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Allergy & Immunology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in allergy and immunology.

ACE Inhibitors Linked to Severe Allergic Reactions

BALTIMORE -- Antihypertensive treatment with ACE inhibitors may prime oral allergy syndrome patients for severe reactions, a case-report suggested.

Common Allergy Myths Debunked

BALTIMORE -- Egg allergy is no issue for flu vaccination, allergen avoidance isn't a cure for eczema, and testing tots doesn't make skin prick testing any less accurate, according to allergists taking aim at common misconceptions.

Who's Afraid of Gummy Bears?

BALTIMORE -- From saxophone lung to the strange affair of the gummy bear allergy, case reports take center stage at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Baked Goods OK for Most Kids Allergic to Milk

Allergic esophagitis triggered by milk may not require complete avoidance, according to a small study that found most such patients could tolerate dairy if it was baked into bread or other foods.

Yoga May Be Good for COPD

CHICAGO -- With its focus on breathing exercises, yoga may improve some of the symptoms of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) along with boosting quality of life, researchers said here.

'Nose Knows' Devices Not Ready for Clinic

BARCELONA -- Within a decade, doctors may be able to diagnose cancer, asthma, and tuberculosis simply by having an electronic nose analyze a person's breath, researchers reported here.

FDA Panel Favors Nasacort OTC Switch

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee voted Wednesday to make allergy nasal spray triamcinolone acetonide (Nasacort AQ) available without a prescription -- but some expressed concern about its use in children.

Itching: No Big Deal in Most Cases But ...

Summer usually brings with it plenty of causes for itching, most of which are annoying but not indicative of serious health problems.

Cinnamon Game Harms Players

The "cinnamon challenge” -- a party trick among youths who accept a dare to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon -- has led to a surge in calls to poison control centers with reports of spice-induced choking and aspiration, according to a new report.

'Latex-Free' Claims Not Valid, FDA Says

The claim "latex-free” is impossible to guarantee and should not be used on labeling of medical products, according to a new FDA guidance.

Advair: How Safe Is This Drug?

The asthma drug Advair is used by millions of patients worldwide and for many patients it is an effective treatment, but the drug is often used as first line therapy, an unapproved and possibly dangerous indication as this investigation by MedPageToday/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveals.

Food Allergies Cost Society a Bundle

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The economic cost of food allergy in an average American child tops $4,000, with less than 20% of that attributable to direct medical expenses, a researcher said here.

Combo Drug for Nasal Allergy Tops Single Tx

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A nasal spray combining a corticosteroid and an antihistamine was better than either drug alone for relieving allergic rhinitis in a comparison with "real-world” commercial products, a researcher said here.

Subjective Effects Drive COPD Outcomes

ATLANTA -- For patients with COPD, their own assessment of breathing problems is more predictive of outcomes than spirometry or doctor-diagnosed exacerbations, a researcher said here.

Anemia a Risk with Low-Dose IVIG, Too

Even small doses of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) can cause acute, severe anemia, researchers warned.

Doctors Say 45 Common Tests 'Overused'

Nine specialty groups have listed tests and treatments that are frequently overused, such as antibiotics for sinus attacks and CT scans for low back pain, in the first phase of a long-term project.

Food Allergy Common in Joint Disorder

ORLANDO -- Children with the inherited disorder known as Ehlers Danlos type 3 syndrome may be at high risk for severe food allergy, British researchers reported here.

ACAAI: Intradermal Testing No Help for Cat Allergies

BOSTON -- Intradermal allergen testing adds no useful information when evaluating patients for cat allergies, since the results are usually false when they contradict those of skin-prick testing, a researcher said here.

Air Temp, Moisture Determine How Stuffy Nose Feels

Complaints of a "stuffy" nose may have as much to do with air temperature and humidity as with actual congestion of nasal passages, researchers said.

Cigarette Smoke Ups Mucus in Lungs

Cigarette smoke suppresses a protein whose normal function is to prevent an overpopulation of mucus-producing cells in the lungs, researchers reported.

Peanut Allergies on the Rise

The prevalence of peanut allergy among children has tripled between 1997 and 2008, researchers found.

Cigar and Pipe Smoking Hurts Lungs

Pipe and cigar smoking are linked to health impacts similiar to those seen with cigarette smoking, researchers found.

Asthmatic Smokers' Lungs Recover when They Quit

Asthmatic smokers who quit the habit can reverse lung damage that exacerbates their breathing difficulties, regardless of how long and how often they smoked in the past, a new study found.

Gluten Sensitivity Raises Risk of Death

Patients with mild intestinal inflammation and gluten sensitivity are at higher risk of death, even if their symptoms are not severe enough to warrant a diagnosis of full-blown celiac disease, a new Swedish study found.

ATS: CPAP Effective in Mild Sleep Apnea

SAN DIEGO -- Even in patients with only mild obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves daily function and reduces daytime sleepiness, a researcher said here.

Eating Can Be Risky Business for COPD Patients

PITTSBURGH -- Poor coordination between swallowing and breathing in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may increase risk of aspiration pneumonia and exacerbations, researchers warned.

Doctors Hear Gripes About HFA Inhalers

WASHINGTON -- Some asthma patients say the new HFA-propelled inhalers aren't as effective as their CFC counterparts. Physician education may help allay patient fears, but some patient advocates say post-transition follow-up studies are in order.

AAAAI: New Antihistamine Nasal Spray Works and Tastes Better

PHILADELPHIA -- Olopatadine in nasal spray form may provide an option to azelastine (Astelin) for seasonal allergic rhinitis, a researcher said here.

CF Death Prompts FDA Alert on Nebulized Liquid Colisthemethate

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The death of cystic fibrosis patient had led the FDA to alert physicians about the risk of prescribing premixed colistimethate for inhalation with a nebulizer.

FDA Approves Ambrisentan (Letairis) for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved ambrisentan (Letairis), an endothelin receptor antagonist, for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

FDA Approves Smoking-Cessation Drug

ROCKVILLE, Md. â€” The FDA today approved the smoking cessation drug Chantix (varenicline tartrate), which targets nicotine receptors in the brain.

High-Dose Steroids Linked to Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands â€” High dose corticosteroid therapy may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, researchers here reported.

AAAAI: Lady Beetle Allergy Bugging More Patients

MIAMI BEACH - There has been a significant rise in allergic sensitization to ladybugs, an aphid-eating friend to farmers, in many parts of the U.S. because the insects swarm indoors to get out of the cold, several research teams reported here.

Antidepressant Eases Methamphetamine Addiction Symptoms

LOS ANGELES - The high and cravings of methamphetamine addicts can be reduced by the same antidepressant that helps in smoking cessation (bupropion), researchers here reported.

IBD Patients Prone to Other Autoimmune or Inflammatory Disorders

PHILADELPHIA-Patients with the inflammatory bowel disorders ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are significantly more likely to suffer from other conditions with an inflammatory or autoimmune basis, said researchers in two separate studies.

ATS: Laughter No Joke To Asthma Patients

SAN DIEGO-More than half of asthma patients are likely to have laughter-induced asthma attacks, especially if their disease is not well controlled.

What a Pain! Now It's Tylenol Troubles

NOTTINGHAM, England-Acetaminophen, the popular painkiller found in Tylenol and generic analgesics, has been associated with a dose-related risk of lung disease, an effect not seen with ibuprofen (Motrin, Nuprin) and aspirin.