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Delaying solid food six months doesn’t prevent allergic disease, study says
Delaying solid food introduction beyond 6 months of age does not protect against the development of atopic dermatitis and sensitization, according to a study in Pediatrics. However, delaying solid food introduction for the first four months of life "might offer some protection," the study’s authors say. Researchers from National Research Center for Environment and Health in Neuherberg, Germany, investigated the timing of solid food introduction in relation to atopic dermatitis and atopic sensitization among 2,612 infants in an ongoing birth cohort study. Solid food introduction past the first four months of life decreased the odds of symptomatic atopic dermatitis, but not for doctor-diagnosed atopic dermatitis, combined doctor-diagnosed and symptomatic atopic dermatitis, or atopic sensitization. Postponing the introduction beyond six months was not protective in relation to either definition of atopic dermatitis or atopic sensitization. 

Asthma may increase odds for other chronic conditions
People with asthma have a nearly twofold risk of developing at least one other chronic health condition, such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis or stroke, according to a study in Chest. Researchers studied data from phone interviews with more than 7,600 randomly sampled people in three different Australian states. Of the sample, 834 had physician-diagnosed asthma. People with asthma were 90 percent more likely to report having another chronic health condition than people without asthma. Overall, among asthmatics, stroke risk was 2.5 times higher and heart disease risk was 2.2 times higher. In addition, asthmatics had an 80 percent higher arthritis risk, a 70 percent higher osteoporosis risk, 50 percent higher cancer risk and 20 percent higher diabetes risk.

Study: Preschoolers with persistent asthma behave worse
Preschoolers with persistent asthma symptoms may be more likely to have behavior problems and get into fights than children with less severe asthma, according to a study in Pediatrics. Researchers in Rochester, N.Y., analyzed surveys, from an urban school district, completed by parents of children entering kindergarten. Fifteen percent of the 1,619 study participants experienced asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath. Eight percent had persistent symptoms, which woke them from sleep more than one night a month or required an emergency department visit more than three times in the past year. Overall, children with persistent asthma symptoms had the most negative peer social skills, such as hurting others, bothering other children, or fighting with other children.  

Childhood wheezing increases adult asthma risk
Children with airway hyperresponsiveness have a higher risk of developing asthma by adulthood, according to a study in Chest. Researchers at Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, followed 291 subjects, 7 to 17 years of age at enrollment, for 12 years. They completed questionnaires, as well as underwent asthma and allergy testing. At entry in 1986, about 4 percent had asthma. Nearly 12 percent had asthma by 1998. According to the study, wheezing in childhood increased by more than threefold asthma risk and allergic sensitization to house dust mites in adulthood. Having dermatitis as a child also raised the asthma risk in adulthood.    

Rheumatoid arthritis drug could improve severe asthma symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis drug Etanercept could be useful in treating people with severe asthma, by reducing their higher-than-normal concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), according to a small study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study’s first phase compared three groups: 10 people without asthma, 10 people with mild-to-moderate asthma and 10 people with refractory asthma. Researchers from the British National Health Service looked for differences of TNFa levels among the three groups. People with refractory asthma had roughly twice the TNFa activity as people without asthma. Next, researchers tested Etanercept on half of the refractory group, with the other half receiving a placebo. After a one-month break, the groups were reversed. Asthma severity, measured by lung function tests, was significantly reduced for those taking the medication, the study found.    

Landmark survey uncovers trends in quality of life, occupational consequences of allergic rhinitis symptoms
Preliminary data from the largest survey of its kind suggest an overwhelming trend linking allergic rhinitis symptoms to serious quality of life and occupational consequences that are largely ignored in the management of allergy patients most of whom have symptoms year-round. The survey, unveiled at a press conference Feb. 27 at the Central Park Zoo’s Gallery in New York, has been endorsed by the ACAAI.

“Allergies in America: A Landmark Survey of Nasal Allergy Sufferers” reveals that, at their peak, symptoms leave allergic rhinitis patients feeling tired (80 percent), miserable (65 percent), and irritable (62 percent); and most patients (52 percent) say symptoms hurt them on the job: decreasing their job performance, interfering with work, and causing them to miss work. Nasal allergies are a year-round problem for 56 percent of patients.

The survey — encompassing more than 2,500 nasal-allergy patients and 400 health care providers — also uncovered suboptimal communication between doctors and patients.

The independent poll was commissioned by Altana Pharma Group and conducted by Schulman, Ronca and Bucuvala, Inc.

Register for the 2006 Nationwide Asthma Screening Program by March 15
This year is the 10th anniversary of the ACAAI Nationwide Asthma Screening Program. You can bring this program to your community to educate the public about the diagnosis and treatment of asthma, as well as position allergists as specialists who treat asthma.

The Nationwide Asthma Screening Program, supported during the entire decade by AstraZeneca, has grown from a single pilot screening to a robust 300 screening days each year. To date, more than 90,000 people have been screened and about half referred for a professional diagnosis. This year, the program expects to screen the 100,000th participant.

Most coordinators conduct screenings in May as part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. May also is the time the College conducts national media relations strategies to publicize the screening program.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary, screening program coordinators will receive new materials in the program’s support kit, including an updated patient education video to show at screenings and stickers to give to participants. The activities will culminate in a celebration at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in November in Philadelphia, with recognition for all College members who have participated.

The deadline for registrations for the 2006 program is March 15. For more information, visit the College member Web site or call the screening program Help Line at (312) 558-1175.

Immunology Review Corner
Welcome to the Board Review Corner, prepared by Dr. Karla R. Davis, senior representative of ACAAI’s fellows-in-training (FITs) to the Board of Regents. The Board Review Corner is your chance to test your Board preparedness.

To refer to a previous Board Review Corner, click the “Archive” link in the left column.

Immunology Review Corner: Chapter 64 (Part A) of the 6th edition of Middleton’s Allergy Principles and Practice, edited by N. Franklin Adkinson, et al. Review questions were written by Drs. Karla R. Davis, Walter Reed Medical Center, and J. Michael Norvell, Vanderbilt University.