Natural history of adult asthma.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G A Settipane.
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OBJECTIVE: A 23-year followup study of 1,601 college students who were initially evaluated for evidence of asthma and allergic rhinitis by direct interviews, physical examination, laboratory tests, and repeated questionnaires was conducted. METHODS AND RESULTS: The individuals were located through addresses from the alumnae office. Of these, 1,021 (64%) returned their completed questionnaires and these included 738 (72%) who had allergy skin tests as freshmen. A similar proportion of our total population of 1,021 were skin tested as freshmen compared with the original study population of 1,836 in the freshmen year (72% versus 68%). This difference was not statistically significant. Among these 738 alumnae, with a mean age of 40 years, there were a total of 84 with a history of asthma. At the time of the 23-year followup, 44 (52%) were considered to have active asthma and 40 (48%) were symptom free. A majority (85%) of those with inactive asthma were symptom free for 5 years or longer. Of those with active asthma, 50% felt they were improved, 39% unchanged, 9% felt worse, and 2% were unknown. Atopy was a non-prognostic indicator of asthma outcome as determined by scratch skin testing as college freshmen. New asthma occurred in 36 (5.2%) of those at risk to develop new asthma in this 23-year period for a rate of 0.23% per year. CONCLUSION: This 23-year followup study demonstrates that the cumulative prevalence of asthma continues to increase as the individuals become older. The asthma symptoms were no longer present or were improved in about three-fourths of the asthma subjects in this 40-year-old age group. Of the remainder, most symptoms were unchanged and a small number felt worse.
This double-masked, multicenter, randomized clinical trial compared the efficacy and tolerability of cefuroxime axetil and amoxicillin/clavulanate in the treatment of acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis. A total of 263 patients with acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis were randomly assigned to receive 10 days of treatment with either cefuroxime axetil 250 mg twice daily (n = 132) or amoxicillin/clavulanate 500/125 mg 3 times daily (n = 131). Patients' responses to treatment were assessed once during treatment (6 to 8 days after the start of treatment), at the end of treatment (1 to 3 days posttreatment), and at follow-up (26 to 30 days after cessation of treatment). Clinical success, defined as cure or improvement, was equivalent in the cefuroxime axetil and amoxicillin/ clavulanate groups at the end-of-treatment and follow-up assessments. Patients in both groups showed improvements in symptoms of acute sinusitis at the during-treatment visit. Treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanate was associated with a significantly higher incidence of drug-related adverse events than treatment with cefuroxime axetil (29% vs 17%), primarily reflecting a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events (23% vs 11%), particularly diarrhea. Two patients in the cefuroxime axetil group and 8 patients in the amoxicillin/clavulanate group withdrew from the study due to adverse events (P = 0.06). These results indicate that cefuroxime axetil 250 mg twice daily is as effective as amoxicillin/clavulanate 500 mg 3 times daily in the treatment of acute sinusitis and produces fewer gastrointestinal adverse events. cefuroxime axetil, amoxicillin/clavulanate, acute sinusitis.
