Asthma

Findings from a proof-of-concept phase 2 study suggest that treatment with the antidiabetes drug metformin could help minimize some metabolic complications and improve clinical outcomes for patients taking systemic glucocorticoid therapy.

Asthma is associated with elevated levels of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and the development of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, researchers report.

Study findings suggest that abatacept and TNF inhibitors are associated with comparable rates of pulmonary exacerbation among patients with rheumatoid arthritis and comorbid interstitial lung disease, COPD, or asthma.

Over half of the incremental healthcare costs associated with severe asthma relative to mild or no asthma can be attributed to comorbid conditions, indicate Canadian study findings.

Eosinophil extracellular traps activate type 2 innate lymphoid cells and associated immune responses in patients with severe asthma by stimulating airway epithelium, say researchers.

Researchers have projected that the economic burden of uncontrolled asthma in the USA will be in excess of US$ 900 billion over the next 20 years.

Researchers have found that physicians often underestimate the level of asthma control in patients.

Approximately one third of patients with severe asthma in Japan have severe eosinophilic asthma, show findings from a cohort analysis.

Small airways dysfunction occurs across all degrees of asthma severity but has the highest prevalence among individuals with the most severe disease, suggest baseline findings from the ATLANTIS study.

Among patients with asthma, those with chronic cough have worse respiratory symptoms and lung function, and higher levels of some inflammatory markers, than those without, study findings indicate.

MET and MMP10 gene expression are likely to play important roles in the cellular inflammation and airway remodeling associated with submucosal eosinophilia in patients with asthma, researchers report.

Findings from a large US study suggest that early treatment with antibiotics is not associated with improved outcomes among patients hospitalised for asthma exacerbation and treated with systemic corticosteroids.

Patients with asthma who are treated with the once-daily inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta agonist regimen fluticasone furoate/vilanterol have better treatment adherence than those taking the twice-daily budesonide/formoterol combination, researchers report.

Only a third of patients with asthma will experience an exacerbation, show 7 years of observation in more than 50,000 adults with the condition.

A genome-wide association study has identified novel genetic variants associated with the risk of developing moderate-to-severe asthma, a substantial proportion of which are also associated with mild asthma susceptibility.

Researchers have highlighted the need for blood eosinophils to be repeatedly measured in patients with severe asthma when designating treatment having found that levels vary in individuals over time.

Findings from the TROPOS trial indicate that treatment with the interleukin-13-targeted monoclonal antibody tralokinumab does not decrease corticosteroid use among patients with severe uncontrolled asthma.

The anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody mepolizumab has durable safety and efficacy profiles over an average 3.5 years of follow-up in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, indicate findings from the COLUMBA open-label extension study.

Results of a real-world study suggest that changing from a dry powder inhaler to a pressurized metered-dose inhaler is not associated with compromised treatment outcomes among patients with asthma.

Systemic corticosteroid treatment reduces blood eosinophil counts and low levels are maintained for weeks after treatment is discontinued, show real-world data.