Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Allergy for February 2012. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Poor Asthma Control Prevalent in the United States
MONDAY, Feb. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients with asthma who do not use controller medications have persistent disease, and among those patients who do use controller medications, few have well-controlled disease, according to a study published in the March issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
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Allergy-Related Diseases Affect Majority of Children
FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Eczema, asthma, and rhinitis affect more than 50 percent of children up to age 12, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in Allergy.
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Stability Predicts Treatment Success for Vitiligo
THURSDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with vitiligo, a depigmenting disorder characterized by loss of melanocytes from the epidermis, melanocyte transplantation is more likely to be successful in patients whose disease has been stable for longer periods, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in the British Journal of Dermatology.
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Abortive Acupuncture Reduces Allergen-Induced Itch
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Acupuncture and cetirizine both reduce type I hypersensitivity itch better than placebo or no intervention, according to an article published online Feb. 8 in Allergy.
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Maternal Flu Vaccine Improves Health of Unborn Child
TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccinating pregnant women against the influenza virus appears to have a significant positive effect on infant birth weight, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Small Risk of Febrile Seizures With DTaP-IPV-Hib Vaccine
TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The combined diphtheria-tetanus toxoids-acellular pertussis-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenza type b (DTaP-IPV-Hib) vaccine is associated with a small increased risk of febrile seizures on the day of the first and second vaccinations, according to a study published in the Feb. 22 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Replacing PPSV23 With PCV13 May Prevent More Pneumonia
TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A model shows that replacing the current 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) might prevent more pneumococcal disease, while remaining economically reasonable, according to a study published in the Feb. 22 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Pharmacist-Led Intervention Reduces Medical Errors
TUESDAY, Feb. 21 (HealthDay News) -- For clinics with computerized medical records, a pharmacist-led intervention significantly reduces the risk of medical errors and is likely to be cost-effective, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in The Lancet.
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Topical Corticosteroids Impair Restoration of Skin Barrier
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Topical corticosteroids offer a more potent anti-inflammatory effect for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), but they may impair the restoration of the skin barrier and can induce skin atrophy, making topical calcineurin inhibitors more suitable for long-term treatment of the disease, according to a study published in the March issue of Allergy.
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Prenatal Stress May Affect Infant Immune System
FRIDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A woman's prenatal exposure to high stress and dust mite allergens may interact to affect the immune system of her offspring, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in Allergy.
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Two-Way Flow of Data Best for Electronic Records, IIS
THURSDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Incentive payments to health care providers to encourage adoption of the electronic health record (EHR), instituted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), should encourage bidirectional sharing of information between EHR systems and state or regional immunization information systems (IIS), according to research published online Feb. 7 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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