Publications by authors named "F Menzella"
Introduction: Benralizumab, a monoclonal IgG antibody, has emerged as a key therapeutic agent in severe asthma by specifically targeting eosinophils, pivotal cells that drive inflammation and tissue damage. Over the past two decades, the availability of such targeted therapies has allowed patients to achieve better disease control. Real-world evidence has consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of benralizumab in managing severe asthma.
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- Several types of severe asthma are linked to immune pathways, specifically type 2 inflammation, but asthma without this inflammation is harder to treat and responds poorly to standard therapies.
- Epithelial cells play a crucial role in asthma by releasing alarmin cytokines like IL-25, IL-33, and TSLP when triggered by allergens or infections, which increases inflammation and barrier permeability.
- The biologic drug tezepelumab (TZP) targets TSLP and has shown promise in clinical trials as a safe and effective treatment for severe asthma, with the review providing insights for clinicians on identifying the best candidates for this therapy.
Oscillometry-defined small airways dysfunction as a treatable trait in asthma.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- * The oscillometry technique helps measure airflow resistance and reactance during normal breathing, providing insights into airway function.
- * A new management approach focuses on "treatable traits" to customize asthma treatment by identifying and addressing factors that affect control, including small airways dysfunction and the effectiveness of specific medications.
Over the last two decades, we have witnessed great advancements in our understanding of the immunological pathways of asthma, leading to the development of targeted therapies, such as biologic drugs, that have radically and definitively changed the clinical outcomes of severe asthma. Despite the numerous therapeutic options available, ~4-10% of all people with asthma have severe or uncontrolled asthma, associated with an increased risk of developing chronic oral corticosteroid use, fixed airflow limitation, exacerbations, hospitalization and, finally, increased healthcare costs. The new concept of disease modification in asthma comes from the evolution of asthma management, which encompasses phenotyping patients with different inflammatory endotypes characterizing the disease, followed by the advent of more effective therapies capable of targeting the proximal factors of airway inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with severe asthma are often dependent on oral corticosteroids (OCS) and have frequent exacerbations. This article aims to report very long-term data of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma assessing asthma control, lung function, inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose reduction, and clinical and biological parameters of patients treated with mepolizumab.
Methods: Four cases of adult patients with severe eosinophilic asthma who were treated for 60 months or more with mepolizumab 100 mg/4 weeks, leading to the stable discontinuation of OCS, are presented.