Allergies & Asthma

Antibiotic therapy was associated with significantly reduced treatment failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experiencing mild exacerbations, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. In 68 randomized controlled trials of patients with moderate to severe exacerbations, antibiotics and systemic corticosteroids were associated with improved symptoms and less treatment failure versus placebo or management

[embedded content] A student buys sushi from the gas station for breakfast. Is this what sent him to the hospital — or was it his penchant toward garbage picking for food? Watch the analysis of this fishy case. Read the transcript below: TB is a 22-year-old man, presenting to the emergency room with facial swelling,

Note that some links may require subscriptions. More than 300 Americans quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan returned home on Monday, with 14 confirmed coronavirus cases among them. (NBC News) Shanghai doctors are reporting promising early results treating infected COVID-19 patients with the blood of those who recovered from the illness. (Reuters)

Sometimes, old ideas and time-tested treatments remain the best. Newer doesn’t always mean better. Except in the case of one of our oldest antihistamines, tried-and-true Benadryl. It is time for that old drug to be retired, sent off to pasture, and never used again. Goodbye, Benadryl. Fare thee well, adieu, and don’t let the door

“I think we should close the camps, and if we can’t do that, at least do the absolute minimum for people who are imprisoned in these camps, and that is treat them like human beings who deserve medical care.” — Zack Berger, MD, discussing the immigrant detainees at the Mexican border. “We’re not evangelists claiming

Prenatal supplementation with high-dose vitamin D had no impact on asthma and persistent wheezing in 6-year-olds in follow-up of a study that did suggest protection at age 3 years. Previously reported data from the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART) showed a reduction in recurrent wheezing in 3-year-olds associated with being born to mothers

WASHINGTON — The causes — or not — of asthma were front and center at a House hearing Wednesday on the effects of climate change on health. “Children are disproportionately burdened by and uniquely vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change as a result of their physiology,” said Aparna Bole, MD, a Cleveland pediatrician

Palforzia, the first-ever oral immunotherapy (OIT) to win FDA approval, is poised to ease peanut allergy for millions, but how widely it will be adopted remains to be seen. Questions have been raised about whether its risks are worth the potential benefit, and some clinics already offer OIT with inexpensive peanut flour or other ingredients.

WASHINGTON — Aimmune Therapeutics’ oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy gained FDA approval late Friday, for treating individuals age 4-17, the agency said. To be sold as Palforzia, the product consists of purified peanut proteins, to be administered in carefully controlled escalating doses. The approval comes with a mandatory Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to

Whether evaluating patients for asthma or for COPD, spirometry is a critical and required part of the diagnostic process. Some primary care practices perform office spirometry, while many of us refer patients to PFT clinics and/or pulmonologists or allergists for evaluation and testing. Interpretation of spirometry can be challenging and not knowing normal values can

Elevated levels of serum testosterone appeared to be significantly associated with a reduced risk for asthma in women, and obesity modifies this risk, researchers reported. Findings from the first population-based study of its kind suggest that sex hormones play a key role in the widely recognized gender differences in asthma presentation among adults. In children

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses. Ethmoid sinusitis is the inflammation of a specific group of sinuses — the ethmoid sinuses — which sit between the nose and eyes. The ethmoid sinuses are hollow spaces in the bones around the nose. They have a lining of mucus to help prevent the nose from drying

A rash is a change in the skin that can result in bumpy, blotchy, or scaly patches. Many people have had an itchy rash at some point in their lives. Many are harmless and will go away on their own, but others may be more persistent due to underlying causes or conditions. Many different factors

DBV Technologies said its investigational topical treatment for peanut allergy in children showed continued benefit in an extension of its main phase III trial, which the company hopes will lead to marketing approval later this year. Topline results from the extension, called PEOPLE, indicated that after 3 years, 75.9% of children ages 4 to 11

Commonly prescribed antibiotics in infants were linked with higher risk of those children developing allergic diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, researchers found. Infants prescribed penicillin, cephalosporin, and macrolide antibiotics showed higher rates of later diagnosis with allergic disease, reported Sidney Zven, BSCE, of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda,

“Kissing bug” is the common name for a species of bug called triatomines. The bugs get their common name because they tend to leave bite marks on the face. The main risk associated with kissing bugs is the presence of a parasite in their feces, which can cause Chagas disease in the people it infects.

Note that some links may require subscriptions. The World Health Organization Director-General issued a statement on the bravery of health workers following fatal attacks on Ebola responders last week. Meanwhile, international organizations wondered if these attacks could potentially lead to a resurgence in Ebola. (Reuters) A time-tested way to combat the vaping epidemic among teens:

A split lip refers to an open cut or sore in the lip. Lip skin is delicate and prone to cracking in cold, dry weather, which can easily lead to a split lip. A split lip can be annoying and painful, and it may bleed or sting. Most cases of a split lip are due

If you buy something through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission. How this works. Humidifiers and vaporizers add water vapor to the air. They make the air moist and combat dryness, making them a useful home remedy for many conditions that can cause a dry nose, skin dryness, or congestion.

Pain under the left armpit can be concerning, and many people associate any pain on the left side of their body with a heart attack. However, most of the time, pain under the left armpit has a less serious cause. The armpit is a complex meeting point for muscles and connective tissues, lymph nodes, and

Note that some links may require subscriptions. The American Hospital Association observed the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine’s seminal “To Err Is Human” report with a series of boasts about improved patient safety, including “14,000 lives” saved. The Justice Department’s plan to execute condemned prisoners starting next month with a single drug, pentobarbital,

The word shock can describe several different situations. Medical shock happens when the body’s cells do not get enough oxygen-rich blood. It is not a disease but a result of an illness or injury. A person may also feel shocked when they experience something unexpected. This shock is psychological and usually does not cause any

While 10% of people in the United States report being allergic to penicillin, 9 in 10 are not. However, this can be difficult to scratch from medical records. Share on PinterestNew research suggests that many adults who used to be allergic to penicillin in their childhood may have outgrown the allergy. So concludes one of

Note that some links may require subscriptions. A new Silicon Valley hospital — featuring 23 self-driving robots, a 50,000-slot pill dispenser, and an app to guide patients around — is a peek into healthcare of the future. (The Wall Street Journal) Purdue Pharma’s latest flub: caught planting an “anti-story” in The New York Times downplaying

The results of a new study suggest that a single injection of an antibody called etokimab may halt peanut allergy for at least 2 weeks. Share on PinterestThe results of a new trial offer hope for fighting off peanut allergy. Of the 15 participants with severe peanut allergy who took part in the small trial,

Nut allergies are among the most common food allergies, and they include reactions to almonds, walnuts, and pecans. An allergy to peanuts, however, is not technically a nut allergy. Many of the 1.2% of people in the United States who are allergic to peanuts may mistakenly believe that they have a nut allergy, but peanuts

HOUSTON — Treatment with omalizumab (Xolair) was associated with improved endoscopic, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes in two parallel phase III studies in patients with steroid-refractory nasal polyposis. In the POLYP 1 and POLYP 2 trials, co-primary study endpoints were met, with omalizumab-treated patients showing significant improvements at week 24, compared with placebo-treated patients, in sense

PodMed Double T is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. A transcript of the podcast is below the