The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialBronchial thermoplasty: Long-term safety and effectiveness in patients with severe persistent asthma.
Bronchial thermoplasty (BT) has previously been shown to improve asthma control out to 2 years in patients with severe persistent asthma. ⋯ These data demonstrate the 5-year durability of the benefits of BT with regard to both asthma control (based on maintained reduction in severe exacerbations and ED visits for respiratory symptoms) and safety. BT has become an important addition to our treatment armamentarium and should be considered for patients with severe persistent asthma who remain symptomatic despite taking inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β₂-agonists.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Dec 2013
ReviewAssessment of clinical signs of atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and recommendation.
Clinical signs are a core outcome domain for atopic dermatitis (AD) trials. The current lack of standardization of outcome measures in AD trials hampers evidence-based communication. ⋯ The Eczema Area and Severity Index and SCORAD are the best instruments to assess the clinical signs of AD. The other 14 instruments identified are (currently) not recommended because of unclear or inadequate measurement properties.
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Dec 2013
ReviewAn evidence-based analysis of house dust mite allergen immunotherapy: a call for more rigorous clinical studies.
According to meta-analyses and reviews, subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual allergen immunotherapy (SLIT) are beneficial in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic asthma (AA) induced by house dust mites (HDMs). However, the reported effect sizes have varied greatly from one study to another. ⋯ There is no consensus on basic treatment parameters (eg, dose and duration) in HDM SCIT and SLIT. There is an urgent need for rigorous, long-term, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials with an efficacy criterion that reflects the particular features of HDM-induced allergic disease.