
Two long-acting ß 2 -adrenergic agonists (LABAs), salmeterol and formoterol, have been demonstrated to be safe and effective agents in children, both in terms of bronchodilation and prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm. Their onsets of action differ, with formoterol having an onset similar to albuterol (3 minutes), while salmeterol has a slower onset of action (10–20 minutes). Following a single-dose administration, both agents demonstrate durations of action up to 12 hours. Following regular twice-daily administration, bronchodilation remains effective; however, a level of tolerance (or tachyphylaxis) (more…)
For most patients, asthma is not controlled as defined by guidelines; whether this is achievable has not been prospectively stu ...
This study evaluated budesonide formoterol efficacy and safety of a novel asthma management strategy for both maintenance and s ...
Asthma control is improved by combining inhaled corticosteroids with long acting beta-agonists but patients still require relie ...
Regular use of ß-agonists has been known to lead to tolerance to their bronchodilator effects. It is not known how quickly toleranc ...
Current internationally recognized guidelines indicate that symptomatic asthmatics using a low to medium inhaled corticosteroid ...

Cromolyn sodium and nedocromil sodium are inhaled agents that are alternatives to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in the management of mild persistent asthma in children. Both drugs have been shown to possess anti inflammatory properties through nonsteroidal mechanisms, although the exact mechanisms for their actions remain unclear. (more…)
Roflumilast is an oral, once-daily PDE4 inhibitor with antiinflammatory activity in development for the treatment of asthma. Ro ...
Two long-acting ß 2 -adrenergic agonists (LABAs), salmeterol and formoterol, have been demonstrated to be safe and effective ag ...
Exercise-induced asthma is a feeling of shortness of breath, with the presence of cough, wheezing, and chest tightness after physic ...
Maintenance of asthma control by once-daily inhaled ciclesonide nasal spray in adults with persistent asthma. Ciclesonide is an ...
Up to 85% of asthmatics patients have symptoms of wheezing during or after exercise. Moreover, many patients diagnosed with all ...

Exposure and allergic sensitization to cockroach was associated with a significantly greater risk of asthma hospitalization and greater healthcare utilization among 476 children aged 4 to 9 years who participated in the National Cooperative Inner-City Asthma Study. Allergic sensitization to the mold Alternaria has been identified as a significant allergen in terms of increasing airway hyperresponsiveness and was associated with a nearly 200-fold increased risk of respiratory arrest due to asthma, emphasizing the importance of determining underlying allergic sensitivities in patients with asthma and providing patients with accurate and practical advice on allergen avoidance techniques. (more…)
Sensitization to pets remains a risk factor for asthma and rhinitis, and can occur in people who have never lived with a pet. S ...
The two strongest risk factors for asthma in childhood are a family history and immediate hypersensitivity to common allergens. ...
More severe asthma can persist from childhood into adulthood without remission. Another important tendency in the natural histo ...
Natural history studies with the following design features provide a firm epidemiologic foundation for risk factor assessments and ...
In the Tucson CRS study, about 50% of young children experienced a period of recurrent wheezing and/or coughing in the first 6 ...

More severe asthma can persist from childhood into adulthood without remission. Another important tendency in the natural history is for symptoms to remit in adolescence only to return again in adulthood. In general, the amount of wheezing in early adolescence seems to be a guide for severity in early adult years, with 73% of those with few symptoms at age 14 years continuing to have little or no asthma progression at age 28 years. Similarly 68% of those with frequent wheezing at 14 years still suffered from recurrent asthma at age 28 years. Most subjects with frequent wheezing at 21 years continued to have comparable asthma at 28 years. In addition to the importance of symptoms in childhood, childhood degree of bronchial responsiveness in combination with a low FEV-1 were also related to the outcome of asthma in adulthood. (more…)
In the Tucson CRS study, about 50% of young children experienced a period of recurrent wheezing and/or coughing in the first 6 ...
Exposure and allergic sensitization to cockroach was associated with a significantly greater risk of asthma hospitalization and ...
With the help of well-trained and experienced pulmonary function technicians, children as young as 4 to 5 years of age should b ...
Asthma is a complex syndrome rather than a single disease entity. Different phenotypes with varying prognosis and determinants have ...
It is clear from the results of large epidemiologic studies that while atopy is a major risk factor for asthma, it is usually n ...

Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bronchoconstrictor stimuli in the laboratory. This in turn indicates that they may have a role in the pathogenesis of acute episodes of bronchoconstriction. Although antileukotrienes are not currently advocated in the management of acute asthma, there are data to suggest that they might be of some potential benefit. Prior treatment with montelukast asthma has been shown in several studies to significantly shorten the time taken to recover (in terms of FEV 1 ) following exposure to a bronchoconstrictor stimulus. (more…)
Despite optimum drug delivery and good compliance with inhaled corticosteroids, many patients experience symptoms and exacerbat ...
Current internationally recognized guidelines indicate that symptomatic asthmatics using a low to medium inhaled corticosteroid ...
The prevalence of aspirin-sensitive asthma is uncertain although it may exist in up to 20% of all asthmatics patients. The char ...
Montelukast has proven efficacy in the treatment of chronic asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis, but it has not been evaluate ...
The guidelines for asthma management recommend the use of regular inhaled corticosteroid in patients with mild persistent asthma, b ...

