Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Nov 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPatient-reported outcomes in adults with moderate to severe asthma after use of budesonide and formoterol administered via 1 pressurized metered-dose inhaler.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are important for evaluating asthma therapy. ⋯ Significantly greater improvements in health-related quality of life and asthma control and greater treatment satisfaction were observed with budesonide/formoterol pMDI vs placebo.
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Oct 2008
ReviewObstructive sleep apnea syndrome and asthma: the role of continuous positive airway pressure treatment.
To review the concept of a possible link between asthma and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and the impact on asthma symptoms of treatment of OSAS with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with both conditions. ⋯ Asthma and OSAS are increasingly troublesome public health issues. Mounting evidence implicates OSAS as a risk factor for asthma exacerbations, thereby linking these 2 major epidemics. We describe potential mechanisms whereby CPAP, the first line of therapy for OSAS, might modify airway smooth muscle function and asthma control in patients with both disorders. Despite the ever-increasing population of patients with both disorders, large, prospective, randomized controlled studies are necessary to more fully evaluate CPAP and asthma outcomes.
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Aug 2008
Increasing hospitalizations due to angioedema in the United States.
Angioedema may occur in patients taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. With the more prevalent use of this class of medications in the United States, it is not known whether angioedema hospitalizations have increased nationally in recent years. ⋯ Angioedema has become the dominant allergic disorder that results in hospitalization in the United States. Angioedema hospitalizations have a distinct epidemiologic pattern that differs from that observed in other atopic disease hospitalizations.
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Ann. Allergy Asthma Immunol. · Jun 2008
Availability of the epinephrine autoinjector at school in children with peanut allergy.
Peanut allergy accounts for most severe food-related allergic reactions, and accidental exposures are frequent. Delayed administration of epinephrine and the allergic individual's failure to personally carry epinephrine contribute to fatal outcomes. ⋯ Almost 50% of children allergic to peanut might experience a delay in anaphylaxis treatment due to limited access to their device. More education is required regarding the importance of a readily available autoinjector.