Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma: Genetic Linkage Regions

allergic rhinitis asthma
Allergic rhinitis and asthma are common comorbidities. Like asthma, the presence of a genetic component in allergic rhinitis has been well established. To identify genetic linkage regions unique to allergic rhinitis, as well as those shared by allergic rhinitis and asthma, a genome screen study was conducted. A total of 295 families in the French Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA) containing 1317 subjects were genotyped for 396 microsatellite markers. The families included had two siblings with DNA available and at least one asthmatic subject. Three definitions of allergic rhinitis were used, two binary and one categorical. To investigate linkages specific to allergic rhinitis (without asthma), linkage analyses were also conducted in 185 families with at most one asthmatic sib. (more…)

Genetics Of Atopy In A Multiethnic European Population Reveals A Major Atopy Locus On Chromosome 3q21.3

atopy genetics

This study examined the genetic basis of sensitization to house dust mite allergy allergens. A genome scan was conducted using 603 microsatellite markers in 82 nuclear families (366 individuals) of German, British and Portuguese origin with at least two affected siblings. Sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was assessed by determining specific IgE antibody levels detected by immunochemiluminometric assay and immunosorbent assay and categorized as positive or negative relative to a predetermined cut-off point. (more…)

Tacrolimus Ointment Treatment In Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Tacrolimus Ointment
Topical corticosteroids are the usual therapy for patients with atopic dermatitis, but prolonged use can result in skin atrophy and other side effects. The long-term safety and efficacy of tacrolimus ointment would prove an attractive alternative. Long-term treatment with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment is significantly more efficacious than a corticosteroid ointment regimen in adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. (more…)

Atopy Patch Test Accuracy in Diagnosing Hypersensitivity to Cow’s Milk & Hen’s Egg

Over the last 5 years some studies have suggested that the atopy patch test (APT) may be a useful test in atopic dermatitis children who have suspected food hypersensitivity and may even obviate the need for oral challenges. An alternative test to oral allergy challenges with high sensitivity and specificity would be helpful in the diagnosis of food hypersensitivity. (more…)

Anti-Interleukin-5 (Mepolizumab) Therapy For Hypereosinophilic Syndromes

hypereosinophilic-syndromes
Interleukin-5 is the key cytokine in eosinophil differentiation and growth in the bone marrow and stimulates the release of eosinophils into the peripheral circulation. Thus, it is thought that IL-5 may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypereosinophilic syndromes (HES), a diverse group of poorly treated disorders characterized by sustained peripheral blood and/or tissue eosinophilia. Mepolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody to IL-5, and its safety and efficacy were assessed in this open-labelled trial. (more…)

Respiratory Allergies Caused by Air Pollution

The geographical variation in the prevalence of asthma in children does not coincide with variations in air pollution levels. The increase in the prevalence of asthma and allergies seen over the last decades was paralleled by a decrease in emissions of SO2 and particles from coal combustion, and an increase of emissions from motor vehicle traffic. There is a growing number of studies suggesting that increased exposure to traffic exhausts, particularly diesel exhausts, may be a risk factor for the new onset of asthma. (more…)

Prevalence of Childhood Asthma and Allergies

Asthma is a complex syndrome rather than a single disease entity. Different phenotypes with varying prognosis and determinants have been described, particularly over childhood years 2 and will be discussed in detail in the following. For example, transient early wheezing is characterized by the occurrence of wheezing in infants up to the age of 2 to 3 years which disappears thereafter. The main predictor of these wheezing illnesses is premorbid reduced lung function before the manifestation of any wheeze. These decrements in pulmonary function are in part determined by passive smoke exposure in utero 4 and result in symptoms of airway obstruction when infants get infected with respiratory viruses. (more…)

Allergen Avoidance and Environment Control: Management of Allergy & Asthma

Allergen Avoidance
Asthma and allergic diseases are common in both children and adults. Their development depends on an interaction between asthma genetic and asthma environmental risk factors. Genetic manipulation in multi factorial diseases such as asthma is not feasible in the foreseeable future. However, theoretically, environmental exposures can be controlled in an attempt to stem the rising prevalence of these diseases (primary prevention). Environmental exposures may also influence the frequency of symptoms and the requirement for medication in those with established disease. (more…)

Allergic March of Childhood and Allergen Sensitization

Natural history studies with the following design features provide a firm epidemiologic foundation for risk factor assessments and etiologic hypotheses:
(1) long-term cohort studies of a prospective design minimize biases resulting from poor parental recall;
(2) multiple evaluations over time provide important checkpoints during the dynamic period of childhood growth and development; and
(3) the inclusion of objective disease measurements strengthens these studies by validating subjective disease assessments (i.e. questionnaire data). (more…)

Atopic Dermatitis in Children: Triggers and Treatment

atopic dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin which usually starts in infancy. It is sometimes called ‘atopic eczema’ or even simply ‘eczema’. Recently, the term ‘atopic eczema dermatitis syndrome’ or eczema symptoms or infantile eczema has also been proposed to indicate the varied nature of this disease. The diagnosis is based on clinical features of a chronic itchy dermatitis with typical morphology and distribution and a relapsing and remitting course. (more…)

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