Fluctuations in Sex Hormones May Drive Asthma Symptoms in Women Asthma becomes more prevalent in females than males in puberty. Researchers have hypothesized that sex hormones may play a significant role in the manifestation of asthma symptoms. In childhood, asthma is more prevalent in boys than in girls (11.9% vs. 7.5%). However, at puberty, the trend flips. In adults, the incidence of asthma in men is 6.3% versus 9.6% in women. Additionally, women with asthma are more likely to have severe a

Six biologics on the market and more are in the pipeline. Biologics target the inflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that causes narrowing and inflammation of the airways that compromises breathing and, in some cases, can be fatal. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and chest pain. Nearly 25 million people in the United States have asthma, and 10 people die from the disease daily. Current ast

Many people with chronic respiratory conditions are at high risk of developing severe disease from infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, epidemiologists have found that individuals with allergic asthma are a peculiar exception. They are less susceptible to severe COVID than the general population. Allergic asthma is a type of severe asthma typically triggered by allergens, such as pet dander, mold, and pollen. Individuals with this type of asthma have high levels o

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in children. It affects about 6 million children in the United States and accounts for over 500,000 emergency department visits for children each year. Emergency care is associated with increased costs for families and health care systems as well as significant disruptions to children’s learning via missed school days. Clinical practice guidelines for asthma management recommend tha

Medicaid Covers Nonmedical Services as Part of Initiative to Address Social Determinants of Health California’s “in lieu of services” (ILOS) program includes asthma remediation services such as dehumidifiers, improved ventilation and mold removal. Children with severe asthma living in low-income homes are disproportionately affected by environmental factors that can trigger asthma exacerbations. Frequently these children experience asthma complications requiring costly hospitalizations or emer

Severe asthma is categorized based on patients’ response to treatment and the presence of biomarkers, such as immunoglobulin E (IgE), eosinophils, and neutrophils. Allergic asthma, eosinophilic asthma, and non-eosinophilic asthma are types of severe asthma. Patients with allergic asthma typically have high levels of IgE when exposed to allergens. People with eosinophilic asthma have increased eosinophil levels, and those with noneosinophilic asthma show neither increased IgE nor eosinophil level

Dupixent Improves Severe Asthma Symptoms in a Real-World Setting, but Switching May Require Eosinophil Monitoring Real-world study conducted in Japan shows Dupixent (dupilumab) reduced the number of annual severe asthma exacerbations b 53%, there were also adverse events associated with high eosinophil levels in patients who had switched from a different biologic before starting Dupixent. In 2018, Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals were granted FDA approval for Dupixent (dupilumab) as add-on

Patients with severe asthma are often burdened with frequent exacerbations requiring numerous visits to clinics and doctors’ offices for symptom monitoring and treatment evaluation. New severe asthma treatments, specifically biologics, have helped manage severe asthma symptoms and decrease the frequency of exacerbations. In this respect, they have helped improve patients’ quality of life. However, many patients using biologics for severe asthma must receive treatment from a healthcare profession