The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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Inhaled corticosteroids have now become established as first-line therapy for patients with persistent asthma. Corticosteroids are the only currently available asthma therapy that suppress inflammation in asthmatic airways, and they inhibit almost every aspect of the inflammatory process in asthma. Inhaled corticosteroids are effective in most patients with asthma, irrespective of age or asthma severity. ⋯ Inhaled corticosteroids are convenient to use and are the most cost-effective treatment currently available for long-term asthma control. A small proportion of patients are resistant to the antiinflammatory effects of corticosteroids. Future developments may include inhaled corticosteroids with even fewer systemic effects or more specific antiinflammatory drugs.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Oct 1998
Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialEffectiveness and safety of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling acute asthma attacks in children who were treated in the emergency department: a controlled comparative study with oral prednisolone.
Inhaled corticosteroids have a greater antiinflammatory potency and fewer systemic effects than intravenous, intramuscular, or oral corticosteroids. However, their role in acute asthma has not been established. We prospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling moderately severe acute asthma attacks in children who were treated in the emergency department. ⋯ In children with moderately severe asthma attacks who were treated in the emergency department, a short-term dose schedule of inhaled budesonide turbohaler, starting with a high dose and followed by a decrease over 1 week, is at least as effective as oral prednisolone, without suppressing serum cortisol concentration.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Oct 1998
Latex provocation tests in patients with spina bifida: who is at risk of becoming symptomatic?
Although there is accepted information on the prevalence rates of sensitization to latex in patients with spina bifida, little is known about the clinical relevance of this sensitization. ⋯ Our results indicate that an atopic disposition, number of operations, and presence of a shunt system increase the risk of becoming not only sensitized but also allergic to latex. Our results strongly support the necessity that patients with spina bifida as a high-risk group for latex allergy should remain latex-free from the first day of life.