179 research outputs found
What does the scientific literature tell us about the ventilation-health relationship in public and residential buildings?
No full textObjective of this paper is to examine whether the available epidemiological evidence provides information on the link between outdoor air ventilation rates and health, and whether it can be used for regulatory purposes when setting ventilation requirements for non-industrial built environments.Effects on health were seen for a wide range of outdoor ventilation rates from 6 to 7 L/s per person, which were the lowest ventilation rates at which no effects on any health outcomes were observed in field studies, up to 25–40 L/s per person, which were in some studies the lowest outdoor ventilation rates at which no effects on health outcomes were seen. These data show that, in general, higher ventilation rates in many cases will reduce health outcomes, and that there are the minimum rates, at which some health outcomes can be avoided. But these data have many limitations, such as crude estimation of outdoor ventilation rates, diversity and variability of ventilation rates at which effects were seen, a diversity of outcomes (in case of health otcomes being mainly acute not chronic). Among other limitations there are incomplete data on the strength of pollution sources and exposures as well as a wide range of sensibility of the exposed populations.The available data do not provide a sound basis for determining specific outdoor air ventilation rates that can be universally applicable in different public and residential buildings to protect against health risks. They cannot be used for regulative purposes, unless the required ventilation rates are related to actual exposures and are prescribed only when full advantage of other methods for controlling exposures has been taken
Raising the bar in respiratory care by EUFOREA: report of the European Union Parliament Symposium, April 2024
No full textIn April 2024, the European Summit "Raising the bar in respiratory care" was organized by the European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases (EUFOREA) in the European Parliament and hosted by Members of the European Parliament Dorien Rookmaker and Mislav Kolakušić. The aim of the Summit was to respond to the need of European patients suffering from chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) by joining forces with European and global organisations in the management of the epidemics of CRD, recognising the weaknesses of current care models and focussing on collaboration to improve care and prevention. Participants belonging to International and National Societies and Committees from the European Rhinologic Society (ERS), International Rhinologic Society (IRS), Belgian Respiratory Society (BeRS), Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD), and from the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA) and the EUFOREA's Patient Advisory Board (PAB) described their vision and action plan to work in partnership to raise the bar in respiratory care. This report summarizes the contributions of the representatives of different European stakeholders in the field of CRDs
The Brussels Declaration: the need for change in asthma management
No full textAsthma is a highly prevalent condition across Europe and numerous guidelines have been developed to optimise management. However, asthma can be neither cured nor prevented, treatment choices are limited and many patients have poorly controlled or uncontrolled asthma. The Brussels Declaration on Asthma, sponsored by The Asthma, Allergy and Inflammation Research Charity, was developed to call attention to the shortfalls in asthma management and to urge European policy makers to recognise that asthma is a public health problem that should be a political priority. The Declaration urges recognition and action on the following points: the systemic inflammatory component of asthma should be better understood and considered in assessments of treatment efficacy; current research must be communicated and responded to quickly; the European Medicines Agency guidance note on asthma should be updated; "real world" studies should be funded and results used to inform guidelines; variations in care across Europe should be addressed; people with asthma should participate in their own care; the impact of environmental factors should be understood; and targets should be set for improvement. The present paper reviews the evidence supporting the need for change in asthma management and summarises the ten key points contained in the Brussels Declaratio
Impact of early diagnosis and control of chronic respiratory diseases on active and healthy ageing. A debate at the European Union Parliament.
No full textA debate at the European Union Parliament was held on 13 November 2012 on the Impact of early diagnosis and control of chronic respiratory diseases on Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA). The debate was held under the auspices of theCyprus Presidency of the European Union (2012) and represents a follow-up of the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the European Union (2011). It highlighted the importance of early life events on the occurrence of chronic respiratory diseases later in life and their impact on active and healthy ageing. Epidemiologic evidence was followed by actions that should be taken to prevent and manage chronic respiratory diseases in children. The debate ended by practical, feasible and achievable projects, demonstrating the strength of the political action in the field. Three projects will be initiated from this debate: The first will be a meeting sponsored by the Région Languedoc-Roussillon on the developmental origins of chronic diseases and ageing: from research to policies and value creation. The second project is being led by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Asthma and Rhinitis: Prevention of Asthma, Prevention of Allergy (PAPA). The third project is the GA(2)LEN sentinel network
A new look at the pathogenesis of asthma
