Impact of food allergy on food insecurity and health literacy in a tertiary care pediatric allergy population.

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity (FI), limited availability of or access to nutritional foods, is linked to poor child/caregiver health. We examined FI in food-allergic and non-food-allergic children to determine whether dietary limitations associated with food allergy increases risk of FI. METHODS: Food-allergic and non-food-allergic children (1-17 years) were recruited from Arkansas Children's Hospital allergy/asthma clinics. The USDA Food Security Survey, the Newest Vital Sign Health Literacy (HL) questionnaire, and the Food Allergy Impact Scale QOL survey were administered. Logistic regression and analysis of covariance models were utilized for data analysis. RESULTS: Subjects (n = 650) included 325 food-allergic and 325 non-food-allergic children. Overall rate of FI was 21.5% (food allergic 22.2% and non-food allergic 20.9%) with no significant difference in the prevalence of FI between groups (OR = 1.30; 95% CI 0.86-1.96; P = 0.21). FI was increased in households of children with both milk and egg allergy when compared to those without food allergy and those with single food allergy (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.4-4.6; P = 0.003). Mean HL rates were higher in the food-secure vs food-insecure groups (mean diff = 0.31; 95% CI 0.03-0.59; P = 0.03). Among food-allergic children, QOL was better in the food-secure vs food-insecure group (mean diff = 0.61; 95% CI 0.002-1.23; P = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Food allergy to milk and egg was associated with increased risk of household FI. Food-insecure participants had lower HL than their food-secure counterparts. Further work is needed to define risks associated with FI among food-allergic children to improve screening and management strategies.

Effects of allergen sensitization on response to therapy in children with eosinophilic esophagitis.

BACKGROUND: In children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) foods are the most common disease triggers, but environmental allergens are also suspected culprits. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of environmental allergen sensitization on response to treatment in children with EoE in the southeastern United States. METHODS: Patients 2 to 18 years old who were referred to the Arkansas Children's Hospital Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Clinic from January 2012 to January 2016 were enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with collection of demographics, clinical symptoms, medical history, allergy sensitization profiles, and response to treatment over time. Comparisons were made between complete responders (peak esophageal eosinophil count <15 per high-power field [HPF]) and nonresponders (>25 eosinophils per HPF) after treatment with diet elimination alone, swallowed corticosteroids alone, or diet elimination and swallowed corticosteroids. Sensitization patterns to environmental allergens found in the southeastern United States were analyzed for the effect on treatment response. RESULTS: A total of 223 individuals were enrolled. Of these, 182 had environmental allergy profiling and at least one endoscopy while receiving proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. Twenty-nine individuals had PPI-responsive EoE and were excluded from further analysis, leaving 123 individuals with non-PPI-responsive EoE who were further analyzed; 72 (58.5%) were complete responders and 33 (26.8%) were nonresponders. Seventeen individuals (13.8%) were partial responders (≥1 but ≤25 eosinophils per HPF) and excluded from further analysis. Nonresponders were more likely to be sensitized to perennial allergens (P = .02). There was no significant difference in response based on seasonal allergen sensitization. Individuals with mold or cockroach sensitization were more likely to fail combination diet and swallowed corticosteroid treatment (P = .02 and P = .002). CONCLUSION: Perennial allergen and mold sensitization may lead to nonresponse to EoE treatment in some patients. Additional studies are needed to further understand the effect of environmental allergens on EoE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01779154.

Bronchiolitis recovery and the use of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters (The BREATHE Study): study protocol for a multi-center, parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute viral bronchiolitis is the most common reason for hospitalization of infants in the USA. Infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis are at high risk for recurrent respiratory symptoms and wheeze in the subsequent year, and longer-term adverse respiratory outcomes such as persistent childhood asthma. There are no effective secondary prevention strategies. Multiple factors, including air pollutant exposure, contribute to risk of adverse respiratory outcomes in these infants. Improvement in indoor air quality following hospitalization for bronchiolitis may be a prevention opportunity to reduce symptom burden. Use of stand-alone high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units is a simple method to reduce particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5), a common component of household air pollution that is strongly linked to health effects. METHODS: BREATHE is a multi-center, parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial. Two hundred twenty-eight children < 12 months of age hospitalized for the first time with bronchiolitis will participate. Children will be randomized 1:1 to receive a 24-week home intervention with filtration units containing HEPA and carbon filters (in the child's sleep space and a common room) or to a control group with units that do not contain HEPA and carbon filters. The primary objective is to determine if use of HEPA filtration units reduces respiratory symptom burden for 24 weeks compared to use of control units. Secondary objectives are to assess the efficacy of the HEPA intervention relative to control on (1) number of unscheduled healthcare visits for respiratory complaints, (2) child quality of life, and (3) average PM2.5 levels in the home. DISCUSSION: We propose to test the use of HEPA filtration to improve indoor air quality as a strategy to reduce post-bronchiolitis respiratory symptom burden in at-risk infants with severe bronchiolitis. If the intervention proves successful, this trial will support use of HEPA filtration for children with bronchiolitis to reduce respiratory symptom burden following hospitalization. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05615870. Registered on November 14, 2022.