A new formulation of mometasone furoate (MF) for administration by dry powder inhaler (DPI) was evaluated for the treatment of asthma. A 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-ranging study compared the efficacy and safety of three doses of MF DPI (100, 200 and 400 mcg b.i.d) with beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) 168 mcg b.i.d. administered by metered dose inhaler in 365 adult or adolescent patients being treated with inhaled glucocorticoids. The mean change from baseline to endpoint (last treatment visit) for forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) was the primary efficacy variable. Secondary efficacy variables included other objective measures of pulmonary function [forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory flow 25-75% (FEV25-75%.) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR)] as well as subjective measures of therapeutic response (patients' daily evaluation of asthma symptoms and physicians' evaluation). At endpoint, all four active treatments were significantly more effective than placebo (P < 0.01) in improving FEV1 (MF DPI 5 to 7%, BDP 3%, placebo -6.6%) and all other measures of pulmonary function (FVC: MF DPI 4 to 5%, BDP 2%, placebo -4.7%; FEF25-75%: MF DPI 6 to 18%, BDP 7.5%, placebo -9.5%; PEFR (AM): MF DPI 5 to 10%, BDP 5.7%, placebo -7%). A consistent trend was observed for better improvement in patients treated with MF DPI 200 mcg b.i.d. than with MF DPI 100 mcg b.i.d., with no apparent additional benefit of MF DPI 400 mcg b.i.d. Results for the MF DPI 100 mcg b.i.d. and BDP 168 mcg b.i.d. treatment groups were similar. Patients' and physicians' subjective evaluations of symptoms found similar improvement in the MF DPI 200 and 400 mcg b.i.d. treatment groups, which were slightly better than that in the MF DPI 100 mcg b.i.d. group. Symptoms tended to worsen in the placebo group. MF DPI was well tolerated at all dose levels and the most frequently reported treatment-related adverse effects were headache, pharyngitis and oral candidiasis. No evidence of HPA-axis suppression was detected in any treatment group. In summary, all doses of MF DPI were well tolerated and significantly improved lung function and MF DPI 400 mcg (200 mcg b.i.d.) was the optimal dose in this study of patients with moderate persistent asthma.
BACKGROUND: The use of intranasally administered corticosteroid sprays is an established treatment option for seasonal allergic rhinitis. METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, 438 patients with moderate to severe symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis were treated for 4 weeks with double-strength beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) aqueous nasal spray (84 micrograms/spray: BDP-ds), once daily; regular-strength BDP (42 micrograms/spray: BDP-rs), twice daily; high-strength BDP (336 micrograms/spray: BDP-hs), once daily; or placebo. BDP-hs was included as a safety comparison group. All treatments were given as two sprays per nostril. RESULTS: Physician-rated nasal symptom scores were significantly improved in all three active treatment groups compared with those of the placebo group within the initial 3 days of treatment. Improvement was maintained throughout the 4-week treatment period. BDP-ds and BDP-rs were equivalent at all time points. The BDP-ds, BDP-rs, and BDP-hs groups had greater numbers of patients with a good or excellent therapeutic response at end point than the placebo group. All treatments were well-tolerated, and no unexpected adverse events were reported. No effects on laboratory evaluations or vital signs were evident for any treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that BDP-ds given once a day and BDP-rs given twice a day in the same total daily dose are comparably safe and effective in the treatment of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis.
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To determine differences in access to continuing and preventive care among pediatric patients utilizing the emergency room for treatment of acute exacerbation of asthma, families of 170 asthma patients aged 2 to 17 years were surveyed prospectively. An interview schedule instrument generated information about socioeconomic factors, source of medical care including maintenance and specialty care, medication use, and plans for management of asthma exacerbations. A primary physician or clinic could be identified by 162 patients (95%). Regular preventive therapy (cromolyn, theophylline, or steroids) was used by 45 patients (27%). Allergy evaluations had been previously performed for 59 patients (35%). "Come to Emergency Room" was part of the asthma management plan for 56 patients (33%) and was the only asthma management plan for 34 patients (20%). Logistic regression analysis found that black and Hispanic patients (odds ratio = 0.38) and patients with Medicaid (odds ratio = 0.43) were less likely to call their MD or clinic prior to reporting to the emergency room. Patients with Medicaid were more likely to have two or more prior emergency room visits compared with a group of patients with private insurance and self-paying patients (odds ratio = 4.17). While the majority of patients in this study could identify a source of primary care, patients on Medicaid were significantly less likely to access continuing and preventive care and more likely to utilize the emergency room.
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Buckwheat (Fagopyrum schulentum) is not taxonomically related to wheat and other cereal grains. Buckwheat flour is used as a wheat substitute in breads, biscuits, pancakes, and crepes. Occupational exposure to buckwheat flour has been associated with rhinitis, conjunctivitis, contact urticaria, and occupational asthma. We present a patient who developed urticaria and hypotension after ingestion of buckwheat crepes. Skin testing by the prick technique revealed 3+ positive reaction to buckwheat with negative reactions to other foods including wheat, egg white, and milk. RAST for anti-buckwheat IgE was strongly positive. Buckwheat ingestion is a potential cause of food-related anaphylaxis. There does not appear to be cross-reactivity between buckwheat and wheat allergy.
