Sustained Effectiveness of Benralizumab in Naïve and Biologics-Experienced Severe Eosinophilic Asthma Patients: Results from the ANANKE Study.

Purpose: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) patients often present overlapping inflammatory features rendering them eligible for multiple biologic therapies; switching biologic treatment is a strategy adopted to optimize asthma control when patients show partial or no response to previous biologics.

Patients And Methods: ANANKE is a retrospective, multicenter Italian study (NCT04272463). Here, we outline the characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes in naïve-to-biologics and biologics-experienced patients treated with benralizumab for up to 96 weeks.

Long-term effectiveness of benralizumab in severe eosinophilic asthma patients treated for 96-weeks: data from the ANANKE study.

Background: The efficacy of benralizumab has been broadly demonstrated in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA), but only few real-life studies evaluated its long-term effects. Here we present novel data from the ANANKE study in which a large cohort of SEA patients was treated for up to 96 weeks.

Methods: ANANKE (NCT04272463) is an observational retrospective Italian study investigating the key characteristics of SEA patients (collected during the 12 months prior to benralizumab initiation) and the clinical outcomes during benralizumab treatment (annual exacerbation rate [AER], lung function, asthma control, OCS use, healthcare resource utilization).

Clinical Features and Efficacy of Benralizumab in Patients with Blood Eosinophil Count Between 300 and 450 Cells/mm: A Post Hoc Analysis from the ANANKE Study.

Purpose: Benralizumab effectively reduces severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) exacerbations in patients with a wide range of baseline blood eosinophil count (BEC). Patients included in real-world studies are often characterized by high mean/median BEC, while patients with BEC close to 300 cells/mm are poorly represented. This post hoc analysis from the Italian study ANANKE aims to define the clinical features and corroborate the efficacy of benralizumab in real world in the BEC 300-450 cells/mm subset of patients.

Switching from one biologic to benralizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma: An ANANKE study analysis.

Background: Severe asthma is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease driven by eosinophilic inflammation in the majority of cases. Despite biologic therapy patients may still be sub-optimally controlled, and the choice of the best biologic is a matter of debate. Indeed, switching between biologics is common, but no official guidelines are available and real-world data are limited.

Benralizumab in Patients With Severe Eosinophilic Asthma With and Without Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: An ANANKE Study Analysis.

Background: Severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) in the presence of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) indicates the presence of a more extensive eosinophilic inflammation. analyses from a pivotal clinical trial have demonstrated the enhanced efficacy of benralizumab on asthma outcomes in patients with CRSwNP as a comorbidity.

Methods: This is a analysis from the Italian multi-center observational retrospective ANANKE study.

ChAracterization of ItaliaN severe uncontrolled Asthmatic patieNts Key features when receiving Benralizumab in a real-life setting: the observational rEtrospective ANANKE study.

Background: Data from phase 3 trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of benralizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). We conducted a real-world study examining the baseline characteristics of a large SEA population treated with benralizumab in clinical practice and assessed therapy effectiveness.

Methods: ANANKE is an Italian multi-center, retrospective cohort study including consecutive SEA patients who had started benralizumab therapy ≥ 3 months before enrolment (between December 2019 and July 2020), in a real-world setting.

Relationship Between Gender and the Effectiveness of Montelukast: An Italian/Danish Register-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Gender-related differences in asthma prevalence, pathophysiology and clinical features induced by sex steroids have been investigated, however, how gender influences response to asthma treatments in routine clinical practice have not yet been elucidated fully. This aspect is crucial for montelukast considering the jeopardization of asthmatic patients that benefit from this treatment and the existence of evidence of gender differences in leukotriene levels. Therefore, to fulfill this medical need, we investigated the role of gender on a set of montelukast' effectiveness surrogates in adults and pediatric patients with asthma.

Most Italians attending a congress on health of elderly people do not know and do not recognize respiratory diseases.

Background: The present study reports the results of a survey jointly carried out by three Italian respiratory scientific associations (AIMAR, AIPO, SIMeR) together with an important Federation of elderly patients (FederAnziani) during the National Conference of Italian Court for Health Right held in Rimini from November 29(th) to December 1(st), 2013. The survey, based on a spirometric examination preceded by a questionnaire on respiratory health, was conducted on elderly people coming from all Italian regions to attend the Conference.

Methods: Nine hundred forty-nine subjects (574 females and 375 males), mean age 66.

Sleep-disordered breathing, impaired cardiac adrenergic innervation and prognosis in heart failure.

Objective: Unfavourable effects of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in heart failure (HF) are mainly mediated by impaired sympathetic activity. Few data are available on SDB and cardiac adrenergic impairment evaluated at myocardial level. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between SDB, cardiac sympathetic innervation assessed by I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-MIBG) imaging and prognosis in HF.

The clinical and integrated management of COPD. An official document of AIMAR (Interdisciplinary Association for Research in Lung Disease), AIPO (Italian Association of Hospital Pulmonologists), SIMER (Italian Society of Respiratory Medicine), SIMG (Italian Society of General Medicine).

COPD is a chronic pathological condition of the respiratory system characterized by persistent and partially reversible airflow obstruction, to which variably contribute remodeling of bronchi (chronic bronchitis), bronchioles (small airway disease) and lung parenchyma (pulmonary emphysema). COPD can cause important systemic effects and be associated with complications and comorbidities. The diagnosis of COPD is based on the presence of respiratory symptoms and/or a history of exposure to risk factors, and the demonstration of airflow obstruction by spirometry.

C-reactive protein and carotid intima-media thickness in children with sleep disordered breathing.

Study Objectives: Obesity is a risk factor for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in children. Plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) are predictive of cardiovascular morbidity in adults, and CRP levels are associated with over-weight. Increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors.

Project PriMo: sharing principles and practices of bronchodilator therapy monitoring in COPD: a consensus initiative for optimizing therapeutic appropriateness among Italian specialists.

Background: Even after publication of the 2011 update of GOLD report, some fundamental questions in the management of COPD are still open and this may weaken the applicability of these guidelines in everyday clinical practice.

Objective: To assess the level of consensus amongst Italian respirologists on different topics related to diagnosis, monitoring and role of bronchodilator therapy in COPD, by using the Delphi technique.

Methods: A Delphi study was undertaken between July and November 2011, when two questionnaires were consecutively sent to a panel of experts to be answered anonymously.