Mona Al-Ahmad

Meteorological conditions, climate change, new emerging factors, and asthma and related allergic disorders. A statement of the World Allergy Organization

The prevalence of allergic airway diseases such as asthma and rhinitis has increased dramatically to epidemic proportions worldwide. Besides air pollution from industry derived emissions and motor vehicles, the rising trend can only be explained by gross changes in the environments where we live. The world economy has been transformed over the last 25 years with developing countries being at the core of these changes. Around the planet, in both developed and developing countries, environments are undergoing profound changes. Many of these changes are considered to have negative effects on respiratory health and to enhance the frequency and severity of respiratory diseases such as asthma in the general population.Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, and especially carbon dioxide (CO2), in the atmosphere have already warmed the planet substantially, causing more severe and prolonged heat waves, variability in temperature, increased air pollution, forest fires, droughts, and floods – all of which can put the respiratory health of the public at risk. These changes in climate and air quality have a measurable impact not only on the morbidity but also the mortality of patients with asthma and other respiratory diseases. The massive increase in emissions of air pollutants due to economic and industrial growth in the last century has made air quality an environmental problem of the first order in a large number of regions of the world. A body of evidence suggests that major changes to our world are occurring and involve the atmosphere and its associated climate. These changes, including global warming induced by human activity, have an impact on the biosphere, biodiversity, and the human environment. Mitigating this huge health impact and reversing the effects of these changes are major challenges.This statement of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) raises the importance of this health hazard and highlights the facts on climate-related health impacts, including: deaths and acute morbidity due to heat waves and extreme meteorological events; increased frequency of acute cardio-respiratory events due to higher concentrations of ground level ozone; changes in the frequency of respiratory diseases due to trans-boundary particle pollution; altered spatial and temporal distribution of allergens (pollens, molds, and mites); and some infectious disease vectors. According to this report, these impacts will not only affect those with current asthma but also increase the incidence and prevalence of allergic respiratory conditions and of asthma. The effects of climate change on respiratory allergy are still not well defined, and more studies addressing this topic are needed. Global warming is expected to affect the start, duration, and intensity of the pollen season on the one hand, and the rate of asthma exacerbations due to air pollution, respiratory infections, and/or cold air inhalation, and other conditions on the other hand.

Risk and safety requirements for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in allergology: World Allergy Organization Statement

One of the major concerns in the practice of allergy is related to the safety of procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of allergic disease. Management (diagnosis and treatment) of hypersensitivity disorders involves often intentional exposure to potentially allergenic substances (during skin testing), deliberate induction in the office of allergic symptoms to offending compounds (provocation tests) or intentional application of potentially dangerous substances (allergy vaccine) to sensitized patients. These situations may be associated with a significant risk of unwanted, excessive or even dangerous reactions, which in many instances cannot be completely avoided. However, adverse reactions can be minimized or even avoided if a physician is fully aware of potential risk and is prepared to appropriately handle the situation.Information on the risk of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in allergic diseases has been accumulated in the medical literature for decades; however, except for allergen specific immunotherapy, it has never been presented in a systematic fashion. Up to now no single document addressed the risk of the most commonly used medical procedures in the allergy office nor attempted to present general requirements necessary to assure the safety of these procedures.Following review of available literature a group of allergy experts within the World Allergy Organization (WAO), representing various continents and areas of allergy expertise, presents this report on risk associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in allergology and proposes a consensus on safety requirements for performing procedures in allergy offices. Optimal safety measures including appropriate location, type and required time of supervision, availability of safety equipment, access to specialized emergency services, etc. for various procedures have been recommended.This document should be useful for allergists with already established practices and experience as well as to other specialists taking care of patients with allergies.

Compliance with allergen immunotherapy and factors affecting compliance among patients with respiratory allergies

ABSTRACT Background: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is safe and effective for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. However, patient non-compliance is a major barrier to achieving optimal outcomes Objective: To determine the level of compliance among patients using AIT and to identify factors associated with non-compliance Methods: A retrospective analysis using questionnaires was conducted to study compliance among 236 patients with allergic rhinitis with or without asthma who began AIT in 2009 or 2010 Results: The compliance rates at 3 y were 58.7% among patients on subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and 11.6% among those on sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). The mean durations of treatment with SCIT and SLIT were 31 (+/−18.3) and 15.9 (+/−14.7) months, respectively. The most common causes of non-compliance among patients on SCIT were the frequency of injections (82.2%), the duration of treatment (70.9%), and commuting to the Allergy Center (67.7%). Reasons for non-compliance among patients on SLIT were related to inconvenience (43.4%), improvement without treatment (30.2%) and perception of poor efficacy (25.0%) Conclusion: Compliance with AIT is low, but at 3 years, it was higher among patients on SCIT than among patients on SLIT. Reasons for non-compliance include difficulty adjusting to treatment protocols and a perception that the efficacy is low. Patient education regarding the treatment course and the slow effect, as well as the need for close follow up to effectively prevent and treat adverse reactions, are important factors for improving compliance and treatment outcomes.

