A perspective on systemic corticosteroid therapy in severe bronchial asthma in adults.

Background: Systemic corticosteroids have been used in the treatment of asthma since 1950 and are still required for the treatment of acute severe asthma and corticosteroid dependent asthma.

Objective: To provide an updated overview of clinical considerations of systemic corticosteroids use in severe adult bronchial asthma.

Methods: PubMed searches were undertaken of studies published between 1950 and 2015.

Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitor Angioedema Requiring Admission to an Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review consecutive cases of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor angioedema admitted to an intensive care unit.

Methods: Fifty subjects with ACE-inhibitor angioedema admitted from 1998-2011 were reviewed.

Results: All 50 subjects were men, 62.

Clinical control in the dual diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and rhinitis: a prospective analysis.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and allergic rhinitis (AR) are common coexisting disorders. Upper airway, specifically nasal resistance, is thought to increase during exacerbations of AR and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR), as well as in OSAS. The study objective was to determine if a correlation exists between clinical control of rhinitis and OSAS.

Clinical efficacy of omalizumab in an elderly veteran population with severe asthma.

Severe asthma in elderly patients is underdiagnosed, difficult to treat, and often accompanied by atopy. This study was designed to compare clinical outcomes of omalizumab therapy in an elderly veteran population with severe allergic asthma. A retrospective, observational data analysis was performed over 2 years.

Diagnosis and management of hypersensitivity reactions related to common cancer chemotherapy agents.

Objectives: To review clinical hypersensitivity reactions related to common cancer chemotherapy agents and to discuss potential management strategies.

Data Sources: PubMed searches were performed for articles published from 1970 to 2008 regarding hypersensitivity to cancer chemotherapy and related agents using the keywords hypersensitivity, allergy, chemotherapy, platinums, taxanes, asparaginase, epipodophyllotoxins, and procarbazine. Retrieved articles were surveyed for additional citations.

Efficacy of omalizumab in the treatment of atopic dermatitis: a pilot study.

Omalizumab is a unique biologic therapeutic drug approved for treating atopic patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma with a serum IgE ranging from 30 to 700 IU/mL. This study was performed to examine the efficacy of omalizumab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), a disease with significant morbidity. A prospective analysis was performed to assess the efficacy of omalizumab in 21 patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic asthma and AD.

Emergency department utilization by patients not meeting Health Plan and Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) criteria for persistent asthma.

Emergency hospital utilization rates for asthma remain high despite advances in asthma controller medications and the presence of widely accepted asthma treatment guidelines. To explore this phenomenon, we analyzed administrative data to determine characteristics of patients seen in the emergency department (ED) for asthma. Complete pharmacy and diagnostic coding records were obtained from consecutive adults (aged 19-56 years) treated for asthma in the ED of a closed-network health maintenance organization between April and July of 2002.

Oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma: a 30-year review.

Objective: To identify novel aspects of the pathogenesis, therapeutic options, and prophylaxis measures of corticosteroid-dependent asthma.

Data Sources: PubMed searches were undertaken of studies published between 1966 and 2006 on the pathogenesis of and corticosteroid-sparing therapies for corticosteroid-dependent asthma. Identified review articles were surveyed for additional and earlier citations.

Allergen immunotherapy in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus: effect on T-cell activation and viral replication.

Background: Allergen immunotherapy is a major therapeutic modality in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. However, with T-cell activation potential, its role in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was theoretically limited.

Objective: To report the results of allergen immunotherapy in a patient with HIV treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Demographics and long-term follow-up in a Veterans Affairs Allergy/Immunology Center: a 10-year analysis.

Between 1985 and 1992, patients were evaluated as new outpatient consultations in the Allergy/Immunology Center at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (VAGLAHS). Data collected included age, gender, ethnicity, and diagnosis. After 10 years, patient follow-up status was determined and classified into five categories: gender, ethnic distribution, age distribution, disorders seen, and follow-up pattern.

Penicillin skin testing: a 20-year study at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Penicillin (PCN) may cause a reaction in up to 10% of the population. No study has examined PCN skin testing longitudinally over a 20-year period. A total of 122 patients underwent PCN skin testing between September 1978 and May 1998.

Age effects on objective measures of atopy in adult asthma and rhinitis.

A cross-sectional survey of 132 adult men referred to the outpatient allergy clinic at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center was performed to assess age effects on allergic disease in the elderly. Total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), immediate hypersensitivity skin testing, and serum eosinophil count were measured in all subjects. Subjects were stratified by age into one of five groups for comparison.