Tag: adults

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The effect of omalizumab on ventilation and perfusion in adults with allergic asthma.

The effect of omalizumab on ventilation and perfusion in adults with allergic asthma.

Am J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2013;3(4):350-60

Authors: Kelmenson DA, Kelly VJ, Winkler T, Kone MT, Musch G, Melo MF, Venegas JG, Harris RS

Abstract
Omalizumab promotes clinical improvement in patients with allergic asthma, but its effect on pulmonary function is unclear. One possibility is that omalizumab improves asthma symptoms through effects on the regional distributions of ventilation, perfusion, and ventilation/perfusion matching, metrics which can be assessed with Nitrogen-13-saline Position Emission Tomography (PET). Four adults with moderate to severe uncontrolled allergic asthma underwent symptom assessment, spirometry and functional pulmonary imaging with Nitrogen-13-saline PET before and after 4-5 months of treatment with omalizumab. PET imaging was used to determine ventilation/perfusion ratios, the heterogeneity (coefficient of variation, COV) of ventilation and perfusion, and lung regions with ventilation defects. There were no significant changes in spirometry values after omalizumab treatment, but there was a trend towards an improvement in symptom scores. There was little change in the matching of ventilation and perfusion. The COV of perfusion was similar before and after omalizumab treatment. The COV of ventilation was also similar before (0.57 (0.28)) and after (0.66 (0.13)) treatment, and it was similar to previously published values for healthy subjects. There was a non-significant trend towards an increase in the extent of ventilation defects after omalizumab treatment, from 5 (15)% to 12.8 (14.7)%. Treatment of moderate to severe uncontrolled allergic asthma with omalizumab did not result in a significant improvement in ventilation and perfusion metrics assessed with functional PET imaging. The normal COV of ventilation which was unaffected by treatment supports the hypothesis that omalizumab exerts its clinical effect on lung function during allergen exposure rather than in between exacerbations.

PMID: 23901360 [PubMed]

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XX Files: Among adults, asthma is more common in women – STLtoday.com

XX Files: Among adults, asthma is more common in women
STLtoday.com
The exact cause of asthma is not known, but the airways of people with asthma become swollen and inflamed. The airway inflammation causes a reaction to substances that are inhaled. These substances can be allergens or other inhaled irritants such as …
Breathe Easier: 7 tips to control your child's asthmaNBC Latino
Breathe Easier This Summer: Tips To Control Your Child's AsthmaNorth American Press Syndicate

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Differences in Health Care Access and Utilization Between Adolescents and Young Adults With Asthma.

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Differences in Health Care Access and Utilization Between Adolescents and Young Adults With Asthma.

Pediatrics. 2013 Apr 22;

Authors: Chua KP, Schuster MA, McWilliams JM

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:Studies suggest that young adults have worse health care access, use less primary care, and visit emergency departments more frequently than adolescents. We examined whether these differences existed between older adolescents and young adults with asthma.METHODS:Using nationally representative data from the 1999 to 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we performed cross-sectional comparisons of access and utilization between older adolescents (ages 14-17) and young adults (ages 19-25) with asthma. In longitudinal analyses, we assessed whether changes in health insurance coverage, schooling, and adult presence at home predicted changes in access and utilization.RESULTS:Young adults with asthma were less likely to have a usual source of care (-13.7 percentage points; P < .001) or primary care visit within the past year (-13.9 percentage points; P = .006). They were less likely to fill a short-acting beta-agonist prescription (-10.6 percentage points; P = .02) and more likely to visit the emergency department within the past year (+9.7 percentage points; P = .01). Adjusting for differences in insurance coverage reduced differences in usual source of care and primary care use by 32.4% to 38.0% but reduced the difference in emergency department use by only 10.3%. Among participants aged 16 to 19 in the first survey year, becoming uninsured strongly predicted losing a usual source of care (change relative to no coverage loss: -25.2 percentage points; P = .003).CONCLUSIONS:Compared with older adolescents with asthma, young adults with asthma have worse health care access and may use care less optimally. These differences were associated with but were not completely explained by differences in insurance coverage.

PMID: 23610211 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Study finds up to 75 percent of asthmatic adults have an allergy – Fox News


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Study finds up to 75 percent of asthmatic adults have an allergy
Fox News
However, a new study published in this month's Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology found that about 75 percent of asthma sufferers aged 20 to 40 years old and 65 percent of asthmatic adults aged 55 years and older, have at least one confirmed …
Have asthma? You likely have an allergy as wellEurekAlert (press release)
Asthma and Allergies Go Hand In HandCBS42
Asthma and Allergy Foundation: Most Allergic Cities in U.S.ABC Action News
Medical Daily –Asbury Park Press
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