Long-Term Omalizumab Treatment: A Multicenter, Real-Life, 5-Year Trial.

BACKGROUND: Omalizumab has demonstrated therapeutic benefits both in controlled clinical trials and real-life studies. However, research concerning the long-term effects and tolerability of omalizumab is needed. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of treatment with omalizumab for up to 5 years. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective, chart-based study was carried out to compare documented exacerbations, hospitalizations, systemic steroid requirement, FEV1, and asthma control test (ACT) results during 1 year prior to omalizumab treatment versus at 1, 3, and 5 years of treatment. Adverse events and reasons for discontinuation were also recorded at each time point. RESULTS: Four hundred and sixty-five patients were enrolled in the study. Outcome variables had improved after the 1st year and were sustained after the 3rd and 5th years of treatment with omalizumab. Omalizumab treatment reduced the asthma exacerbation rate by 71.3% (p < 0.001) at 1 year, 64.3% (p < 0.001) at 3 years, and 54.8% (p = 0.002) at 5 years. The hospitalization rate also decreased; by the 5th year of the treatment no patients were hospitalized. ACT results had also improved significantly: 12 (p < 0.001) at 1 year, 12 (p < 0.001) at 3 years, and 12 (p = 0.002) at 5 years. Overall, 12.7% of patients reported adverse events (most of these were mild-to-moderate) and the overall dropout rate was 9.0%. CONCLUSION: Omalizumab had a significant effect on asthma outcomes and this effect was maintained over 5 years. The drug was found to be generally safe and treatment compliance was good.

Erythrocyte zinc level in patients with atopic dermatitis and its relation to SCORAD index.

INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory disease, characterized by a relapsing-remitting course. The pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis is not completely understood, although the disorder appears to result from the complex interaction between immune abnormalities, genetic and environmental factors. Trace elements are essential for normal functioning of the immune system. AIM: To determine zinc levels in serum and erythrocytes of patients with AD using an atomic absorption spectrometric technique and to investigate the relationship between those levels and disease activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-seven patients and 49 controls were enrolled into the study. The disease severity of AD patients was determined according to the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. We measured zinc levels in serum and erythrocytes by the atomic absorption spectrophotometric technique. RESULTS: Erythrocyte zinc levels were significantly lower in AD patients than in the control group (p < 0.001), whereas serum zinc levels did not differ between the groups (p = 0.148). In the AD patient group there was a negative correlation between the SCORAD score and erythrocyte zinc levels (r = -0.791; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The negative relationship between disease severity and erythrocyte zinc levels might suggest an immunopathological link between AD progression and intracellular zinc metabolism.

The knowledge and considerations of the physicians regarding the inhaler devices in asthma and COPD: the INTEDA-1 study.

INTRODUCTION: The present paper was aimed at indicating and discussing the possible problems related to inhaler devices by considering the knowledge and practices of the physicians regarding the inhalation therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a prospective, cross-sectional survey carried out by Turkish Respiratory Society Inhalation Therapy Group between February 2010 and February 2011 with a participation of ten individual centres. Seven inhaler devices that were available on the market in the country were assessed. The data on the problems that 684 clinicians actively attending patients with respiratory disorders experienced in daily clinical practice or their evaluations of their patients were obtained through the questionnaire. RESULTS: The respondents, most of whom were pulmonologist (37.5%), and pediatrist (38.1%), had been,on average, 11.6 years in profession. The source of information on inhalers and administration techniques were reported to be mainly the internet and patient leaflets. Of the participants only 18.5% reported to have had adequate knowledge of inhaler devices and proper administration techniques. Most of the participants stated that they themselves provided the instructions of administration and that the method was often verbal explanation. The physicians believed that although approximately 60% of the patients used the drug correctly, 40.7% made critical mistakes to have adverse effects on the therapeutic outcome. The most important criteria on which the physians lay greater emphasis in choosing the inhaler devices were the physical capability, skills and age of the patients. CONCLUSION: The awareness of proper use of inhaler devices is a fundamental prerequisite for effective inhalation therapy has been improved in physicians. The results of the present study have shown that more effort is required for professional training. Assisting the physicans with medical personnel for training of the patients and educational motivation are required.

Risk factors for oral allergy syndrome in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a unique allergic reaction to food, which is caused by cross-reactivity between proteins in fresh fruits or vegetables and pollens. Predisposing factors for OAS are not well known in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. OBJECTIVE: Identify the probable risk factors for OAS in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and eleven consecutive patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were included. Patients were evaluated in terms of symptom scores and skin prick test positivity scores. Prick-by-prick tests with the fresh fruit or vegetable were carried out in patients who describe oral allergy syndrome. Patients with OAS and without OAS were compared statistically. RESULTS: OAS was more frequent in females than males (p=0.01). Odds ratio for gender (male/female) was 3.80 (95% confidence interval: 1.28-11.32). Within nasal symptoms, only nasal itching was related with OAS (P<0.05). The logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the prevalence of the OAS and age, asthma, TSS and TSTP (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Not all patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis develop OAS. It is likely that, patients with OAS have some additional risk factors other than atopy.

