Did you know?

Michael Calvin PA-C

Did you know that both Dr’s Murthy and Kailasam are active members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI)? They both recently attended the AAAAI Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Some important news has been coming out of the meeting:


Oral Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Peanut Allergy

A potential treatment for peanut allergy — oral immunotherapy — received lots attention.

One study involved 21 children with peanut allergy who were enrolled in an open trial of immunotherapy (involving increasing oral doses of peanut). Every 6 months for 2 years, blood samples were taken from the patients and exposed to peanut extract to see what kind of immune system response was triggered. What researchers saw was evidence of “tolerance”. Immune or 'immunological tolerance' is the process by which the immune system does not attack a substance, such as peanut.

In another study, nine patients who had completed oral immunotherapy underwent a series of medically supervised food challenges. Four of them successfully completed the tests and now can tolerate peanuts in their diets.

Regarding the latter study, the lead author says: "We're optimistic that [these patients] have lost their peanut allergy ... we'll have to see what happens to them."


Traditional Chinese medicine effectively treats eczema

New research finds traditional Chinese medicine safe and effective in the treatment of patients with persistent atopic dermatitis — or eczema, as it’s commonly known — and could lead more providers to prescribe complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat the allergic condition. Maybe.

In the study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York analyzed 14 patients with persistent atopic dermatitis who received traditional Chinese medicine at Ming Qi Natural Health Center in Manhattan between August 2006 and May 2008. The treatments consisted of Erka Shizheng Herbal Tea, a bath additive, creams and acupuncture.

The study authors utilized two measures: the SCORAD index to gauge atopic dermatitis severity and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to calculate impairment to life quality.

Baseline median scores for SCORAD and DLQI were 89 and 17, respectively. After a median of eight months treatment, the median scores fell to 11 for SCORAD and 1 for DLQI.

In all but one patient, SCORAD measures decreased between 60 to 90% after 3.3 months of treatment. More than 50% improvement in DLQI scores was documented in all but one patient after 2.4 months of treatment.

Patients also reported a reduction in the use of steroids, antibiotics and antihistamines within 3 months of being treated with traditional Chinese medicine. There were no abnormalities of liver and kidney function observed.

While the researchers concluded that the use of traditional Chinese medicine is safe and effective for patients with persistent atopic dermatitis, especially those with a severe case and significant life quality impairment, it is still recommended to speak with a healthcare provider before taking any complementary or alternative medicines. CAM are not approved by the FDA and have not met the standards of safety and effectiveness that prescription medications have. They are also typically paid for out-of-pocket.

• This study was presented during the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) on March 13-17 in Washington, DC. However, it does not necessarily reflect the policies or the opinions of the AAAAI.


• A link to all abstracts presented at the Annual Meeting is available on the AAAAI Web site http://aaaai.org/media/newsroom/am2009/

2009-06-10

aaaai.org/media/newsroom/am2009/