Allergies to Plavix®, also know by its chemical name, Clopidogrel occur in about six percent of patients given the drug, vital for the prevention of life-threatening stent thrombosis after angioplasty and percutaneous coronary interventions. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University found that a combination of steroids and antihistamines can successfully alleviate the allergic reaction and enable patients to remain on the drug. Until now, hypersensitivity required drug interruption, placing the patient at risk for restenosis or a major coronary event.
This week a seven-year-old elementary school student in Chesterfield County, Virginia, died after suffering an allergic reaction at school. Allergist Dr. Stanley Fineman, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, (ACAAI) is available to discuss the importance of immediate access to epinephrine.
A large percentage of patients with mild-to-moderate asthma have persistently non-eosinophilic disease which may not respond to currently available anti-inflammatory treatments, according to a new study.
An advisory from two leading allergists, Robert Wood of the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Scott Sicherer of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, urges clinicians to use caution when ordering allergy tests and to avoid making a diagnosis based solely on test results.
Scientists have discovered a missing link between the body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system, a finding that may help avoid the serious side effects of drugs used for treating asthma, allergies and arthritis.
A first-of-its-kind study found adults with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease were more than three times as likely to have been exposed to second-hand smoke during childhood as those without the condition. Study results are published in the January 2012 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
Roughly three million Americans suffer from peanut allergies; yet current diagnostic methods don’t detect every case. New findings by University of Virginia scientists, however, may allow for the development of more sensitive diagnostic tools and a better understanding of nut allergies.
Live trees and poinsettias, nut brittles, scented candles and dusty decoration boxes trigger allergies - how to breathe easy this holiday from national allergy bureau allergist.
A small study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and Duke University shows that eating higher doses of milk protein in the form of dry powder substantially outperforms lower-dose therapy — a few drops of liquid milk extract under the tongue — for treatment of food allergies.
The American Journal of Industrial Medicine recently published a study showing that World Trade Center (WTC) responders suffer from asthma at more than twice the rate of the general U.S. population as a result of their exposure to the toxic dust from the collapse of the WTC towers in 2001.
La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology scientists have identified the histamine releasing factor (HRF) molecule as a promising target for developing new treatments for a number of allergic reactions including asthma.
A new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study of Baltimore City children with asthma shows that two programs designed to improve disease outcomes among those who may be affected the worst fall short of expectations.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are recruiting volunteers with asthma for a study of whether taking vitamin D can make asthma medication more effective.
Pediatricians often treat young children who have frequent bouts of wheezing with a daily dose of an inhaled steroid to keep asthma symptoms at bay. But results of a recent study are likely to change that.
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.
While the health benefits of drinking wine in moderation continue to make news, for some with allergies even a glass a day may be difficult to swallow. At the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Nov. 3-8, allergists share the latest buzz on allergies to alcohol and tobacco.
Sales of home air fresheners and scented candles are on the rise and so are respiratory problems in homes where these products are used, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Nov 3-8.
News briefs highlight research on allergies and asthma in adults from the 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
News briefs highlight research on allergies and asthma in children from the 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Allergy shots, an age-old treatment for allergy sufferers, are getting a shot in the arm from new research. This proven therapy saves money; accelerated schedules deliver relief in weeks, rather than months; and alternative methods are on the horizon, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Boston, Nov 3-8.
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.
Providing health insurance to more children could lead to diagnosing additional cases of mild or intermittent asthma, a new study shows. Some who treat childhood asthma say this could increase the number of kids receiving medication to control their asthma symptoms and seeking care for asthma flares.
People with asthma are more likely to have symptoms of depression. Those with asthma and depressive symptoms are more likely to sleep less, be physically inactive and smoke than asthmatic people without symptoms of depression. The combination of mental distress and asthma may lead to a worsening of asthma symptoms and an overall decline in health.
Many people are rediscovering the ancient practice of nasal irrigation to flush out the gunk that can build up in nasal passages and can cause irritation or infection. Dr. Donald Donovan, an otolaryngologist at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, says if done correctly the practice is safe and beneficial.
A study presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2011 found that obese asthmatic children were nearly two times as likely to have at least one respiratory complication during or after surgery compared to their lean peers.
