Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology-In Practice最新文献

Background: The evaluation and management of insect sting allergy is a complex core competency taught in Allergy and Immunology fellowship programs. It is unclear if current training on insect allergy is sufficient to meet the needs of the field, and what training barriers exist.

Objective: To investigate the extent of training on stinging insect allergy, and factors currently impacting stinging insect allergy clinical practice through a pilot needs-assessment survey.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire was designed and sent to a 20% random sample of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology member categories. Data were analyzed for descriptive frequencies.

Results: A total of 78 responses were received (11% response rate). Respondents' mean age was 53.7 years, 52% were female and 92.3% were physicians. The mean time since training completion was 18.4 years. During fellowship training, 95.7% were educated on stinging insect allergy, 87.1% reported conducting testing and 82.6% ordered venom immunotherapy (VIT). During training, 50% of respondents managed 1-5 patients with venom allergy, (38% managed >5, and 12% none). After fellowship, 97.3% reported evaluating patients with stinging insect allergy, 90.3% report evaluating 1-5 patients per month and 93.2% and 87.5% offer testing and VIT (respectively). A patient's decision to not start VIT was the most common barrier reported by 81.8%.

Conclusion: In this pilot needs-assessment survey, the majority reported training and education on insect allergy during fellowship, though patient exposure was low for most. After fellowship, insect allergy evaluations increase up to 24-fold compared to fellowship training and patient-driven decisions are the most common deterrent for VIT.

Understanding the risk factors leading to severe systemic sting reactions (SSRs) is crucial for initiating venom immunotherapy (VIT) and for educating affected individuals and their families. Some of these risk factors are well established, some are no longer considered risk factors, and some remain controversial. Well-established risk factors for severe SSRs include clonal mast cell disease, high baseline serum tryptase, and advanced age. The absence of skin symptoms and the rapid onset of symptoms are indicators of severe SSRs. Recent publications indicate that antihypertensive treatment and stings in the head and neck area are not risk factors for severe SSRs. VIT is the only available treatment that can potentially prevent further anaphylactic reactions. Although rare and generally manageable, individuals undergoing VIT may experience systemic adverse events (sAEs). More sAEs are expected in patients undergoing bee VIT compared with vespid VIT. The role of elevated baseline serum tryptase as a risk factor for sAEs remains debated, but if it is a factor, the risk is increased by only about 1.5-fold. Rapid updosing protocols, depending on the specific regimen, can also be associated with more sAEs. Severe initial SSRs, antihypertensive medication, high skin test reactivity, and high specific IgE levels are not risk factors for sAEs.

Background: Remission is proposed as a multicomponent outcome for patients with severe asthma.

Objective: This post hoc analysis of QUEST (NCT02414854) and TRAVERSE (NCT02134028) evaluated whether dupilumab treatment leads to clinical asthma remission (≥12 months with no severe exacerbations, zero oral corticosteroid use, stabilized or improved lung function, patient-reported asthma control <1.5) and assessed its durability in patients with uncontrolled, moderate to severe type 2 asthma (blood eosinophils ≥150 cells/μL or fractional exhaled nitric oxide ≥20 ppb at parent-study baseline) who are not receiving maintenance oral corticosteroids.

Methods: In QUEST, patients (aged ≥12 years) were randomized to dupilumab 200/300 mg or placebo every 2 weeks for 52 weeks. In TRAVERSE, all patients received dupilumab 300 mg every 2 weeks for up to 96 weeks. We assessed the proportion of patients meeting criteria for on-treatment clinical remission up to 48 weeks of TRAVERSE.

