensitization to HSP and dog dander. The patient’s self-designed desensitization protocol, consisting of H1 blocker premedication followed by unprotected sexual intercourse, ameliorated her systemic reactions gradually and reduced the frequency of emergency hospital visits. She had a known allergy to male but not female dogs, and was highly sensitized to dog allergen Can f 5, a protein homologous to human prostate-specific antigen (PSA), suggesting a possible link to her HSP allergy.
Can f 5, dog, dander, dog
prostatic kallikrein (DPK),
prostate specific antigen (PSA),
seminal plasma,Type I allergy,
Human Seminal Plasma (HSP)
100 Years of Immunotherapy
30th July 2013
Aims of the Monaco Charter: (1) to present the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) and to address the reasons for its underuse in clinical practice; (2) to develop strategies to increase the awareness about the benefits and the hazards of SIT in allergic patients, lay public and healthcare professionals not trained in allergy, and (3) to make SIT accessible and affordable to eligible patients.
Vol. 160, No. 4, 2013
Free Access
View or print article as PDF (137 KB)
Position Paper
100 Years of Immunotherapy: The Monaco Charter
Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco
G. Walter Canonicaa, Carlos E. Baena-Cagnanid, Enrico Compalatia, Barbara Bohlec, Sergio Boninib, Jean Bousquete, Linda Coxf, Antje H. Fink-Wagnerg, Sandra González Díazh, Lars Jacobseni, Giovanni Passalacquaa, Ruby Pawankarj, Stefan Viethsl, Osman Yusufk, Torsten Zuberbierm
What Is Hay Fever? Symptoms and Treatments
23rd July 2013
Hay fever (or hayfever), also known as allergic rhinitis, is a common condition that shows signs and symptoms similar to a cold with sneezing, congestion, runny nose and sinus pressures. Read more…
Summary
Allergic rhinitis is a very common disorder that affects people of all ages, peaking in the teenage years. It is frequently ignored, underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and mistreated, which not only is detrimental to health but also has societal costs. Although allergic rhinitis is not a serious illness, it is clinically relevant because it underlies many complications, is a major risk factor for poor asthma control, and affects quality of life and productivity at work or school. Management of allergic rhinitis is best when directed by guidelines. A diagnostic trial of a pharmacotherapeutic agent could be started in people with clinically identified allergic rhinitis; however, to confirm the diagnosis, specific IgE reactivity needs to be recorded. Documented IgE reactivity has the added benefit of guiding implementation of environmental controls, which could substantially ameliorate symptoms of allergic rhinitis and might prevent development of asthma, especially in an occupational setting. Many classes of drug are available, effective, and safe. In meta-analyses, intranasal corticosteroids are superior to other treatments, have a good safety profile, and treat all symptoms of allergic rhinitis effectively. First-generation antihistamines are associated with sedation, psychomotor retardation, and reduced academic performance. Only immunotherapy with individually targeted allergens has the potential to alter the natural history of allergic rhinitis. Patients’ education is a vital component of treatment. Even with the best pharmacotherapy, one in five affected individuals remains highly symptomatic, and further research is needed in this area.
There has been considerable recent interest in developing therapies for food allergy, an increasingly common and highly morbid disorder for which strict dietary elimination and ready access to epinephrine remain the standard of care. While both oral …