Industry News: New Study from the Journal of Asthma Underscores Need for Better Allergy Management in Children with Asthma

The results of a new study recommend allergy testing for both indoor and outdoor allergens in children with asthma regardless of severity ̶ even for occasional asthma sufferers. 2007 NAEPP guidelines recommend allergy testing for only perennial indoor allergens in those with persistent asthma. The study, released in the Journal of Asthma, included 1,627 predominately Hispanic children living with asthma in urbanized areas of Orange County, CA.

Key Findings:
- Sensitization to tree and weed allergens in those with intermittent asthma at baseline is associated with the loss of well-controlled asthma
- Researchers found aeroallergen sensitivity in 74 percent of patients with persistent asthma severity and in 58 percent of patients with intermittent severity
- Approximately 70 percent of all patients were allergic to at least one aeroallergen

The study, entitled “The Relationship of Aeroallergen Sensitization Phenotypes to Asthma Control in Primarily Hispanic Asthmatic Children,” included children age 2–18 years who enrolled in the Children’s Hospital of Orange County Children’s Breathmobile™ program from April 2002 to December 2011. The retrospective study included children who showed sensitivity to specific indoor and outdoor aeroallergens during baseline testing and subsequently returned for follow-up care within 6 months of their baseline visit.

“Our data suggest that sensitization to indoor and outdoor aeroallergens can be useful predictors of asthma control, and should be assessed in all asthmatic children,” said Kenny Kwong, MD, Chief, Division of Allergy/Immunology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and one of the co-authors of the study. “This has significant implications for how we manage asthma, particularly in children and certainly in settings such as the inner city.”

To learn more about the new Journal of Asthma study on the relationship between allergic sensitization and asthma, please click on the company website link below.