Inhaled steroids for asthma is the recommended first-line treatment for patients who are uncontrolled. Inhaled steroids have led to fewer hospitalizations and deaths over the past 10-15 years. Recent Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines, recommend in mild asthma, intermittent use of an inhaled steroid and long acting beta-2 agonist (LABA) on an as needed basis […]
Nasal Polyps Treatment; Past, Present and Future
Nasal polyps treatment have shown great advances recently, and many more treatments are on the horizon. Nasal polyps are used to describe chronic rhinosinusitis associated with the formation of nasal polyps. Nasal polyps affect 2-4% of adults globally. About 50% of patients have existing allergies. Nasal polyps are semitranslucent, pale grey, grape-like, benign inflammatory lesions […]
Astepro OTC now available without a prescription
Astepro OTC has now been approved by the FDA without a prescription. The generic name for Astepro is Azelastine. Azelastine comes in 2 different strengths, 0.1% and 0.15%. The 0.15% is the one that is going OTC. Astepro OTC is a nasal antihistamine similar to Claritin, Allegra, Benadryl or Zyrtec, but it is in the […]
Pacifier and Allergies, is there a link?
The link between a pacifier and allergies has been researched in the past. Environmental microbial exposure plays a role in the immune system and the development and susceptibility to food allergy. Gut microbiome in food allergy A recent study sought to investigate whether infant pacifier use during the first year alters the risk of food […]
Coconut allergy, is it a nut?
Coconut allergy is becoming a more common concern among parents of children with food allergy. Coconut has been increasing in the US diet and it is an alternative to cow’s milk for those who are allergic. Coconut is a common food allergen seen in skin care products. It is commonly seen in natural moisturizers. Coconut […]
Abrocitinib vs. Dupilumab for Atopic Dermatitis
Abrocitinib vs. Dupilumab will be an important question for many prescribing doctors with the expected FDA approval of abrocitinib soon. We have extensively discussed atopic dermatitis (eczema) in the past. For many years only topical therapies were available for this condition. Topical steroids are the mainstays of treatment, and after many years newer topical therapies […]
Allergic Reactions to Covid Vaccines an update
Allergic reactions to Covid vaccines have been discussed on our blog posts previously when both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines came out. Several months have passed now and we are here to provide an update. Pfizer Covid Vaccine and Allergy Moderna Covid Vaccine and Allergy Allergic reactions to vaccines in general are rare, occurring at […]
Baricitinib for Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)
Baricitinib is currently being studied for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Baricitinib is part of the family of oral Janus kinase inhibitors that are an emerging modality in the treatment of chronic allergic inflammatory disorders due to their ability to inhibit signaling of multiple pathways of cytokines. We discussed in another blog post, Abrocitinib which is […]
New Urticaria Treatment Options being studied
New urticaria treatment options are currently being studied for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Currently the only approved biologic medication approved for this condition is Xolair. Several medications are also being used off label and novel biologics are currently in development. Here we discuss them: Dupilumab– In preclinical studies, dupilumab (Dupixent) blocked several functions of […]
Xolair for Idiopathic Anaphylaxis
Xolair for idiopathic anaphylaxis was recently studied in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study. We have discussed idiopathic anaphylaxis in the past in a blog post. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, so there is no inciting agent. Epinephrine followed by systemic steroids are the mainstays of therapy for acute events. There is no prophylactic therapy […]