Top news of February: Anaphylaxis care, omalizumab, Uber Eats Super Bowl ad, more

Healio has compiled February’s most-read news in asthma and allergy.

Highlights included multiple stories about anaphylaxis, including a new practice parameter, the role of alpha-gal, and its association with eating and sleeping disorders. Omalizumab’s potential in food allergy treatment and an Uber Eats Super Bowl ad were also popular reads.

Joint task force updates anaphylaxis practice parameter

With a focus on seven areas where new evidence and recommendations have emerged, the update provides revised diagnostic criteria and defines anaphylaxis patterns, said lead author David B.K. Golden, MDCM. Read more.

Q&A: FDA approved omalizumab ‘not a cure’ for food allergy

Although the biologic had a protective effect against reactions to protein totals comparable to accidental ingestion of allergens, Zachary E. Rubin, MD, warned that patients should still practice avoidance and carry epinephrine. Read more.

Q&A: Super Bowl ad indicates need for more allergy education

Uber Eats removed a joke about peanut allergy from its commercial after Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) reached out to the company, but common misperceptions about the disease persist in the media and among the public, said FARE CEO Sung Poblete, PhD, RN. Read more.

Increased abdominal fat associated with impaired lung function in adolescents

Adolescents with greater amounts of abdominal fat depots compared with their peers also had reduced lung function, regardless of previous adiposity or BMI, according to a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Also, Nicole Mills, DO, RD, CNSC, shares her Perspective. Read more.

VIDEO: Omalizumab gives families with food allergy ‘some hope’ for normal lives

At the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting, Ahmar Iqbal, MD, a coauthor on the study finding that omalizumab has a protective effect against reactions after accidental ingestion of allergens, said that treatment will provide much-needed peace of mind to families struggling with food allergy. Read more.

Alpha-gal suspected as trigger in idiopathic anaphylaxis cases

Alpha-gal may have triggered idiopathic anaphylaxis in patients screened at a specialized allergy clinic, including patients who had not eaten any mammalian meat, according to a study published in Clinical and Translational Allergy. Also, Sarah K. McGill, MD, MSc, shares her Perspective. Read more.

Uber Eats forgets and then remembers that food allergies are no joke

Although the media may trivialize food allergies, allergists can be proactive in supporting their patients through recognizing their emotional well-being, seeking up-to-date testing, providing current evidence-based treatment options, and ensuring access to epinephrine, said Zahida “Rani” Maskatia, MD. Read more.

Inducible laryngeal obstruction associated with high burden of morbidity, health care use

Common morbidities associated with inducible laryngeal obstruction included asthma (68%), reflux (57%) and breathing pattern disorder (23%), with 69% of patients requiring an emergency visit in the previous 12 months, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Read more.

Patients with COVID-19 vaccine reactions may be hesitant to get additional doses

Even individuals who showed no hesitancy before their first dose of the vaccine expressed hesitancy after experiencing reactions such as local skin reactions and hives, said Kimberly G. Blumenthal, MD, MSc. Read more.

Eating, sleeping disorders associated with early childhood anaphylaxis

Children who experienced food-induced anaphylaxis before age 3 years had greater odds for developing eating and sleeping disorders that could persist into adulthood, according to a study published in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. Also, Melissa Engel, MA, shares her Perspective. Read more.