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum schulentum) is not taxonomically related to wheat and other cereal grains. Buckwheat flour is used as a wheat substitute in breads, biscuits, pancakes, and crepes. Occupational exposure to buckwheat flour has been associated with rhinitis, conjunctivitis, contact urticaria, and occupational asthma. We present a patient who developed urticaria and hypotension after ingestion of buckwheat crepes. Skin testing by the prick technique revealed 3+ positive reaction to buckwheat with negative reactions to other foods including wheat, egg white, and milk. RAST for anti-buckwheat IgE was strongly positive. Buckwheat ingestion is a potential cause of food-related anaphylaxis. There does not appear to be cross-reactivity between buckwheat and wheat allergy.
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Some myths and controversies regarding allergy to insect stings have been resolved through research, and venom immunotherapy now has an important place in the prevention of life-threatening reactions to stings. Both children and adults who had cardiovascular and/or respiratory reactions to their most recent sting are candidates for this treatment, which should be discontinued at the end of 5 years (or sooner, if venom skin tests or radioallergosorbent tests are negative).
Seventy-two consecutive adult asthmatic patients seen in the Pulmonary Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital were tested for atopy by prick test with 14 standard aeroallergens and by in vitro total and specific IgE determinations (FAST). A total of 58.3 percent of patients were found to be atopic by these tests. There was a significant difference between the mean total serum IgE in atopic and nonatopic asthma and in atopic asthma and control subjects. The age onset was lower in atopic asthmatic patients, and they were more likely to have a history of chronic rhinitis than nonatopic subjects. Family history of rhinitis or asthma and severity of asthma was not different between the two groups. Since our outpatient facility has a large allergy clinic in proximity to the pulmonary clinic, which was the source of our patient population, this investigation has a negative bias toward allergy. Nevertheless, this study reveals that atopy is common in adult asthmatic patients, and a battery of allergy tests (skin tests or in vitro tests) together with total serum IgE is able to differentiate between atopic and nonatopic asthma.
Aspirin sensitivity is divided into 2 main subgroups: the bronchospastic and the urticaria/angioedema type. The bronchospastic type of aspirin sensitivity is frequently associated with nonallergic asthma and nasal polyps, producing a classical triad. Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) crossreact with aspirin in aspirin-sensitive patients. Desensitization to aspirin is possible, but should be carried out with caution in selected patients. Desensitization to aspirin also produces desensitization to NSAID. Acetaminophen and nonacetylated salicylic acid (neither are considered NSAID) cross-react with aspirin in a small number of aspirin-sensitive individuals, usually when large doses are administered. The pathogenic mechanism may involve arachidonic acid and prostaglandin metabolism in the bronchospastic type of aspirin sensitivity.
In order to study whether the methacholine inhalation challenge could predict which patients with allergic rhinitis were at risk to develop asthma, we prospectively studied a group of ragweed-sensitive patients over a four to five year period. On the initial study, 16 of 40 patients (40 percent) were found to be hyperresponsive to methacholine. On the follow-up study, three of these 16 patients (19 percent) were found to have developed asthma from one and one-half to five years after the initial testing. Each had greater methacholine responsiveness on repeat study. The degree of methacholine hyperresponsiveness, judged by the PD20, could not predict which of the initial responders would develop asthma. Twenty-four (60 percent) of our patients showed normal responses to methacholine on initial study; none developed asthma and 88 percent remained nonresponders on repeat study. Our study shows that allergic rhinitis patients hyperresponsive to methacholine are at greater risk to develop asthma than those with normal bronchial challenges (p less than 0.05).
More than 20% of the general population is afflicted with a common medical disorder--allergic rhinitis. Recent research in rhinitis has brought about much new information and created possibilities for new means and methods of diagnosis and treatment.
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