American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology's annual meeting took place March 3-7 in Miami Beach, Fla. The meeting drew more than 7,000 allergists from around the world and covered recent research on asthma and asthma adherence, food allergy and anaphylaxis, and the growing problem of sensitization to ladybug allergens.
Carlos Camargo, Jr., M.D., of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues presented research showing that higher maternal intake of vitamin D during pregnancy may decrease risk for wheezing illnesses in early childhood. In a study of 1,306 mother-child pairs, they found that a 100 IU increase in maternal vitamin D intake was associated with a lower risk of any wheeze (OR, 0.90) during the child's first two years of life. "Continued follow-up of our cohort will determine if these findings translate to a decreased asthma risk in later childhood," the authors concluded.
Christina M. Abraham, M.D., of the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and colleagues presented a surprise finding that patients with adult-onset asthma are more likely to have allergies than patients with childhood-onset asthma, which contradicts previous studies. After surveying 493 pregnant volunteers, they found that adult-onset asthmatics were more likely to be sensitized to dog and ragweed allergens than childhood-onset asthmatics.
Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, and colleagues presented an analysis of risk-taking behaviors in food-allergic adolescents and young adults who are at high risk for fatal anaphylaxis. Three-quarters of their study subjects had peanut allergy or two or more other allergies, 82 percent had experienced anaphylaxis and 52 percent had experienced more than three anaphylactic reactions. Although 94 percent said they carried epinephrine during travel, only 43 percent said they did so when playing sports. Although 75 percent said they always read food labels, 42 percent said they would eat a food labeled "may contain" an allergen. "The results imply educating teens, and people around them in social activities, may reduce risk-taking and its consequences," the authors conclude.
David W. Goetz, M.D., of Exemplar Allergy and Asthma in Morgantown, W.V., presented research showing that Asian ladybug sensitization is comparable to cat and cockroach allergens. After Goetz and colleagues reviewed 1,400 skin tests, they found that sensitization for Asian ladybug was 21 percent compared to 24 percent for cat, 27 percent for cockroach and 40 percent for dust mite. Among patients who were sensitized to just one allergen, 10 percent were sensitized to dust mite, 6 percent to Asian ladybug or cockroach, and 4 percent to cat. The researchers also found patients living in rural areas were more likely to be sensitized to Asian ladybug than those living in the urban environments.
Less Than Half of Children Take Their Asthma Medication
THURSDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Less than half of children are adherent when it comes to asthma treatment, and measuring adherence continues to pose a major challenge to researchers, according to a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Miami Beach.
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Maternal Asthma Associated with Premature Births
WEDNESDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Asthmatic women have a significantly higher risk of giving birth to a premature and low birth weight baby, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Miami Beach.
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Patients Unclear on Epinephrine Auto Injector Use
WEDNESDAY, March 8 (HealthDay News) -- Patients prescribed epinephrine auto injectors (EAIs) report that they aren't closely followed up by their doctors and fewer than half of them say they would use an EAI in an emergency, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Miami Beach.
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Low Peanut Exposure May Protect Atopic Children
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although exposure to peanut during infancy promotes sensitization, low levels may help protect atopic children, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Miami Beach.
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Peanut Allergen Persists for Several Hours in Saliva
TUESDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with peanut allergies may be at risk of a serious allergic reaction if they kiss anyone who has eaten peanut within the past four-plus hours, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Miami Beach.
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