Results: At QUEST baseline, 1,040 patients receiving dupilumab and 544 taking placebo had type 2 asthma; of those, 842 (dupilumab/dupilumab) and 437 (placebo/dupilumab) enrolled in TRAVERSE. At QUEST week 52 (year 1), 37.2% of patients receiving dupilumab met clinical remission criteria, compared with 22.2% taking placebo (all P < .001). At week 48 of TRAVERSE (year 2 overall), 42.8% (dupilumab/dupilumab) and 33.4% (placebo/dupilumab) of patients met clinical remission criteria. Overall, 29.5% of patients in the dupilumab/dupilumab group met the criteria at both years 1 and 2.

Conclusions: Dupilumab treatment enabled approximately one third of patients with type 2 asthma to meet the multicomponent end point for on-treatment clinical asthma remission for up to 2 years.

Background: Dupilumab has been used with significant benefit in the treatment of asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Phase 3 clinical trials have demonstrated transient eosinophilia and rare eosinophil-related and other adverse effects.

Objective: To characterize dupilumab-associated eosinophilia (absolute eosinophil count ≥1.5 × 10³/μL within 36 weeks of dupilumab initiation) and adverse effects associated in real-world patients with asthma and CRSwNP in the United States.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of 251 patients receiving dupilumab for asthma and/or CRSwNP seen at a single institution.

Results: Among the 142 patients who had absolute eosinophil counts checked before and after treatment, 16 (11.3%) had posttreatment eosinophilia, including 11 (7.7%) who had new eosinophilia on dupilumab initiation. Thirteen patients with posttreatment eosinophilia remained on dupilumab, 10 of whom had resolution of eosinophilia. Eosinophil-related adverse effects were rare, and cases of eosinophilic granulomatous polyangiitis were limited to one patient with eosinophilia and one patient with normal eosinophil levels who was receiving systemic corticosteroids. Other adverse effects included arthralgias (13 of 251; 5.2%), rash (8 of 251; 3.2%), and conjunctivitis (7 of 251; 2.8%). All patients with pretreatment eosinophilia and most patients with posttreatment eosinophilia received significant treatment benefit for the respiratory disease with dupilumab.

Conclusions: Whereas dupilumab-associated eosinophilia is seen in a subset of patients, persistent eosinophilia or eosinophil-related adverse effects are rare. Furthermore, treatment benefit with dupilumab despite eosinophilia supports its continued use in both asthma and CRSwNP.

Background: Indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM), the most frequent subtype of systemic mastocytosis, requires better understanding.

Objective: To better understand the diagnostic journey, symptom severity, impact on quality of life and work/activities, and health care utilization of ISM.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 40 adults with documented ISM meeting World Health Organization 2016 criteria, including validated questionnaires (ISM Symptom Assessment Form [ISM-SAF] and Short Form Quality of Life Survey [SF-12v1]). Spearman correlation coefficients determined the associations between the ISM-SAF Total Symptom Score (TSS) and SF-12v1 scores. ISM burden was compared based on moderate/severe compared with mild TSS scores using Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher exact tests.

Results: Patients were aged 56.0 ± 13.0 years, 65.0% female, 62.5% White, and 22.5% Hispanic patients. ISM diagnosis took >2 years in 40%, required ≥6 visits in 47.5%, and was considered moderately/extremely difficult in 50% of patients. Nearly half experienced symptoms daily and rated severity somewhat/significantly worsened since diagnosis. The overall TSS was 27.4 ± 16.2 (mean ± standard deviation). SF-12 Physical Component Summary (PCS) (46.7 ± 11.4) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) (47.6 ± 10.2) scores were lower than the general population score of 50. Moderate correlations (P < .001) were found between TSS and the PCS (ρ = -0.6406; P < .001) and MCS (ρ = -0.5104; P < .001). Compared with patients with mild severity (TSS < 28; n = 21), patients with moderate/severe severity (TSS ≥ 28; n = 19) evidenced significantly higher skin and gastrointestinal symptom scores (both, P ≤ .001). ISM's impact on ability to work for pay was associated with TSS (P = .004). Symptom-directed treatment had limited effect.

Conclusion: ISM was self-reported as a burdensome condition in half the patients that markedly affected daily living.