Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology
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During allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), the relevance of changes in specific IgE and IgG antibody titres to treatment efficacy remains to be evaluated at an individual patient level. ⋯ Sublingual immunotherapy with a grass pollen tablet is efficacious irrespective of the patients' baseline sensitization to either single or multiple grass pollen allergens. Seric IgG responses may contribute to SLIT-induced clinical tolerance in a fraction (i.e. 17%) of patients, but additional immune mechanisms are involved in most patients. Consequently, antibody responses cannot be used as a marker of SLIT efficacy at an individual patient level.
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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is implicated in airway remodelling and asthma development. We studied VEGFA gene variants and plasma levels and the development of lung function, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and asthma in childhood. ⋯ VEGF gene variants are associated with lung function at school age, but not at birth, suggesting a role of VEGF in post-natal lung function development.
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Exhaled breath contains disease-dependent volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which may serve as biomarkers distinguishing clinical phenotypes in asthma. Their measurement may be particularly beneficial in relation to treatment response. ⋯ Breath analysis by eNose can identify asthmatic patients and may be used to predict their response to steroids with greater accuracy than sputum eosinophils or FeNO. This implies a potential role for breath analysis in the tailoring of treatment for asthma patients.
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The incidence of sleep-related breathing disorders is correlated with lower and upper airway inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. We hypothesized that corticosteroids treatment would lead to a greater reduction in disease severity in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) patients with concomitant allergic rhinitis vs. non-allergic OSAS patients by reducing the level of inflammation in upper airway tissues. ⋯ This study has provided important molecular and clinical evidence regarding the ability of corticosteroids to reduce upper airway inflammation and improve obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome morbidity patients with concomitant allergic rhinitis.