Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 

About: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings is an academic journal published by OceanSide Publications, Inc. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Asthma & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 1088-5412. Over the lifetime, 2309 publications have been published receiving 39919 citations.

Long-term risk factors for developing asthma and allergic rhinitis: a 23-year follow-up study of college students.

Abstract: In the initial study of 23 years ago, 1836 college freshmen were prospectively evaluated by questionnaires, interviews, and physical examinations for medical conditions which included the presence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and positive allergy skin tests to a battery of pollens, animal extracts, and mold. In a 23-year follow-up study, 1021 (64%) returned their completed questionnaires. Of these, 738 (72%) had been skin tested as freshmen. The results of this follow-up study revealed that the frequency of asthma and allergic rhinitis continue to increase as the individuals become older. Allergic rhinitis and positive allergy skin tests are significant risk factors for developing new asthma. Individuals with either of these diagnoses are about three times more likely to develop asthma than negative controls. Positive allergy skin tested students have more than twice (2.3x) the risk of developing new hay fever than do negative skin tested students over a 23-year period.

The burden of allergic rhinitis.

Abstract: Although formerly regarded as a nuisance disease, allergic rhinitis (AR) has a considerable effect on quality of life and can have significant consequences if left untreated. The total burden of this disease lies not only in impaired physical and social functioning but also in a financial burden made greater when considering evidence that AR is a possible causal factor in comorbid diseases such as asthma or sinusitis. Compared with matched controls, patients with AR have an approximate twofold increase in medication costs and 1.8-fold the number of visits to health practitioners. Hidden direct costs include the treatment of comorbid asthma, chronic sinusitis, otitis media, upper respiratory infection, and nasal polyposis. Nasal congestion, the most prominent symptom in AR, is associated with sleep-disordered breathing, a condition that can have a profound effect on mental health, including increased psychiatric disorders, depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. Furthermore, sleep-disordered breathing in childhood and adolescence is associated with increased disorders of learning performance, behavior, and attention. In the United States, AR results in 3.5 million lost workdays and 2 million lost schooldays annually. Patients struggle to alleviate their misery, frequently self-adjusting their treatment regimen of over-the-counter and prescription medications because of lack of efficacy, deterioration of efficacy, lack of 24-hour relief, and bothersome side effects. Ironically, health care providers overestimate patient satisfaction with therapy. Therefore, improvement in patient-practitioner communication may enhance patient adherence with prescribed regimens.

Epidemiology of nasal polyps.

Abstract: Nasal polyps are found in 36% of patients with aspirin intolerance, 7% of those with asthma, 0.1% in children, and about 20% in those with cystic fibrosis. Other conditions associated with nasal polyps are Churg-Strauss Syndrome, allergic fungal sinusitis, and cilia dyskinetic syndrome, (Kartagener's) and Young Syndrome. Nasal polyps are statistically more common in nonallergic asthma versus allergic asthma (13% vs 5%, P < 0.01). About 40% of patients with surgical polypectomies have recurrences. There appears to be a hereditary factor for developing nasal polyps. A classification system for staging nasal polyps is proposed in order to standardize treatment, consider differential diagnosis, and harvest meaningful comparative research information.

MCP-1 and RANTES are mediators of acute and chronic inflammation.

Abstract: Regulation of leukocyte migration and activation by chemokines are recognized as potentially important functions in the induction of acute and chronic inflammatory reactions. Regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and presumably secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and related molecules constitute the C-C class of the beta chemokine supergene family with inflammatory properties. Here we report that in experimental studies RANTES and MCP-1 provoke mast cell activation and increase histidine decarboxylase mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, injections of RANTES and MCP-1 in the rat skin cause mast cell, eosinophil, and macrophage recruitment, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) generation. In a chronic inflammatory model MCP-1 was found to mediate the recruitment of mononuclear cells in calcified granulomas. In addition, MCP-1 mediated parasitic infections caused by Trichinella spiralis. In accordance with other studies, RANTES and MCP-1 were found to play an important role in the lung allergic inflammation, lung leukocyte infiltration, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and the recruitment of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of asthma. Here for the first time we propose a new mechanism of pulmonary airway inflammation where RANTES and MCP-1 are deeply involved. We also studied the apparent role played by RANTES in the pathogenesis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis enhancing the inflammatory response within the nervous system.

The humanistic burden of hereditary angioedema: Impact on health-related quality of life, productivity, and depression.

Abstract: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder characterized by recurrent acute attacks of swelling of the larynx, abdomen, and periphery. This study was designed to assess the humanistic burden of illness associated with HAE. HAE burden was assessed via a web-based survey of patients that solicited information on attack characterization, treatment, side effects, pain, and functional and emotional burden of disease management. In addition to HAE-specific sections, the survey used three standardized instruments to compare HAE patient data to normative (healthy) and chronic disease populations: the 12-Item Short Form (SF-12) Health Survey, the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health (WPAI-GH) questionnaire, and the Hamilton Depression Inventory-Short Form (HDI-SF). A total of 457 HAE patients responded to the survey (response rate, ~19%). Patients reported significantly poorer health-related quality of life versus population norms, based on the SF-12 Physical Component Summary (mean, 43.7 versus 49.6; p 8.5, indicative of depressive symptomatology. Productivity was also markedly impaired in all WPAI-GH categories, including 34% overall work impairment. Because of their most recent HAE attack, workers lost a mean of 3.3 days; students lost a mean of 1.9 days. HAE results in considerable humanistic burden to patients across physical and mental health domains; negatively impacts education, career, and work productivity; and compounds the substantial economic burdens that are reported separately.