Top in allergy/asthma: Personalized biologic treatment; updated food allergy triggers

To overcome barriers to biologic care for patients with asthma, personalized treatment is key, according to a speaker at the 16th Annual Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference.

Lukena Karkhanis, MD, medical director at Allergy SA, based in Texas, discussed some of the biggest barriers to biologic care, including fears of side effects, the complexity of using biologics, ongoing communication and financial constraints.

“There are some patients that have read about horrible side effects of biologics that are used in rheumatology, and they think this is the same,” she said. “It takes a little bit of explanation to tell them these are completely different medications.”

It was the top story in allergy/asthma last week.

In another top story, a recent study found that cow’s milk and oat were the most common triggers for food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. The researchers also identified peanut and egg as new triggers for FPIES.

Read these and more top stories in allergy/asthma below:

Personalized care can help patients adhere to biologic treatment for asthma

Overcoming the fear of side effects is the first barrier to providing personalized treatment strategiesto biologic care for patients with asthma, Lukena Karkhanis, MD, said at the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference. Read more.

Cow’s milk tops list of most common FPIES triggers

Peanut and egg were found to be new triggers for food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, and milk and oat surpassed rice as the most common triggers, according to a study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. Read more.

Providers urged to mind their accuracy in pulmonary function testing

Pulmonary function testing may be routine, but it still comes with challenges, Nicole Soucy, PA-C, said at the Association of PAs in Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual conference. Read more.

Tralokinumab treatment may neutralize IL-13 in patients with atopic dermatitis

Tralokinumab improved epidermal pathology, reduced inflammation and changed significant skin biomarkers in patients with atopic dermatitis, according to a study published in The European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Read more.

Patient history drives lab options in food allergy diagnostics

How good are home allergy tests? Should patients pause biologic treatment before oral food challenges? Is it possible to stop pediatricians from ordering so many food panels?

Jodi Shroba, MSN, APRN, CPNP, addressed these queries and more during the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology CME Conference. Read more.