Health Discoveries in General Health News
Allergy shots helpful to most with asthma, but not all
August 11, 2010
Allergy shots are a mainstay treatment for many people with asthma, but those with "treatment-resistant" asthma may experience serious side effects from the shots.
"People with treatment-resistant asthma are not candidates for allergy shots," said Dr. Harold Nelson, of National Jewish Health, a Denver hospital specializing in respiratory and immune disorders. "Patients shouldn't be actively wheezing, they shouldn't be waking up at night due to asthma symptoms and their pulmonary function should be relatively normal."
If they are showing such symptoms, doctors should postpone an allergy injection, Nelson said.
About 30 percent of asthma patients who receive allergy shots experience improved breathing after receiving a series of injections that desensitize their immune systems to specific irritants, according to a recent issue of The Cochrane Library. The findings were the result of a meta-analysis that included 88 allergy studies involving about 3,800 participants.
Professional guidelines recommend that patients be observed for 30 to 45 minutes after an injection so that any adverse reaction may be treated immediately.
At North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, researchers are studying the drug tiotropium, a solution administered through an inhaler, to gauge its effectiveness in controlling asthma symptoms when used with patients' usual asthma medications. The hospital is part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
"People with treatment-resistant asthma are not candidates for allergy shots," said Dr. Harold Nelson, of National Jewish Health, a Denver hospital specializing in respiratory and immune disorders. "Patients shouldn't be actively wheezing, they shouldn't be waking up at night due to asthma symptoms and their pulmonary function should be relatively normal."
If they are showing such symptoms, doctors should postpone an allergy injection, Nelson said.
About 30 percent of asthma patients who receive allergy shots experience improved breathing after receiving a series of injections that desensitize their immune systems to specific irritants, according to a recent issue of The Cochrane Library. The findings were the result of a meta-analysis that included 88 allergy studies involving about 3,800 participants.
Professional guidelines recommend that patients be observed for 30 to 45 minutes after an injection so that any adverse reaction may be treated immediately.
At North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, researchers are studying the drug tiotropium, a solution administered through an inhaler, to gauge its effectiveness in controlling asthma symptoms when used with patients' usual asthma medications. The hospital is part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.