Search results for " Severe asthma"
showing 10 items of 27 documents
Leptin and leptin receptor expression in asthma.
2009
Background The adipokine leptin is a potential new mediator for bronchial epithelial homeostasis. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway remodeling that might affect disease chronicity and severity. TGF-β is a tissue growth factor the dysregulation of which is associated with airway remodeling. Objective We sought to determine whether a bronchial epithelial dysfunction of the leptin/leptin receptor pathway contributes to asthma pathogenesis and severity. Methods We investigated in vitro the presence of leptin/leptin receptor on human bronchial epithelial cells. Then we studied the effect of TGF-β and fluticasone propionate on leptin receptor expression. Finally, th…
Switching from omalizumab to mepolizumab: real-life experience from Southern Italy.
2020
Background: Current availability of several biologic treatments for severe asthma makes it possible to choose the most appropriate for each patient. Sometimes a good percentage of patients with severe asthma may be eligible for biologics that target either the allergic phenotype or the eosinophilic one, but not all respond to that selected as first choice. The aim of our real-life study was to assess whether, for patients with severe eosinophilic allergic asthma, not previously controlled by the anti-IgE omalizumab, the shift to another biologic targeting interleukin-5, such as mepolizumab, may represent a good therapeutic choice. Methods: A total of 41 consecutive patients with severe, per…
The Severe Asthma Network in Italy: Findings and Perspectives
2019
Background Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) is a registry of patients recruited by accredited centers on severe asthma. Objective To analyze epidemiological, clinical, inflammatory, functional, and treatment characteristics of severe asthmatics from the SANI registry. Methods All consecutive patients with severe asthma were included into the registry, without exclusion criteria to have real-life data on demographics, asthma control, treatments (including biologics), inflammatory biomarkers, and comorbidities. Results A total of 437 patients (mean age: 54.1 years, 57.2% females, 70.7% atopics, 94.5% in Global Initiative for Asthma severity step V) were enrolled into the study. The mean …
Can the response to Omalizumab be influenced by treatment duration? A real-life study
2017
Objective It is unknown whether Omalizumab effectiveness changes over the course of time. Our retrospective real-life study tried to analyze whether Omalizumab response may be influenced by treatment duration. Methods 340 severe asthmatics treated with Omalizumab for different periods of time were recruited. They were subdivided into 4 groups according to the Omalizumab treatment length: 60 months. Omalizumab treatment results (FEV1, exacerbations, ACT, SABA use, asthma control levels, medications used e and ICS doses) were compared. Results ACT, exacerbations, GINA control levels, ICS doses and SABA use were similar in all groups with different Omalizumab treatment durations. Using a linea…
Near-fatal asthma phenotype in the ENFUMOSA Cohort.
2007
Summary Background Near-fatal asthma (NFA) is characterized by severe asthma attacks usually requiring intensive care unit admission. This phenotype of asthma has been studied mainly in acute conditions. Methods The aim of our study was to compare the clinical, functional and inflammatory characteristics of NFA patients with mild to severe asthmatics in stable conditions. We recruited 155 asthmatic patients from five centres of the European Network for Understanding Mechanisms of Severe Asthma: 67 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma controlled by low/medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids; 64 with severe asthma that, despite treatment with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids, long-acti…
Oral CorticoSteroid sparing with biologics in severe asthma: A remark of the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI)
2020
According to the data derived from several national and international registries, including SANI (Severe Asthma Network Italy), and considering the strong impact that frequent or regular use of oral corticosteroid has on quality of life (QoL) of severe asthmatics, as well as on the costs for managing corticosteroid-related diseases, oral corticosteroid sparing up to withdrawal should be considered a primary outcome in the management of severe asthma. New biologics have clearly demonstrated that this effect is possible, with concomitant reduction in the rate of exacerbations and in symptom control. Then, there is no reason for using so frequently oral corticosteroid before having explored al…
Applicability of the MASK-Air® App to Severe Asthma Treated with Biologic Molecules: A Pilot Study
2022
MASK-air®, a good practice of the DG Santé, has been fully validated in allergic rhinitis, but little is known about its applicability to asthmatics. We explored whether the MASK-air® application is applicable to patients with severe asthma. Severe asthmatics were proposed to use the MASK-air® application for 6 months, along with best practice treatment. Treatment of the patients was not changed based on the application results. The evolution of the visual analogue scales (VAS) for asthma, shortness of breath, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, work, and sleep was monitored using MASK-air®. Adherence to MASK-air® and to the asthma treatment was also checked. Thirteen patie…
Mepolizumab effectiveness on small airway obstruction, corticosteroid sparing and maintenance therapy step-down in real life
2020
Background: Mepolizumab (MEP) has been recently introduced to treat severe eosinophilic asthma. Trials have demonstrated a significant effectiveness in this asthma phenotype. We evaluated MEP efficacy on lung function, symptoms, asthma exacerbations, biologic markers, steroid dependence and controller treatment level in real-life. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 134 severe asthmatics (61 males; mean age 58.3 ± 11; mean FEV1%:72 ± 21), treated with MEP for at least 6 months (mean duration:10.9 ± 3.7 months). Results: FEV1% improved significantly after MEP. Mean FEF25-75 also increased from 37.4 ± 25.4% to 47.2 ± 27.2% (p < 0.0001). Mean baseline blood eosinophil level was 712 ± 731/μ…
Assessing biomarkers in a real-world severe asthma study (ARIETTA)
2016
AbstractThe prognostic value of asthma biomarkers in routine clinical practice is not fully understood. ARIETTA (NCT02537691) is an ongoing, prospective, longitudinal, international, multicentre real-world study designed to assess the relationship between asthma biomarkers and disease-related health outcomes. The trial aims to enrol and follow for 52 weeks approximately 1200 severe asthma patients from approximately 160 sites in more than 20 countries. Severe asthmatics, treated with daily inhaled corticosteroid (≥500 μg of fluticasone propionate or equivalent) and at least 1 second controller medication are to be included. In this real-world study, patients will be treated according to the…
Factors reducing omalizumab response in severe asthma
2018
Background: Despite adding Omalizumab to conventional therapy, several severe asthmatics still show poor disease control. We investigated the factors that may affect a reduced Omalizumab response in a large population of severe asthmatics. Methods: 340 patients were retrospectively evaluated. FEV1%, FVC%, Asthma Control Test (ACT), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), possible step-downs/step-ups of concomitant therapies, exacerbations, disease control levels, ICS doses and SABA use, observed at the end of treatment, were considered as a response to Omalizumab. Results: Age was an independent risk factor for a reduced response concerning FEV1%, FVC%, ACT and for a lower asthma control. O…