Inflammation

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps were found to benefit more from the combination of endoscopic sinus surgery plus medical therapy vs medical therapy alone, although the minimal clinically important difference was not met.

For the first time, a major study showed that remission for peanut allergy can be achieved even in very young children using oral immunotherapy.

Patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps achieved significant improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and general health status with dupilumab treatment after 52 weeks.

The eosinophilic esophagitis responded to treatment or resolved after the peanut oral immunotherapy stopped.

Short-term exposure to several different types of air pollution was found to significantly increase disease severity in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Local immunoglobulin levels were found to be significantly higher in polyp tissue specimens, but not in the blood, of patients with nasal polyps.

A significant link was found regarding incidence of diabetes and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps, whereas CRS without nasal polyps was not associated with diabetes.

David R. Stukus, MD, FACAAI, of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and a board member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, talks about the increase of eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, along with other allergic conditions.

This year's most-read inflammation articles included ones about Janus kinase inhibitors and the impact of biologics or systemic corticosteroids on severe COVID-19.

A comparison of claims-based asthma risk predictors in a national sample of children with Medicaid determines accuracy and informs risk predictor choice.

The trend was true when investigators used body mass index to classify weight, and when measures such as relative body mass index and percentage of body fat were used.

The study showed children with thalassemia had a greater risk of both atopic and non-atopic asthma.

As many as 4% of population-level asthma cases could be attributed to secondhand smoke, the study suggests.

The analysis found 20% of people with asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis also have depression.

Sold under the name Dupixent, dupilumab is a biologic that inhibits interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, which are key drivers of the type 2 inflammation that plays a major role in asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, and eosinophilic esophagitis.

A recent article describes the many challenges faced by patients with mast cell disorders, which involve unpredictable, disabling symptoms that interfere with daily life activities.

Michael E. Wechsler, MD, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health, discusses the conditions that can develop as a result of abnormal eosinophilic activity.

It is the third set of warnings for certain Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors due to the risk of heart attack or stroke, cancer, blood clots, and death.

Switching patients with asthma to a biologic medication purely because that patient is not adherent to inhaled medications gets in the way of a physician's goal of being good stewards of patient care and finances, said William "Andy" Nish, MD.

Most patients said they had received instruction on how to use their inhalers from a pharmacist or physician, but only 21% said they had received instruction from both.

Nearly 9 in 10 children given intravenous (IV) magnesium for refractory asthma ended up being admitted to the hospital, but new research suggests that may be partly due to a lack of clarity about the therapy’s safety profile.

Many intrinsic and extrinsic factors hinder primary health care professionals from identifying a patient as having occupational asthma.

Getting vaccinated is important to protect yourself, your family, and your community, says William "Andy" Nish, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Northeast Georgia Physicians Group.

Although body weight affected pharmacokinetics, the investigators said dosing adjustments based on weight were not warranted.

William "Andy" Nish, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Northeast Georgia Physicians Group, discusses the factors that influence whether patients with asthma should be prescribed a biologic therapy.