New research shows that hereditary predisposition to develop asthma (atopy) is a determining factor in new cases on adult-onset asthma and that avoiding allergens may help prevent adults from developing asthma.

A newly recognized type of immune cell may play an important role in causing asthma, perhaps explaining why current therapies sometimes fail,…

Women who eat plenty of tomatoes, carrots and leafy greens appear less likely to have asthma, researchers have found.

Though it’s uncertain whether the foods are the reason, the findings…

High levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may lower the risk of wheezing and asthma in offspring during early childhood, according to research presented at the annual meeting…

Children who have airway hyperresponsiveness, a symptom of asthma, and allergic manifestations have an increased risk of developing asthma by the time they become adults, according to Danish researchers.

Adults who delayed care and had daily or weekly asthma symptoms were most likely to visit the Emergency Department (ED) according to a report published this month in…

Adults with asthma are more likely than those in the general population to report a number of other chronic medical conditions, including cancer, diabetes and heart disease, according to…

African Americans are four times more likely to be hospitalized and five times more likely to die of asthma than non-African Americans. This is not an isolated statistic; while the…

Some face masks commonly used to help young children inhale asthma medicine are not effective, according to a new study by researchers from Wake Forest University School of…

Women with asthma who are carrying a female fetus are more likely to experience worse asthma symptoms than asthmatic women carrying a male fetus, researchers at Yale School…

Pregnant women with asthma carrying a female fetus are more likely to experience worse symptoms of asthma than are those carrying a male fetus, research suggests.

Researchers studied 702 pregnant asthmatic…

Indoor exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from gas-fueled stoves, even at levels well below the Environmental Protection Agency outdoor standard, may cause respiratory symptoms in asthmatic children living in multi-family housing…

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing, particularly in lean women, according to a report in the medical journal Thorax.

The findings…

Introduction
The most frequently used immunosuppressive drugs and their modes of action are briefly summarized below.

Corticosteroids
This group of drugs has potent and direct anti-inflammatory…

Cytokine Therapy
The experimental and clinical applications of cytokines, as biologic response modifiers and therapeutic agents, have been greatly expanded in recent years. Some cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor and interferon alfa,…

Introduction
Organ transplants are in widespread use. Limitations include the scarcity of donor organs and expense. Failure to achieve successful grafts is primarily due to histoincompatibility and lack of safe…

Introduction

The monoclonal gammopathies include those diseases in which there is a proliferation of a single clone of immunoglobulin-forming cells that produce a homogeneous heavy chain, light chain, or complete molecule.…

The diagnosis and treatment of specific autoimmune diseases are described elsewhere in this book. Autoantibodies associated with certain autoimmune diseases may not be pathogenetic but are thought to be markers or by-products of the injury…

Introduction
Autoimmune diseases cannot be explained by a solitary cause or mechanism. Small amounts of autoantibodies are normally produced and may have physiologic roles in cellular interactions. Positive serologic findings may be found years before…

Introduction

Essentials of Diagnosis

• Defect in terminal differentiation of B cells, with absent plasma cells and deficient synthesis of secreted antibody.
• Frequent sinopulmonary infections secondary to humoral immune deficiency.
• …

Selective IgA deficiency is the most common primary immunodeficiency disorder and is characterized by the absence of serum IgA with normal levels of IgG and IgM; its prevalence is about 1:500 individuals. Most…

Introduction
The primary immunologic deficiency diseases include congenital and acquired disorders of humoral immunity (B cell function) or cell-mediated immunity (T cell function). Most of these diseases are rare, and since they…

Introduction
These reactions resemble immediate hypersensitivity reactions but are not mediated by allergen-IgE interaction. Instead, direct mast cell activation occurs. Examples of pseudoallergic or “anaphylactoid” reactions include the now rare “red man syndrome”…

Introduction

Essentials of Diagnosis

• Fever, pruritus, and arthropathy.
• Reaction is delayed in onset, usually 7-10 days, when specific IgG antibodies are generated against the allergen.
• Immune complexes…