Allergy News

by Mark T. O'Hollaren, MD

Alternaria alternata is a saprophytic mold typically found in soil and plants, and is considered to be primarily an outdoor allergen. It has been associated with episodes of severe, life-threatening attacks of asthma, and sensitivity to Alternaria (ie, as demonstrated with a positive allergy skin test) has been associated with an approximate 200-fold increase in the risk of a life-threatening asthma attack.^[1] Sensitization to Alternaria has also been found to be more common in patients with asthma than in those without asthma.

Salo and colleagues collected data as part of the National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing study, and they surveyed a nationally representative sample of over 800 housing units inhabited by over 2400 individuals. They collected dust samples from bed, sofa, or chair, and from the bedroom, living room and kitchen floors, and analyzed for the presence of Alternaria using a polyclonal anti-Alternaria alternata inhibition assay.

Continue reading "Association of Mold With Asthma Symptoms" »

In a surprise finding, scientists have discovered that histamine, the inflammatory compound released during allergic reactions that causes runny nose, watery eyes, and wheezing, can be produced in large amounts in the lung by neutrophils, the white blood cells that are the major component of pus.

Pus, a fluid found in infected tissue, is produced as a result of inflammation.
The study in mice is the first to show that lung neutrophils can produce histamine in significant quantities, according to principal investigator George Caughey, MD, chief of pulmonary/critical care medicine at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

Continue reading "White Blood Cells In Lung Produce Histamine Seen In Allergies" »

BOSTON, Jan. 15 -- Aspirin may reduce the risk of new-onset asthma in adult males, according to a retrospective analysis of a longitudinal study of thousands of physicians.

A post hoc analysis of data from the Physicians' Health Study, which investigated the role of aspirin in preventing first heart attacks, revealed that men who took 325 mg of aspirin every other day had a 22% reduction in risk of new onset asthma, found Tobias Kurth, M.D., Sc.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital here, and colleagues.

Moreover, the possible protective effect of aspirin was not modified by baseline risk factors including smoking, body mass index, or age, but the benefit appeared to be greater among younger men, the researchers reported in the January issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Continue reading "Aspirin May Have Role in Asthma Prevention" »

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Asthma sufferers are much more likely to use drugs that offer fast relief of symptoms, according to new U.S. research.

About 31 percent of sufferers said they use fast-acting medications, while only 14 percent said they use longer-term, preventive treatments, according to a new study by Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Another 31 percent of people with asthma said they use both types of medications, and 24 percent said they use none, according to the study.

Continue reading "Asthma patients prefer fast relief" »

About 20% of schoolchildren and adolescents in Sweden suffer from perceived food hypersensitivity (e.g. allergy or intolerance). Our knowledge of how child food hypersensitivity affects parents HRQL and what aspects of the hypersensitivity condition relate to HRQL deterioration in the family is limited. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the parent-reported HRQL in families with a schoolchild considered to be food hypersensitive. The allergy-associated parameters we operated with were number of offending food items, adverse food reactions, additional hypersensitivity, allergic diseases and additional family members with food hypersensitivity. These parameters, along with age and gender were assessed in relation to child, parent and family HRQL.

Methods: In May 2004, a postal questionnaire was distributed to parents of 220 schoolchildren with parent-reported food hypersensitivity (response rate 74%). Two questionnaires were used: CHQ-PF28 and a study-specific questionnaire including questions on allergy-associated parameters. In order to find factors that predict impact on HRQL, stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were carried out...

Continue reading "Health-Related Quality Of Life In Food Hypersensitive Schoolchildren And Their Families: Parents' Perceptions" »

January 8, 2006 — Independent of smoking, chronic cough and phlegm in young adults are strong predictors of increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the results of a study reported in the January 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"The few prospective studies aimed at assessing the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in relation to the presence of chronic cough/phlegm have produced contrasting results," write Roberto de Marco, MD, of the University of Verona in Italy, and colleagues. "The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines have introduced a stage 0 (normal spirometry, but presence of chronic cough or phlegm) in the COPD staging system as a tool to identify subjects at risk of developing the disease later in life."

Continue reading "Chronic Cough, Phlegm in Young Adults Predict Increased Risk of Developing COPD" »

MIAMI -- Harmful algal blooms known as red tides release toxins that can leave people with asthma gasping still harder for air, reported researchers here.

After spending just 60 minutes on a beach where a Florida red tide was present, teens and adults with asthma had small but significant decreases in standard measures of pulmonary function, reported Lora E. Fleming, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

"In the normal population, inhaled aerosolized red tide toxins can lead to eye irritation, rhinorrhea, nonproductive cough, and wheezing," Dr. Fleming and colleagues reported in the January issue of Chest.

Continue reading "Red Tides Worsen Asthma with Breathtaking Seascapes" »

BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: DVAX ) announced today that the analysis of interim one-year data from its two-year DARTT ragweed allergy trial indicated that no meaningful ragweed-specific allergic disease was observed in the study population, making it impossible to measure the therapeutic effect of TOLAMBA treatment. In all three arms of the study, including the placebo arm, minimal change from baseline was observed in the main efficacy measure of the study, the total nasal symptom score (TNSS). The company indicated that in the placebo and treated groups, the change from baseline TNSS was very low; not clinically significant; and substantially lower than what has been observed in prior trials.

"In effect, we saw three patient groups with no measurable disease during the ragweed season. This result was unexpected, though these challenges are well known to occur in allergy drug development. Due to the fact that no clinically significant disease was seen in the study population, it was impossible to measure the effect of our intervention," noted Dino Dina, MD, president and chief executive officer. Dina continued, "We are working closely with our consultants and investigators to review the data in detail and determine the future of the program."

Continue reading "Dynavax Reports Interim TOLAMBA(TM) Ragweed Allergy Results From DARTT Trial" »