What is Allergy: Description, Causes, Symptoms, Risk factors, Treatment Adding Proton Pump Inhibitor to Treat Poorly Controlled Asthma in Children Does Not Improve Symptoms 2012-01-25T09:20:00-08:00 Children without symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux whose asthma was being poorly controlled with anti-inflammatory treatment did not have an improvement in symptoms or lung function with the added treatment of the proton pump inhibitor lansoprazole, compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the January 25 issue of JAMA. Use of lansoprazole was associated with increased adverse events.

“Asthma and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) disease are both common disorders in children, and symptoms of GER are frequently reported among children with asthma,” according to background information in the article. “Untreated GER has been postulated to be a cause of inadequate asthma control in children despite inhaled corticosteroid treatment, but it is not known whether treatment with proton pump inhibitors improves asthma control.”

Janet T. Holbrook, M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues with the Writing Committee for the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers, conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to compare the PPI lansoprazole with placebo in children with poor asthma control who were receiving inhaled corticosteroid treatment.

]]> Accelerated infant growth increases risk of future asthma symptoms in children 2012-01-20T10:52:00-08:00 Accelerated growth in the first three months of life, but not fetal growth, is associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in young children, according to a new study from The Generation R Study Group at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.

“We know that low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in children, but the effects of specific fetal and infant growth patterns on this risk had not been examined yet,” said researcher Liesbeth Duijts, MD, PhD. “In our study, weight gain acceleration in early infancy was associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in children of preschool age, independent of fetal growth patterns, suggesting that early infancy might be a critical period for the development of asthma.”

The findings were published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study, and included 5,125 children who were followed from fetal life through the age of four. Information on asthma symptoms was obtained by questionnaires at the ages of 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

]]> Getting a Cat Ups Allergy Risk in Adults 2012-01-03T19:55:01-08:00 While having a cat as a kid may protect against future allergies, getting one in adulthood nearly doubles the chances of developing an immune reaction to it—the first step toward wheezing, sneezing and itchy eyes.

That’s according to a study that found people with other allergies were at extra high risk of reacting to a new feline in the house.

“If you are an adult with asthma and/or allergies, you should think twice about getting a cat and particularly, if you do so, letting it into your bedroom,” said Dr. Andy Nish of the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, who wasn’t involved in the new work.

]]> Love Your Pet - Not Your Allergy? 2011-11-06T07:57:00-08:00 Good news for the millions of dog and cat lovers whose four-legged friend is causing them to sneeze and wheeze.—removing the pet from the home isn’t the only option. At the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Nov. 3-8, allergists discuss the use of immunotherapy – allergy shots – combined with environmental changes to help control pet allergy symptoms.

“This is a common allergy that touches the hearts of so many,” said Dana Wallace, MD, ACAAI president. “More than 90 percent of homes have measurable dog and cat allergens and 52 percent of homes have a pet. So not only is it a common allergy, but the allergen is everywhere.”

And although individuals who are allergic to dogs and/or cats are advised to reduce their exposure to the animal, case studies show that cat dander is present even in places where a cat has never set a paw. Allergists refer to this as “passive” exposure because the dander travels to school on students’ clothing and backpacks.

]]> Six Tips to Ensure Allergies and Asthma Don’t Ruin Holiday Cheer 2011-10-29T10:57:00-08:00 Holiday gatherings are festive fun, but it’s not easy to be the life of the party when you’re sniffling, sneezing and wheezing. From the host’s overpowering perfume to the nuts in the snack bowl, holiday parties can be a challenge for people with allergies and asthma.

“During the holiday season you’re going to be exposed to allergens,” said allergist Dr. Myron Zitt, M.D., past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “Be aware of where the problems lie so you can deal with them. And then, have a good time!”

Let your host know you’ll be at the party with bells on after following these suggestions from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and its allergist members.

]]> Vitamin C may be beneficial for asthmatic children 2011-08-30T16:56:00-08:00 Depending on the age of asthmatic children, on their exposure to molds or dampness in their bedroom, and on the severity of their asthma, vitamin C has greater or smaller beneficial effect against asthma, according to a study published in the Clinical and Translational Allergy.

Proposals that vitamin C might be beneficial in the treatment of asthma date back to the 1940s, but the findings from controlled trials have been conflicting.