In 2004, there were 2.4 million children aged 5 to 14 years, or 5.9% of this population group, with a self-reported asthma attack, with no decrease in prevalence since 1997 1 in spite of the much improved therapies available. In this interval, the number of physician office visits for asthma doubled, from 1.7 to 3.3 million which many leads to asthma morbidity and asthma mortality. (more…)
Negative family characteristics such as family conflict and family dysfunction discriminated children who died of asthma from c ...
Asthma control is improved by combining inhaled corticosteroids with long acting beta-agonists but patients still require relie ...
Asthmatic children who also have Allergic Rhinitis seem to have higher morbidity and to use more healthcare resources. This was fur ...
What is Flu? Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is a contagious disease caused by a virus. It can cause mild to severe ...
Patients with severe persistent asthma who are inadequately controlled despite Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2002 step 4 ther ...

In the UK, Europe and the USA, montelukast is licensed for once-daily oral administration in adults and is also available as a cherry flavored pink tablet or as granules for use in children over the age of 6 months. Zafirlukast is licensed for use in individuals over 12 years of age (Fig above). In some countries such as Japan, another leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), pranlukast, is available for use. In the USA, zileuton is licensed for use in those over 12 years of age (Table below). (more…)
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Current internationally recognized guidelines indicate that symptomatic asthmatics using a low to medium inhaled corticosteroid ...
A variety of proinflammatory cells, mediators, and cytokines orchestrate the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, which r ...
Despite optimum drug delivery and good compliance with inhaled corticosteroids, many patients experience symptoms and exacerbat ...
Roflumilast is an oral, once-daily PDE4 inhibitor with antiinflammatory activity in development for the treatment of asthma. Ro ...

Negative family characteristics such as family conflict and family dysfunction discriminated children who died of asthma from children with equally severe asthma who did not die. Parenting difficulties have been associated with a higher risk for the development of asthma early in life. In addition, children with the highest risk of developing early-onset asthma were those in families with both parenting problems and high stress. Evidence for a asthma and stress link has been demonstrated through temporal studies, as experiencing an acute negative life event increased children’s risk for an asthma attack 4 to 6 weeks after the occurrence of the event. (more…)
Learning to relax is important not only to release tension or stress but can ease your sinus and help you to copy with it. True rel ...
The two strongest risk factors for asthma in childhood are a family history and immediate hypersensitivity to common allergens. ...
Asthma is a frightening condition. I have lived with asthma symptoms for 17 years and the thought of an allergy induced asthma atta ...
Acupuncture for acne, psoriasis, allergies and related conditions is the current interest of several study groups, to investigate a ...
The genetic basis of asthma heritability has been extensively studied and the studies are yielding some understanding. There is ...

Two main strategies have been developed to block the effects of cysteinyl leukotrienes in the airway. One method is to use drugs that prevent their synthesis (using a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor) and the other involves interfering with the binding of cysteinyl leukotrienes to their cellular receptor using a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA). (more…)
Leukotrienes can be found in the airway and urine following both spontaneous exacerbations of asthma and acute exposure to bron ...
Antihistamines have been shown to be effective in seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria. They improve qua ...
The cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTC 4 , LTD 4 and LTE 4 ) are lipid mediators produced from an arachidonic acid precursor following ...
A variety of proinflammatory cells, mediators, and cytokines orchestrate the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, which r ...
The prevalence of aspirin-sensitive asthma is uncertain although it may exist in up to 20% of all asthmatics patients. The char ...

The immunologic mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy are less established. In Cochrane analysis, the authors concluded that there was an increase in IgG4 but no stable effect on IgE levels in adults. In addition, the induction of allergen-specific IgA has been reported. There are conflicting data concerning lympho-proliferative responses. So far the evidence on changes in Th1/Th2/Treg activity induced by sublingual immunotherapy need to be confirmed. The effects on T-cell reactivity and cytokine secretion show strong variation in a number of studies. (more…)
Allergen-specific immunotherapy aims to correct the underlying immune imbalance associated with specific immunotherapy allergic rhi ...
The precise mechanisms underlying the effects of Specific Immunotherapy are not well understood but several studies have shown ...
The increasing prevalence of allergic disease in the Western world has led to the concept of the ‘allergic march’ to describe t ...
Allergen-specific immunotherapy is highly effective in the treatment of IgE-mediated allergy diseases such as rhinitis, conjunc ...
Histamine is a low-molecular-weight monoamine that binds to four different G-protein-coupled receptors, and has recently been d ...