Conducting a pediatric randomized clinical trial during a pandemic: A shift to virtual procedures.

Background/Objective: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, our research group initiated a pediatric practice-based randomized trial for the treatment of childhood obesity in rural communities. Approximately 6 weeks into the originally planned 10-week enrollment period, the trial was forced to pause all study activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pause necessitated a substantial revision in recruitment, enrollment, and other study methods in order to complete the trial using virtual procedures. This descriptive paper outlines methods used to recruit, enroll, and manage clinical trial participants with technology to obtain informed consent, obtain height and weight measurements by video, and maintain participant engagement throughout the duration of the trial. Methods: The study team reviewed the IRB records, protocol team meeting minutes and records, and surveyed the site teams to document the impact of the COVID-19 shift to virtual procedures on the study. The IRB approved study changes allowed for flexibility between clinical sites given variations in site resources, which was key to success of the implementation. Results: All study sites faced a variety of logistical challenges unique to their location yet successfully recruited the required number of patients for the trial. Ultimately, virtual procedures enhanced our ability to establish relationships with participants who were previously beyond our reach, but presented several challenges and required additional resources. Conclusion: Lessons learned from this study can assist other study groups in navigating challenges, especially when recruiting and implementing studies with rural and underserved populations or during challenging events like the pandemic.

Work Group Report: COVID-19: Unmasking Telemedicine.

Telemedicine adoption has rapidly accelerated since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine provides increased access to medical care and helps to mitigate risk by conserving personal protective equipment and providing for social/physical distancing to continue to treat patients with a variety of allergic and immunologic conditions. During this time, many allergy and immunology clinicians have needed to adopt telemedicine expeditiously in their practices while studying the complex and variable issues surrounding its regulation and reimbursement. Some concerns have been temporarily alleviated since March 2020 to aid with patient care in the setting of COVID-19. Other changes are ongoing at the time of this publication. Members of the Telemedicine Work Group in the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) completed a telemedicine literature review of online and Pub Med resources through May 9, 2020, to detail Pre-COVID-19 telemedicine knowledge and outline up-to-date telemedicine material. This work group report was developed to provide guidance to allergy/immunology clinicians as they navigate the swiftly evolving telemedicine landscape.

IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network for Underserved and Rural Communities.

The National Institutes of Health's Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program aims to study high-priority and high-impact pediatric conditions. This broad-based health initiative is unique in the National Institutes of Health research portfolio and involves 2 research components: (1) a large group of established centers with pediatric cohorts combining data to support longitudinal studies (ECHO cohorts) and (2) pediatric trials program for institutions within Institutional Development Awards states, known as the ECHO Institutional Development Awards States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN). In the current presentation, we provide a broad overview of the ISPCTN and, particularly, its importance in enhancing clinical trials capabilities of pediatrician scientists through the support of research infrastructure, while at the same time implementing clinical trials that inform future health care for children. The ISPCTN research mission is aligned with the health priority conditions emphasized in the ECHO program, with a commitment to bringing state-of-the-science trials to children residing in underserved and rural communities. ISPCTN site infrastructure is critical to successful trial implementation and includes research training for pediatric faculty and coordinators. Network sites exist in settings that have historically had limited National Institutes of Health funding success and lacked pediatric research infrastructure, with the initial funding directed to considerable efforts in professional development, implementation of regulatory procedures, and engagement of communities and families. The Network has made considerable headway with these objectives, opening two large research studies during its initial 18 months as well as producing findings that serve as markers of success that will optimize sustainability.