ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Some patients with allergic asthma treated with anti-IgE (Xolair) do not become symptom free. Better criteria for response assessment than allergy skin tests or IgE determination are needed. The impact of the size of the disease relevant allergen-specific IgE antibody fraction, i.e. the percentage of IgE antibody of total IgE, was evaluated in cat allergic patients treated with the recommended doses of Xolair. Results were measured as changes in basophil allergen threshold sensitivity (CD-sens). METHODS: In a double-blind placebo controlled trial 20 patients with a high (>3.8%) and 18 with a low (<1%) percentage of IgE antibodies to cat were given Xolair for 16 weeks and the change in CD-sens was compared to 11 and 10 patients, respectively, in each group receiving placebo. RESULTS: The CD-sens dropped significantly in both the high (P < 0.001) and low (P < 0.001) group on Xolair but did not change significantly after placebo. For Xolair-treated patients, at the end of the trial there was a highly significant (P < 0.001) difference in CD-sens between the high group, where no patients, and the low group, where 13/18 patients, had become negative. CONCLUSIONS: The currently recommended doses of Xolair very efficiently eliminate IgE antibodies if the IgE antibody fraction is <1% of total IgE but has not enough effect on allergen sensitivity if the fraction is >3-4%. Further studies will show if increased doses of Xolair would help also these patients, who seem to represent about 1/3 of the patient population.
Subject(s)
Anti-Allergic Agents , Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic , Conjunctivitis, Allergic/drug therapy , Immunoglobulin E , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/drug therapy , Allergens/immunology , Animals , Anti-Allergic Agents/administration & dosage , Anti-Allergic Agents/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/administration & dosage , Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized , Basophils/immunology , Cats/immunology , Conjunctivitis, Allergic/etiology , Conjunctivitis, Allergic/immunology , Double-Blind Method , Humans , Immunoglobulin E/blood , Immunoglobulin E/immunology , Omalizumab , Predictive Value of Tests , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/etiology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/immunology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The efficacy and safety of different regimens of intravenously administered enprofylline, an anti-asthma xanthine, were evaluated in a randomized open study, including 155 patients with acute exacerbation of obstructive lung disease. The regimen 2.5 mg/kg i.v. over 10 min was canceled after seven patients had been included, due to two cases of hypotensive/vasovagal reactions. The regimens 2.0 mg/kg/20 min and 2.5 mg/kg/20 min were significantly more effective with regard to bronchodilation than 2.0 mg/kg/10 min (PEF increase +35%, +30% and +17% respectively). Nausea and headache were the most common side effects (16-33% and 23-33% of the patients respectively on different regimens) with the lowest frequency on 2.0 mg/kg/20 min. Four additional hypotensive reactions occurred; one on each 2.0 mg/kg regimen and two on 2.5 mg/kg/20 min. The regimen 2.0 mg/kg20 min was found to be the most favourable with regard to efficacy and side effects. Enprofylline i.v. was found to be an effective bronchodilating treatment of acute airway obstruction but the frequency of side effects has to be considered.