Cardiac autonomic imbalance in children with allergic rhinitis.

The involvement of autonomic imbalance has been reported in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity reactions. Allergic diseases are more frequent in children and some of predisposing factors may be changed according to the increasing age, but the involvement of autonomic imbalance has not been investigated in pediatric population. In this cross-sectional, case-control study, we evaluated the autonomic system by measuring heart rate variability (HRV) in pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis. Thirty-five pediatric patients with allergic rhinitis and 36 healthy children (mean age 11 +/- 2.7, and 12 +/- 3 years, respectively) were enrolled in the study. Age and gender were not different between the groups. The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis was based on the history, symptoms, and skin prick tests. Participants with acute infection, nasal polyposis, bronchial asthma, and any other medical problems, assessed by history, physical examination and routine laboratory tests, were excluded. Twenty-four hour ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings were obtained, and the time domain and frequency domain indices of HRV were analyzed. We found significant increase in calculated HRV variables in children with allergic rhinitis compared to controls, which reflect parasympathetic tones, such as number of R-R intervals exceeding 50 ms, root mean square of successive differences between normal sinus R-R intervals, the percentage of difference between adjacent normal R-R intervals, and high frequency. These results indicate that HRV is increased, which implies sympathetic withdrawal and parasympathetic predominance. We propose that autonomic imbalance may be involved in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis in pediatric patients.

Anaphylactic reactions presenting with hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Although a few case reports about hypertensive anaphylaxis (HA) are available in the present literature, there is no study about the prevalence of HA. In this study, we review our cases with anaphylaxis presenting with hypertension and ascertain its prevalence. The documents of the patients who had anaphylactic reactions after the procedures performed for the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases in GATA Haydarpasa Clinic of Allergy and Immunology between January 2010 and December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Within the study period, 324 patients had undergone 4332 procedures in which 62 of them had developed anaphylaxis. RESULTS: During the procedures, the rate of anaphylaxis was found to be 1.43 %. The rate of HA among the anaphylaxis patients was 12.9 % (8 of 62 patients). During treatments, 2 patients received adrenaline injections without any adverse reaction. CONCLUSIONS: HA may be seen at a considerable rate during an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis and hypertension can be recovered by adrenaline injection when required. According to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first original study about the prevalence of HA in English-language medical literature.

Impaired coronary collateral vessel development in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic patients have been reported to have impaired coronary collateral vessel growth, although they have excessive neovascularization in the retina. HYPOTHESIS: This study was designed to compare coronary collateral circulation (CCC) in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) with that in patients without DR. METHODS: Ninety diabetic patients with chronic total occlusion in at least one major epicardial coronary artery were enrolled in the study. Groups 1 and 2 consisted of 48 patients without DR and 42 patients with PDR, respectively. Coronary collateral circulation (CCC) was analyzed according to the Rentrop system. Each group was also divided into two subgroups according to poor and good CCC. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. RESULTS: The mean Rentrop collateral score was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (2.39 +/- 1.07 vs. 1.76 +/- 0.76, respectively, p < 0.001). When the two groups were compared with respect to poor and good CCC, poor CCC was higher in patients with PDR (64 vs. 36%, respectively, p = 0.01). Serum VEGF levels were higher in patients with PDR than in those without DR (219 +/- 99 vs. 139 +/- 98 pg/ml, p < 0.001); however, patients with poor and good CCC had similar VEGF levels. CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that patients with PDR have a lower coronary collateral score than patients without DR. Also, serum VEGF was significantly higher in patients with PDR than in those without DR. These findings have suggested that diabetes mellitus may have a different action on retinal and coronary circulation.

Progesterone skin test in severe attacks of angioedema during menstrual cycle.

Progesterone hypersensitivity (PH) is a rare clinical condition that displays hypersensitivity to endogenous or exogenous progesterone. It is characterized by cyclic dermatologic manifestations at the end of the luteal phase that disappear some days after menses. We present a case of 24-year-old woman showing severe angioedema attacks occurring from the first day of her menstruation and continuing for 4-5 days and having positive progesterone intradermal test (IDT). To our knowledge, there is no case in the literature which is coupled with PH isolated angioedema attacks. In this case report we will discuss diagnostic value of progesterone IDT.

Short-term beneficial effect of aspirin in patient with chronic rhinosinusitis and tolerant to acetylsalicylic acid.

