Benefits of Aeroallergen Testing on Oral Corticosteroid Bursts in Adults with Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Aeroallergen testing can improve precision care for persistent asthma and is recommended by the U.S. clinical guidelines. How testing benefits diverse populations of adults with asthma, and the importance of the testing modality used, are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate whether receipt of aeroallergen testing was associated with a reduction in oral corticosteroid (OCS) bursts. METHODS: We used electronic health record data to conduct a retrospective, observational cohort study of adults with asthma who were prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid and had an Allergy/Immunology visit in a large health system between 1/1/2017-6/30/2022. Negative binomial regression models were used to evaluate whether OCS bursts in the 12-month period after an initial visit were reduced for patients who received aeroallergen testing. We also measured differences in benefit after excluding patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and smoking histories, and whether testing receipt was via skin prick or serum. RESULTS: 668/1,383 (48.3%) patients received testing. Receipt of testing was not associated with fewer bursts in all patients (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=0.83 versus no testing, p=0.059), but it was among never smokers without COPD (417/844 tested, IRR=0.68, p=0.004). The receipt of skin testing was associated with fewer bursts in all patients (418/1,383 tested, IRR=0.77, p=0.02) and among never smokers without COPD (283/844 tested, IRR=0.59 versus no testing, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Guideline-concordant aeroallergen testing in the context of Allergy/Immunology care was associated with clinical benefit in a real-life, diverse cohort of adults with asthma. This benefit varied according to patient comorbidities and the testing modality.

Factors Associated With Asthma Biologic Prescribing and Primary Adherence Among Adults in a Large Health System.

BACKGROUND: The availability of asthma biologics may not benefit all patients equally. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify patient characteristics associated with asthma biologic prescribing, primary adherence, and effectiveness. METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort study of 9,147 adults with asthma who established care with a Penn Medicine asthma subspecialist was conducted using Electronic Health Record data from January 1, 2016, to October 18, 2021. Multivariable regression models were used to identify factors associated with (1) receipt of a new biologic prescription; (2) primary adherence, defined as receiving a dose in the year after receiving the prescription, and (3) oral corticosteroid (OCS) bursts in the year after the prescription. RESULTS: Factors associated with a new prescription, which was received by 335 patients, included being a woman (odds ratio [OR] 0.66; P = .002), smoking currently (OR 0.50; P = .04), having an asthma hospitalization in the prior year (OR 2.91; P < .001), and having 4+ OCS bursts in the prior year (OR 3.01; P < .001). Reduced primary adherence was associated with Black race (incidence rate ratio 0.85; P < .001) and Medicaid insurance (incidence rate ratio 0.86; P < .001), although most in these groups, 77.6% and 74.3%, respectively, still received a dose. Nonadherence was associated with patient-level barriers in 72.2% of cases and health insurance denial in 22.2%. Having more OCS bursts after receiving a biologic prescription was associated with Medicaid insurance (OR 2.69; P = .047) and biologic days covered (OR 0.32 for 300-364 d vs 14-56 d; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: In a large health system, primary adherence to asthma biologics varied by race and insurance type, whereas nonadherence was primarily explained by patient-level barriers.

Denatonium benzoate bitter taste perception in chronic rhinosinusitis subgroups.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) have varying levels of inflammation and disease severity. Solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) are enriched in nasal polyps, are the primary source of interleukin 25 (IL-25) in upper airways, leading to type 2 inflammation, and are activated by bitter-tasting denatonium benzoate (DB). Thus, we sought to evaluate DB taste perception at a range of concentrations in order to identify 1 that most differentiates CRS subgroups from controls. METHODS: CRSsNP (n = 25), CRSwNP (n = 26), and AERD (n = 27) patients as well as controls (n = 25) tasted 6 DB concentrations in a fixed, random order, rating on a category scale of 0 (no intensity) to 12 (extremely intense). Sinonasal epithelial cultures were treated with and without denatonium and analyzed for IL-25 via flow cytometry. RESULTS: CRSsNP patients rated DB as significantly less intense than did controls at all concentrations: 5.62 × 10-9 M, 1.00 × 10-8 M, 1.78 × 10-8 M, 3.16 × 10-8 M, 5.62 × 10-8 M, and 1.00 × 10-7 M (all p < 0.0083). CRSwNP patients did not show significant differences from controls. AERD patients rated DB as significantly more intense than did controls at concentrations of 1.00 × 10-8 M and 3.16 × 10-8 M (p < 0.0083). In vitro data demonstrated significant increase in IL-25-positive cells after denatonium stimulation (n = 5), compared to control (n = 5) (p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Our findings link in vitro DB stimulation of sinonasal tissue with increased IL-25 and show differential DB taste perception in CRS subgroups relative to the control group, with CRSsNP being hyposensitive and AERD being hypersensitive. We propose a concentration of 3.16 × 10-8 M for future study of clinical utility.

Major complications of aspirin desensitization and maintenance therapy in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) includes endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and aspirin desensitization (AD) with aspirin therapy after desensitization (ATAD). The objective of this study was to determine the rate of major complications associated with aspirin use that resulted in the discontinuation of aspirin therapy. METHODS: This study was a retrospective chart review of patients with AERD who underwent ESS, AD, and ATAD at a single AERD tertiary center between July 2016 and February 2019. Complications associated with aspirin that resulted in the discontinuation of aspirin therapy were analyzed via analysis of variance and logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, 109 AERD patients underwent ESS with subsequent AD. Ten patients (9.2%) discontinued therapy after AD, before starting ATAD. Eight patients (7.3%) discontinued therapy after starting ATAD. There were 91 patients (83.5%) with no complications throughout ATAD. Reasons for discontinuation included gastritis, upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleed, anaphylaxis, persistent sinonasal symptoms, recurrent epistaxis, asthma exacerbation, and a nummular rash. There was no significant correlation between complication rate and (1) aspirin doses (analysis of variance [ANOVA] F: 0.69; p = 0.51), (2) gender (odds ratio [OR] 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19 to 1.65; p = 0.30), (3) age (OR 1.04; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.09; p = 0.06), or (4) race/ethnicity (OR 1.12; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.44; p = 0.36). CONCLUSION: AD with ATAD was associated with only a 0.92% incidence of a clinically significant GI bleed, and only a 0.92% incidence of anaphylaxis. A remaining 16 patients (14.7%) discontinued aspirin therapy due to minor clinical sequelae. These findings demonstrate that the majority of AERD patients tolerate AD with ATAD without any major complications.