Effects of immunotherapy on pulmonary functions and airway hyper-reactivity in patients with allergic asthma to house dust mites

This study was designed to investigate the effects of immunotherapy with an extract of house dust mites on 20 asthmatic palients allergic to house dust mites during 12 months period. The results of this study showed that there is statistically significant improvement in the pulmonary function parameters including FVC, FEV[1], FEV[1]/ FVC% and PEFR, and also there was statistically significant reduction in airway hyperreactivity to methacholine after completion the course of immunotherapy, these finding suggest that in well selected asthmatic patients allergic to house dust mites only, the immunotherapy is effective in improving pulmonary functions and reducing airway hyperreactivity in these patients

Right and left ventricular dysfunction in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

To evaluate the right and left ventricular dysfunction and its relation to air-trapping, 20 cases with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] were studied. All patients underwent pulmonary function tests and Echo-Doppler examination was made to measure the mPAP, RAD, RVD, LVD and LVEf The patients were classified into two groups according to presence or absence of TR, because it consider as a marker for pulmonary hypertension. This study showed that in cases with TR the mPAP was higher and RVD was larger than cases without TR and the differences were statistically highly significant for both parameters with P value <0.0005. regarding the left ventricular form and function, LVD was larger in diastole in cases with TR than cases without TR and the difference was statistically significant with P value <0.05, LVEF was less in cases with TR than cases without TR and the difference was statistically highly significant with P value <0.0005. LVEF was less than 45% in two cases only [10%] of the total cases examined and these two cases had TR and severe pulmonary hypertension. Residual volume and total lung capacity were used as a marker for air-trapping in the lungs of COPD patients, these two parameters had significant correlation with cases who have TR. Both right and left ventricular form and function appeared to be affected in cases with severe COPDs especially in cases with TR, and left ventricular dysfunction appears to be related to right ventricular dysfunction, perhaps through ventricular interdependence Patients with marked air-trapping had more impairment of both ventricular forms and functions