Penicillin allergy evaluation: experience from a drug allergy clinic in an Arabian Gulf Country, Kuwait.

Background Hypersensitivity to penicillin has been studied worldwide, but data regarding patterns of sensitization in Arabian Gulf countries are scarce. Objective To describe the patterns of penicillin hypersensitivity during a 6-year study in Kuwait in terms of demographics, type of the culprit drug, in vivo and in vitro allergy testing. Methods One hundred and twenty-four patients referred to the drug allergy clinic for penicillin allergy were fully evaluated by skin prick and intradermal testing. Drug provocation test was done on patients with negative results. Results A total of 124 patients were evaluated for penicillin allergy. Mean age was 37.8 (standard deviation, 12.7) years, range from 8 to 74 years. Thirty-nine male (31.5%) and 85 female patients (68.5%) were included. Diagnosis of penicillin allergy was confirmed in 46 patients (37.1%). Among the 44 confirmed allergic patients by skin evaluation we had 15 (34.1%) positive skin prick test, and 29 (65.9%) positive intradermal testing. Among patients with positive skin testing, 47.7% were positive to major determinant benzylpenicilloyl poly-L-lysine, 20.4% to minor determinant mixture, 50.0% to penicillin G and 40.9% to ampicillin; 13.6% of patients were positive to amoxicillin by skin prick test. One patient had a positive radioallergosorbent test and one had a positive challenge test. Conclusion Penicillin allergy is a common problem with an incidence of about one third in our study subjects.

Tolerability of Omalizumab in Asthma as a Major Compliance Factor: 10-Year Follow Up

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of data related to real life, long-term safety, tolerability and compliance of omalizumab treatment in asthma patients beyond 6 years. AIM: Study aimed to assess safety, tolerability, compliance and all reasons for treatment discontinuation during 10 years on omalizumab. SUBJECT AND METHODS: This is a retrospective, observational study of uncontrolled asthma patients receiving omalizumab for the last 10 years. All data were collected from patients’ files (demographics, adverse events, comorbidities, compliance index, reasons for discontinuation of omalizumab). Reactions to omalizumab were classified as local and systemic, and their severity as mild, moderate or severe. Reactions were either immediate (minutes to hours after drug administration) or delayed (after days). Compliance to omalizumab, defined as Compliance index (CI), was calculated by comparing milligrams of given to milligrams of prescribed dose/ per year. RESULTS: Out of 35 patients receiving omalizumab, 15 drop out at different time points mostly due to treatment efficacy or appearance of new comorbidities. Patients who continue for the next ten years had mild to moderate adverse events related to omalizumab. There was no increased risk of severe adverse events during 10 years on omalizumab. Patient’s treatment tolerability, despite mild to moderate adverse events, is in favour of compliance. CONCLUSION: Compliance with omalizumab mildly decreased over 10 years but was not affected by severe adverse events of treatment or new comorbidities. Although, omalizumab is safe medicine appearance of new comorbidities has to be closely followed up.

Real-life Efficacy and Safety Aspects of Four-year Omalizumab Treatment for Asthma

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of omalizumab in asthma in a real-life setting. Subjects and Methods: This 4-year observational study included 65 patients treated with omalizumab during clinic visits; treatment response was rated as excellent, good, and partial based on a modified physician’s Global Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness (mGETE) scale of emergency room visits (ERV), hospitalization, use of oral corticosteroids, inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting β-agonist (LABA) dose, and short-acting β-agonist rescue. The following tests were done: forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and the asthma control test (ACT). Measurements were performed 1 month before therapy and at 16 weeks, 1 year, and 4 years of treatment. Statistical analyses were done using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman rank correlation, and McNemar χ2 test. Results: The dropout rate was 15 (18.5%): 8 nonresponders (10.0%); 2 patients died (2.5%), and 5 were lost to follow-up (6.25%). Treatment response was excellent in 35 (53.8%); good in 23 (35.4%), and partial in 7 patients (10.8%). The number of excellent responders increased from 35 (53.8%) at 16 weeks to 48 (73.8%) at the 4-year follow-up. The number of patients who did not require ERV improved from 0 to 59 (90.8%), and the lowest rate of hospitalization was 1 in year 4 (p < 0.001); patients who did not require courses of oral corticosteroids improved from 0 to 54 (83%). ICS/LABA dose significantly reduced from 65 (100%) to 25 (38.5%) after 4 years of treatment (p < 0.001); ACT scores significantly increased from 15 ± 3 at baseline to 23 ± 3 (p < 0.001) and FEV1 level from 55.6 ± 10.6 to 76.63 ± 10.34 at year 4. Conclusion: In this study, omalizumab therapy resulted in better asthma control, and was effective and well tolerated as an add-on therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe asthma.

