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Asthma patients at risk for more reactions during food OIT

Patients with asthma are at risk for more severe reactions and are unlikely to reach full desensitization during food oral immunotherapy, according to recent study results.

“Baseline asthma severity does not seem to affect the risk of severe reactions at random exposure and during the course of [milk oral immunotherapy (MOIT)], but patients with intermittent asthma have a more favorable outcome,” Arnon Elizur, MD, of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues wrote.

Arnon Elizur

Researchers studied the effects of MOIT on 194 patients who were aged older than 6 years. Asthma was diagnosed in 101 patients; the remaining 93 served as controls. Patients with asthma had more severe anaphylactic reactions (84.2% vs. 64.5%; P=.003), ED visits (68.3% vs. 51.6%; P=.02) and hospital admissions (32.7% vs. 18.3%; P=.03) that were induced by random exposure to cow’s milk protein than patients without asthma.

While patients with asthma, regardless of severity, were more likely to experience severe reactions, 86.1% of them reached a dose considered protective against accidental exposure.

Of the 116 patients who reached full desensitization, 112 patients (49 of 51 with asthma and 63 of 65 without asthma) were followed for a median of 28.6 months. Forty-two patients with asthma and 57 patients without asthma were able to consume unrestricted dairy products at follow-up.

“Significantly more patients with intermittent asthma achieved full desensitization at the end of OIT and maintained a state of desensitization months later while consuming cow’s milk protein daily,” the researchers wrote. “It is encouraging that half the patients with asthma achieved full desensitization, and most achieved a dose that would likely protect them against unintentional exposures.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.