|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Spring 2005
The studies summarized below appeared in the February and March 2005 issues of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Research may help physicians tailor children’s asthma therapy
Researchers from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI’s) Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) Network found specific differences in responses to the inhaled corticosteroid, fluticasone, and the leukotriene receptor antagonist, montelukast, in children with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma. Inhaled corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications that go directly into the lungs, reducing inflammation in the airways. Leukotriene receptor antagonists treat asthma differently by blocking substances in the lungs called leukotrienes, which cause narrowing and swelling of the airways. While both medications are considered effective daily treatments for long-term care and prevention of exacerbations in patients of all ages with persistent asthma (those who have symptoms at least two days a week or two nights a month), the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program asthma treatment guidelines list inhaled corticosteroids as the preferred treatment, with leukotriene modifiers one of several alternative therapies. The researchers reported on the percentage of children who improved lung function by 7.5% or greater based on a standard test. They found:
Based on these findings, researchers recommend that children with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma who have low lung function and/or elevated signs of allergic inflammation be treated daily with inhaled corticosteroids. Their findings also suggest that, in those children who have no elevated signs of allergic inflammation, a therapeutic trial of either medication can be conducted to determine which works best. Allergen exposure in inner cities varies throughout the U.S.
Exposure to major indoor allergens, such as dust mites, pets and cockroaches, contribute to the increasing prevalence of asthma in children living in inner city environments. Researchers involved with the Inner City Asthma Study examined the relationship between indoor allergen exposure, skin test reactivity and asthma symptoms in children living in inner cities located in different geographic locations across the United States. Skin tests were administered to 937 children with moderate to severe asthma.
In addition, researchers discovered cockroach allergen had a greater impact on asthma than dust mite allergen. The children whose asthma symptoms were triggered by exposure to cockroach allergen displayed more asthma symptoms, missed more school, and made more unscheduled trips to their doctor because of their asthma. While researchers did not find this kind of relationship between dust mites and asthma, their findings do suggest that children allergic and exposed to dog and cat allergen have more unscheduled asthma healthcare visits than children not exposed and/or who are not allergic.
|
|||||||||||||
|
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
||||||||||||||
Researchers have identified specific asthma characteristics in children that could help determine the type of asthma treatment they will best respond to according to findings published in the February 2005 Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (JACI). 
Inner city children with asthma are exposed to significantly different levels of indoor allergens depending on the area of the country and type of home in which they live according to findings published in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (JACI). 
The Inner City Asthma Study demonstrated that inner city children with asthma are exposed to significantly different levels of indoor allergens depending on what area of the country and type of home they live in. Their findings also suggest that cockroaches have the greatest effect on the prevalence of asthma among children living in inner-city environments.