It is well known that desensitization treatment with aspirin can significantly improve symptoms and quality of life in patient with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. However, its mechanism has not been clearly understood yet. In this case report, 41-year-old male patient was referred to our allergy and immunology department with complaints of chronic rhinosinusitis including postnasal discharge, sneezing, facial pain/pressure, waking up tired, nasal obstruction, smell loss for a long time. According to the patient, the complaints were controlled partially with nasal steroid and antihistamines, and single dose parenteral depot steroids were highly effective in controlling the symptoms and each time this effect lasted at least three weeks. The patient was told to use aspirin when needed analgesic and he started to use aspirin 500 mg bid. po for 10 days for his pain in the joints. The patient stressed the superiority of aspirin over other drugs including oral antihistamine and LTA and its equality to systemic steroid drugs in suppressing symptoms. It seemed that aspirin had positive effects in allergic inflammation at least in some subset of aspirin tolerant patients with chronic sinusitis.

Chronic urticaria in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis: significance of severity of thyroid gland inflammation.

BACKGROUND: There is a clear association between autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) and chronic urticaria/angioedema (CUA). However, not all patients with AT demonstrate urticaria. AIMS: The aim of the study was to investigate in which patients with AT did CUA become a problem. A sensitive inflammation marker, neopterine (NP) was used to confirm whether the severity of inflammation in the thyroid gland was responsible for urticaria or not. METHODS: Neopterine levels were assessed in patients with AT with urticaria and without urticaria. Furthermore, levels were compared in relation to pre and post levothyroxine treatment. Twenty-seven patients with urticaria (Group 1) and 28 patients without urticaria (Group 2) were enrolled in the study. A course of levothyroxine treatment was given to all patients, and urine neopterine levels before and after the trial were obtained. RESULTS: All patients completed the trial. Mean age in Group 1 and Group 2 was similar (35.70 ± 10.86 years and 38.36 ± 10.38 years, respectively) (P=0.358). Pre-treatment urine neopterine levels were significantly higher in Group 1 (P=0.012). Post-treatment levels decreased in each group, as expected. However, the decrease in the neopterine level was insignificant in the patients of Group 2 (P=0.282). In Group 1, a significant decrease in post-treatment neopterine levels (P=0.015) was associated with the remission of urticaria. CONCLUSION: In patients with CUA and AT, pre-treatment elevated levels of NP, and its decrease with levothyroxine treatment along with symptomatic relief in urticaria, may be evidence of the relationship between the degree of inflammation in thyroid and presence of urticaria.

Hypersensitivity to aeroallergens in patients with recurrent vulvovaginitis of undetermined etiology.

AIM: Recent findings show that the vaginal mucosa can develop an allergic response to environmental allergens and there is a strong association between atopy and some recurrent vulvovaginal infections. In this study, we investigated prospectively the rate of atopy in patients with recurrent vulvovaginitis of undetermined etiology (RVV). MATERIAL AND METHODS: After being investigated by a gynecologist, 35 patients with RVV who were considered as undetermined etiology formed the study group. The control group consisted of 150 healthy females. Study and control groups were investigated for atopy by means of skin prick test for common aeroallergens. Associated allergic disease and familial atopy history of the subjects were recorded. RESULTS: The rate of atopy (11/35; 31.4% vs 9/150; 6%) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the study group than in the controls. Familial history of atopy was significantly more frequent in the study group than in the controls (10/35; 28.6% vs 8/150; 5.3%, P < 0.05). RVV in atopics is more associated with seasonal rhinitis than in nonatopics (5/11; 45.4% vs 2/24; 8.3%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We concluded that a significant number of RVV is associated with atopy. Although the exact mechanism(s) of this relationship remains to be investigated atopy might be a causative and/or contributing factor in the pathogenesis of RVV.

Atopy in patients with bronchiectasis: more than coincidence.

Bronchiectasis is common in developing countries, but its precise underlying mechanism can be detected in only about 40% of the cases. The studies reporting the frequency of atopy and its relation to radiological findings and lung function in bronchiectasis are limited in number, and the results are controversial. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between atopy and bronchiectasis by means of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function tests. Skin prick test, HRCT and pulmonary function tests, including spirometric values of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) ratio were performed in 121 bronchiectatic patients of unknown etiology and in 68 healthy controls. Atopy and HRCT scores for the severity of atopy and extent of bronchiectasis respectively were determined for each patient. The rate of atopy (48.8% vs 11.8%) and mean atopy score (14.3 +/- 10.1 mm vs 5.5 +/- 2.1 mm) were significantly higher in patients with bronchiectasis than those in controls. Atopic patients had significantly worse spirometric values and more extended bronchiectasis than non-atopics. There is a significant correlation between atopy and HRCT scores (r = 0.54, p < 0.001), indicating that the more severe atopy is the more extended bronchiectasis. In conclusion, we suggest that the rate of atopy is higher in bronchiectatic patients than that in healthy controls. Bronchiectatic patients with atopy have lower spirometric values and higher HRCT scores. Atopy might be considered as a deteriorating and/or a causative or contributing factor for development of bronchiectasis.