The proportion of children who used a prescribed controller drug to treat their asthma doubled from 29 percent in 1997–1998 to 58 percent in 2007–2008.
Symptoms of nasal congestion have been difficult to treat because patient reports of congestion often have little relationship to the actual physical obstruction of nasal airflow. Now, scientists from the Monell Center report that the annoying feeling of nasal obstruction is related to the temperature and humidity of inhaled air. This knowledge may help researchers design effective treatments for this common symptom of nasal sinus disease.
For most people, the word “autumn” conjures up images of honey crisp apples, pumpkin patches and Halloween. But for many pediatricians, fall also means more patients with asthma flare-ups.
John R. Cohn, MD, head of the Adult Allergy Section at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and professor of Medicine at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University is one of few allergists to perform the desensitization procedure which trains the body to tolerate aspirin, improving some patients with the triad of sinusitis, asthma, and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), while allowing others to receive the complete benefits of aspirin for cardiovascular and related disorders.
While most people define any negative reaction to food as a food allergy, many actually suffer from a food sensitivity or intolerance. This video from IFT features Aurora Saulo, professor and extension specialist in food technology at University of Hawaii Manoa, discussing food allergies, food intolerances and food sensitivities.
A Kansas State University research team is using a United States Department of Agriculture Higher Education Challenge Grant to serve up improved food allergy education for future restaurant managers and staff.
Even though there has been high-compliance or improvement by children's hospitals regarding asthma care quality measures, improved compliance with providing a written home management plan upon discharge has not been associated with subsequent lower emergency department usage or asthma-related readmission rates, according to a study in the October 5 issue of JAMA.
With cold and flu season quickly approaching, and allergy season already upon us, doctors at Nationwide Children’s Hospital remind parents to take simple action steps that will protect their asthmatic children from having severe flare-ups. Parents may not realize it, but even something as simple as the common cold, when combined with asthma, can be dangerous for children with asthma.
Most of the time, the immune system is the body’s protector. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system does an about face, turning on the body and attacking normal cells. A major discovery by La Jolla Institute scientist Amnon Altman, Ph.D., and his colleagues, of a previously unknown molecular interaction that is essential for T lymphocyte activation, could have major implications for stopping this aberrant immune system behavior and the accompanying undesirable immune responses that cause autoimmune diseases and allergies.
The ACAAI and its allergist members – doctors who are experts at diagnosing and treating allergies and asthma – suggest watching out for six sneaky triggers to keep Halloween sneeze-, wheeze- and reaction-free.
The world's leading allergists will present the latest research on allergic diseases at the 2011 annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), Nov. 3-8, in Boston.
Children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) may have poorer lung function and worse symptoms compared to children with moderate asthma, due to lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, according to researchers in London. Lower levels of vitamin D may cause structural changes in the airway muscles of children with STRA, making breathing more difficult. The study provides important new evidence for possible treatments for the condition.
High mold count documented for the Midwest causing air quality alert issued by Dr Joseph Leija, allergist who performs the official allergy count for the Midwest on behalf of the National Allergy Bureau, at Loyola's Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.
A new evidence review finds that ridding homes and offices of mold and dampness can help reduce respiratory infections and troubling symptoms for asthma sufferers across the globe; however, the best way to eliminate the mold remains unclear.
Today, the White House issued a press release stating they would not move to issue a final standard on ozone pollution. The American Thoracic strongly condemns this decision. “This is not change we believe in,” said ATS President-Elect Monica Kraft, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Asthma, Allergy and Airway Center at Duke University.
The American Thoracic Society has issued the first-ever guidelines on the use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) address when to use FENO and how to interpret FENO levels in different clinical settings. The guidelines, which appear in the September 1 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, are graded based on the available evidence in the literature.
Children with severe asthma are 3.6 times more likely to have been exposed to tobacco smoking before birth – even without later exposure – than children with a mild form of the disease, according to a multicenter study led by researchers at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Prenatal pet exposure, a mother’s delivery mode and race are influential factors in a child’s risk of developing allergies by age 2, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Infants who live in “moldy” homes are three times more likely to develop asthma by age 7—an age that children can be accurately diagnosed with the condition.
Study results are published in the August issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).