Drs Mohammed Al-Biltagi from the Tanta University in Egypt and Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki in Finland analyzed the effect of 0.2 grams per day of vitamin C on 60 asthmatic children aged 7 to 10 years. The effect of vitamin C on the forced expiratory volume per one second (FEV1) was modified by age and exposure to molds or dampness. In the younger children aged 7.0 to 8.2 years with no exposure to molds or dampness, vitamin C administration increased the FEV1 level by 37%. In the older children aged 8.3 to 10 years with exposure to molds or dampness in their bedroom more than one year before the study, vitamin C increased the FEV1 level by only 21%. 

]]> Using Powder-Free Latex Gloves Reduces Latex Allergy Rate in Health Care Workers 2011-08-17T19:36:01-08:00 Researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin investigating latex allergy in health care workers have demonstrated the most effective public health strategy to prevent allergic sensitization is by stopping the use of powdered latex gloves. Previous medical studies pointed out this association of latex allergy to powdered latex glove use but were not able to completely confirm this link in specific workers. Reducing the use of powdered gloves reduced the allergen in the air and in air ducts at two hospitals, and prevented sensitization to latex in health care workers at both institutions.

These findings, detailed in the paper “Prevention of IgE Sensitization to Latex in Health Care Workers after Reduction of Antigen Exposures,” are published online-first in the August 2011 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The CDC quoted this article in its publication Science Clips as one of the best scientific articles of the week, because of the practical way in which the institutions were able to implement and then prove with the study an effective public health strategy.

Kevin J. Kelly, MD, professor of pediatrics (allergy/immunology), internal medicine, and vice chair in pediatrics at the Medical College, is the lead author on the paper.

]]> National asthma genetics consortium releases first results 2011-08-01T15:17:01-08:00 A new national collaboration of asthma genetics researchers has revealed a novel gene associated with the disease in African-Americans, according to a new scientific report.

By pooling data from nine independent research groups looking for genes associated with asthma, the newly-created EVE Consortium identified a novel gene association specific to populations of African descent. In addition, the new study confirmed the significance of four gene associations recently reported by a European asthma genetics study.

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, are a promising first step for a new national scientific effort to hunt for the genetic roots of asthma.

“We now have a really good handle on at least five genes that anyone would be comfortable saying are asthma risk loci,” said Carole Ober, PhD, co-chair of the EVE Consortium, senior author of the study, and Blum-Riese Professor of human genetics and obstetrics/gynecology at the University of Chicago. “I think it’s an exciting time in asthma genetics.”

]]> Childhood pets linked to lower allergy risk 2011-07-24T20:43:01-08:00 Good news for families that would love to have a furry dog or cat but hesitate for fear the kids might become allergic: Fido or Kitty might actually be good for children’s health, scientists say.

They found that children who were exposed to animals at a young age had lower rates of nasal allergies as adolescents.

“Family pets, in particular dogs...need not be removed to prevent allergies, and in fact may protect against them,” Melanie Matheson of the University of Melbourne, lead author of the study, told Reuters Health in an email.

]]> Gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori protects against asthma 2011-07-03T20:03:00-08:00 Infection with the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori provides reliable protection against allergy-induced asthma, immunologists from the University of Zurich have demonstrated in an animal model together with allergy specialists from the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Their results published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation confirm the hypothesis recently put forward that the dramatic increase in allergic diseases in industrial societies is linked to the rapid disappearance of specific micro-organisms that populate the human body.

Allergy-induced asthma has been on the increase in the industrialized world for decades and has virtually taken on epidemic proportions. The rapid rise in allergic airway disease is attributed to air pollution, smoking, the hygiene hypothesis and the widespread use of antibiotics. The hygiene hypothesis states that modern hygiene measures have led to a lack of exposure to infectious agents, which is important for the normal maturation of the immune system. In an article published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists from the University of Zurich and the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz now reveal that the increase in asthma could be put down to the specific disappearance of the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) from Western societies.

H. pylori is resistant to gastric acid. According to estimates, around half of the world’s population might be infected with the bacteria. The affliction often has no symptoms, but under certain conditions can cause gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and stomach cancer. Consequently, H. pylori is often killed off with antibiotics as a precaution, even if the patient does not have any complaints. 

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