Hot Topics in Allergy

Up to one in 10 patients with asthma have severe disease, and of those patients, up to 1.3 million have severe uncontrolled asthma.1-3 Since severe asthma has been associated with reduced lung function and poor outcomes.4,5 Dr Kevin Fussell is here to talk about how a treatment option may help patients with severe eosinophilic asthma as well as how we can use telemedicine to help manage and diagnose them.

1. Chung KF, Wenzel SE, Brozek JL, et al. International ERS/ATS guidelines on definition, evaluation and treatment of severe asthma. Eur Respir J. 2014;43(2):343-373.
2. Hankin CS, Bronstone A, Wang Z, Small MB, Buck P. Estimated prevalence and economic burden of severe, uncontrolled asthma in the United States. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;131(2):AB126.
3. Global Initiative for Asthma. Global strategy for asthma management and prevention. Updated 2020. Available from: https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GINA-2020-report_20_06_04-1-wms.pdf. Accessed August 22, 2020.
4. Newby C, Agbetile J, Hargadon, B, et al. Lung function decline and variable airway inflammatory pattern: longitudinal analysis of severe asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;134(2):287-294.
5. Global Initiative for Asthma. Difficult-to-treat and severe asthma in adolescent and adult patients 2019. Available from:https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/GINA-Severe-asthma-Pocket-Guide-v2.0-wms-1.pdf. Accessed November 1, 2020.

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Food allergy trials help us stay on the cutting edge by studying the latest treatment advances, but are we consistent in the terminology we use and even in the way we apply these findings to clinical practice? To find out, Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcomes Dr. Maria Pasioti, who discusses the design, endpoints, and real-world implications of food allergy trials.

Here to give us a glimpse into the prevalence and impact of IgE-mediated food allergies in the EU is Dr. Maria Pasioti, an allergist at Laiko Hospital in Athens, Greece.

Managing a food allergy can be difficult for both physicians and patients, which is why advocacy groups are working to advance the interests of this community and develop guidelines for healthcare professionals. To find out more, Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Drs. Anne Ellis and George DuToit, who discuss their opinions and go into detail about how physicians can help patients living with a food allergy.

Clinical trials are an important part of food allergy research, but there are some pretty big differences in the language that’s used to define primary endpoints and reported outcomes—not only here, but also abroad. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to interpret the language that’s used in food allergy research and the implications of these different dialects are Drs. Drew Bird and Bruce Lanser.

Get a bird’s-eye view of how oral immunotherapy (OIT) is developing in different countries with Dr. Mario Nacinovich and Dr. Jonathan Spergel, who also discusses the reasoning behind this strategy and when we should use this treatment option for our patients with food allergies.

When it comes to managing patients with food allergy, what team members should contribute within your practice? To find out, Dr. Amy Mackey speaks with Drs. Jay Lieberman and Alan Goldsobel who discuss their food allergy care teams along with how they overcome common obstacles.

Food challenges can be done in a few different ways, and here to walk us through two types that are commonly used in research and clinical settings is Dr. Jay Lieberman, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

As oral immunotherapy for food allergy continues to gain traction in clinical trials, Dr. Jay Lieberman shares four key takeaways regarding its side effects, whether it should be viewed as a cure, how it could potentially change a patient’s lifestyle, and ultimately, if it’s the answer for every patient with a food allergy.

In an effort to help physicians provide better care for those patients at risk of unpredictable—and potentially life-threatening—allergic reactions, the PALISADE group of clinical investigators explored oral immunotherapy as a potential treatment.

Joining Dr. Amy Mackey to review these findings is the study’s lead author, Dr. Brian Vackey. He’s also an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Food Allergy Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Emory University.