Erratum to: Risk and safety requirements for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in allergology: World Allergy Organization Statement (vol 9, 33, 2016)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40413-016-0122-3.].

Health-related quality of life in patients with common variable immunodeficiency switching from intravenous to subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic primary immunodeficiency disease (PID) among adults. CVID consists of two phenotypes – one in which infections are the characteristic and another in which impressive inflammatory and/or hematological complications also develop, including lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, autoimmune cytopenias, enteropathy, and granulomatous disease. These phenotypes appear to be stable, are related to immunological and inflammatory markers, and are predictive of outcomes. Both subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIG) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) are equally effective for replacement therapy. No data are available about specific factors affecting the quality of life related to switching from IVIG to SCIG in the Arabian Gulf area. We present the case reports of three adult CVID patients, who were shifted from IVIG to SCIG by the US conversion method (1 : 1.5). We followed-up patients for clinical outcomes, side-effects, immunoglobulin G (IgG) trough levels, annual infection rate, and quality of life using questionnaires (RAND-36) over a 3-year period. Three patients (two females and one male), with a mean age of 26 years, had received IVIG [Gamunex-C (Grifols Therapeutics Inc., NC, 27709 USA) 10%; Grifols] treatment for an average duration of 4 years and had average IgG trough levels of 7.7±2.9 g/dl. Patients were shifted to SCIG [Subcuvia (Baxalta Innovation GmbH, Vienna, Austria) 10%; Baxter] for different reasons. SCIG was administered, using an infusion pump, under medical supervision at the hospital, on a weekly basis. The average IgG trough level on SCIG was 10.4±1.5 g/dl. The annual infection rate of pneumonias, sinusitis, otitis media, and others significantly declined after switching to SCIG in all three patients. However, while on IVIG treatment, some patients reported headache and malaise, but when on the SCIG treatment the reactions were mild and infusion site-related such as erythema, swelling, and itching. Remarkably, all patients were successfully switched to SCIG with significant decrease in the annual rate of infections and a favorable steady-state of serum trough levels of IgG. The use of SCIG was generally associated with notable improvement in physical, emotional, and social health.

Pattern of inpatient referrals to a drug allergy unit in Kuwait

Summary Introduction. There is no information regarding the pattern of inpatient referrals to drug allergy units in Kuwait. Objectives. The main goal of this study is to clarify the pattern of inpatient referrals to a drug allergy unit in terms of incidence, drugs implicated and allergy evaluation outcomes in comparison with studies in other countries. Patients and Methods. A retrospective chart review of inpatient drug allergy consultations at Al-Rashed Allergy Center over a 3-year period was performed. Results. A total of 51 patients were referred for drug allergy consultations, with an estimated incidence of reported drug allergy among inpatients of 0.008%. There is an increasing trend of referrals from public health centres located in proximity to Al-Rashed Allergy Center. Beta-lactams, contrast media, and general anaesthetics were the most common drugs leading to referrals. In total, 30% of patients were diagnosed with an allergy to the offending drug after a full allergy evaluation. Conclusion. Inpatient drug allergy referrals are highly underreported in Kuwait.

Curcumin as an Add-on Therapy of Moderate Partially Controlled Asthma

Despite intensive treatment, considerable proportion of patients with asthma remains symptomatic. Anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin has been shown. Aim: analyse the impact of add-on therapy with curcumin in asthma patients on inflammatory parameters, lung function and asthma control. During 2 months, 100 non-smokers (46.8±12.4 years, F/M ratio 1.04) with moderate, partially controlled asthma were treated with moderate dose of inhaled glucocorticoids (IGK) with no changes in dose. Patients were divided into two groups (n=50): curcumin group receiving curcumin 500 mg per os twice daily and control group. Before study, sputum and blood eosinophils (Eo), blood neutrophils, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), predicted forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1%), Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) were similar between groups. After study, in curcumin group blood Eo count and hsCRP decreased, and FEV1, ACT and AQLQ increased significantly (before vs. after study: Eo: 5.9±0.6 vs. 4.1±0.4; hsCRP: 4.2±0.3 vs. 3.4±0.2; FEV1%: 77.7±0.8 vs. 83.9±0.5; ACT: 14.5 (6,19) vs. 18 (14,21); AQLQ: 3.4±0.2 vs. 4.1±0.2). There was no change in the control group. Compared to control curcumin group showed significantly lower blood Eo and hsCRP and higher FEV1% (curcumin vs. control: Eo: 4.1±0.4 vs. 5.4±0.5; hsCRP: 3.4±0.2 vs. 4.0±0.3; FEV1%: 83.9±0.5 vs. 78.3± 0.8), and improved ACT and AQLQ (ACT change>3: 72% vs. 28%; AQLQ change>0.5: 54% vs. 32%) after study. Add-on therapy with curcumin in patients with moderate partially controlled asthma seems to improve response to IGK regarding lung function, asthma control and quality of life. Further placebo controlled trials are needed.