Allergy/Asthma

The death rate from chronic respiratory diseases increased by nearly 30% in the United States between 1980 and 2014, although these trends varied based on county of residence, chronic respiratory disease type and gender, according to findings recently published in JAMA.

Health care providers in at least two European countries are often prescribing unnecessary antibiotics for children with asthma, according to researchers.

CHICAGO —  As many as one in five anaphylactic events among children without known allergies are treated with epinephrine administered by an unlicensed school nurse or staff member, according to a recent presentation at the AAP 2017 National Conference & Exhibition.

Clinical low-risk oral food challenges present few risks in practice, with 98% performed without an anaphylactic event and 86% of challenges having no reaction at all, according to a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

According to the CDC, from 1997 to 2011, the prevalence of food allergy in children increased by 50%, while the prevalence of peanut or tree nut allergies has more than tripled — an increase commensurate with the rise in childhood hospitalizations for anaphylaxis.

Results from the phase 3 Liberty Asthma Quest trial demonstrated that the investigational drug, dupilumab, reduced severe exacerbations and improved lung function in patients with uncontrolled persistent asthma, according to a press release issued by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi.

Earlier this week, Meridian Medical Technologies — a division of Pfizer and a manufacturer of EpiPen— received a warning letter from the FDA accusing it of severe component and product failures that have been linked to serious illnesses and deaths.

The FDA announced today that, for the first time, it has approved a petition for a qualified health claim linking early peanut introduction and the prevention of peanut allergy to be displayed on products containing ground peanuts.

Combined probiotic and peanut oral immunotherapy delivered long-lasting clinical benefit and long-term repression of the allergic immune response to peanut, according to findings recently published in The Lancet: Child & Adolescent Health.

The use of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a probiotic, is unable to prevent asthma or eczema in children at 2 years of age when used in the first 6 months of life.