No full textAsthma is an inflammatory disorder of the conducting airways that has strong association with allergic sensitization. The disease is characterized by a polarized Th-2 (T-helper-2)-type T-cell response, but in general targeting this component of the disease with selective therapies has been disappointing and most therapy still relies on bronchodilators and corticosteroids rather than treating underlying disease mechanisms. With the disappointing outcomes of targeting individual Th-2 cytokines or manipulating T-cells, the time has come to re-evaluate the direction of research in this disease. A case is made that asthma has its origins in the airways themselves involving defective structural and functional behaviour of the epithelium in relation to environmental insults. Specifically, a defect in barrier function and an impaired innate immune response to viral infection may provide the substrate upon which allergic sensitization takes place. Once sensitized, the repeated allergen exposure will lead to disease persistence. These mechanisms could also be used to explain airway wall remodelling and the susceptibility of the asthmatic lung to exacerbations provoked by respiratory viruses, air pollution episodes and exposure to biologically active allergens. Variable activation of this epithelial-mesenchymal trophic unit could also lead to the emergence of different asthma phenotypes and a more targeted approach to the treatment of these. It also raises the possibility of developing treatments that increase the lung's resistance to the inhaled environment rather than concentrating all efforts on trying to suppress inflammation once it has become established.<br/
Correction to: Is diet partly responsible for differences in COVID-19 death rates between and within countries? (Clinical and Translational Allergy, (2020), 10, 1, (16), 10.1186/s13601-020-00323-0)
No full textFollowing publication of the original article [1], the authors identified an error in the affiliation list. The affiliation of author G. Walter Canonica should have been split up into two affiliations: • Personalized Medicine, Asthma and Allergy – Humanitas Clinical and Research Center – IRCCS, Rozzano (MI), Italy • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (MI), Italy The corrected affiliation list is reflected in this Correction. © 2020, The Author(s)
Allergy, Living and Learning:Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Respiratory Diseases in Europe
No full textBackground: Allergy Living and Learning (ALL) is a European initiative designed to increase knowledge and understanding of people living with allergies in order to improve respiratory allergy care.Objectives: To investigate diagnostic and treatment patterns associated with respiratory allergies, patients' perception of their treatment, and restrictions on daily activities.Methods: Using a telephone-based randomized screening method, we recruited and analyzed 7004 patients (aged 16-60 years) with self-reported respiratory allergic disease from 10 European countries. Patients answered questions assessing their knowledge, experience, and perception of their condition and its treatment. Data analyses were descriptive.Results: The most prevalent conditions were allergic rhinitis (66%) and asthma (26%), and the average duration of the symptoms of respiratory allergy was 14.5 years. Over 30% of patients had never had a specific diagnostic test.About 80% of patients used medication for their respiratory allergy, and 10% of those not receiving treatment had severe symptoms. One-third of patients were not satisfied with their treatment, and two-thirds experienced restrictions in daily activities. Medication was most commonly taken in the form of tablets and nasal spray. Allergy-specific immunotherapy was received by 16% of patients. Knowledge of specific immunotherapy was low overall and varied widely by country: 30% of patients (country range, 10%-52%) had never heard of this treatment option.Conclusions: A notable proportion of individuals with respiratory allergy in Europe are underdiagnosed, undertreated, and dissatisfied with their treatment. Addressing these shortcomings may help to optimize respiratory allergy care and, ultimately, quality of life.</p
Allergy, Living and Learning: Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Respiratory Diseases in Europe
No full textBackground: Allergy Living and Learning (ALL) is a European initiative designed to increase knowledge and understanding of people living with allergies in order to improve respiratory allergy care. Objectives: To investigate diagnostic and treatment patterns associated with respiratory allergies, patients' perception of their treatment, and restrictions on daily activities. Methods: Using a telephone-based randomized screening method, we recruited and analyzed 7004 patients (aged 16-60 years) with self-reported respiratory allergic disease from 10 European countries. Patients answered questions assessing their knowledge, experience, and perception of their condition and its treatment. Data analyses were descriptive. Results: The most prevalent conditions were allergic rhinitis (66%) and asthma (26%), and the average duration of the symptoms of respiratory allergy was 14.5 years. Over 30% of patients had never had a specific diagnostic test. About 80% of patients used medication for their respiratory allergy, and 10% of those not receiving treatment had severe symptoms. One-third of patients were not satisfied with their treatment, and two-thirds experienced restrictions in daily activities. Medication was most commonly taken in the form of tablets and nasal spray. Allergy-specific immunotherapy was received by 16% of patients. Knowledge of specific immunotherapy was low overall and varied widely by country: 30% of patients (country range, 10%-52%) had never heard of this treatment option. Conclusions: A notable proportion of individuals with respiratory allergy in Europe are underdiagnosed, undertreated, and dissatisfied with their treatment. Addressing these shortcomings may help to optimize respiratory allergy care and, ultimately, quality of life
Efficacy and safety of treatment with biologicals for severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: A systematic review for the EAACI guidelines
No full textThis systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of biologicals for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) compared with the standard of care. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for RCTs. Critical and important CRSwNP-related outcomes were considered. The risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence were assessed using GRADE. RCTs evaluated (dupilumab-2, omalizumab-4, mepolizumab-2, and reslizumab-1) included 1236 adults, with follow-up of 20–64 weeks. Dupilumab reduces the need for surgery (NFS) or oral corticosteroid (OCS) use (RR 0.28; 95% CI 0.20–0.39, moderate certainty) and improves with high certainty smell evaluated with UPSIT score (mean difference (MD) +10.54; 95% CI +9.24 to +11.84) and quality of life (QoL) evaluated with SNOT-22 (MD −19.14; 95% CI −22.80 to −15.47), with fewer treatment-related adverse events (TAEs) (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.89–1.02, moderate certainty). Omalizumab reduces NFS (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.78–0.92, high certainty), decreases OCS use (RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.10–1.38, moderate certainty), and improves high certainty smell (MD +3.84; 95% CI +3.64 to +4.04) and QoL (MD −15.65; 95% CI −16.16 to −15.13), with increased TAE (RR 1.73; 95% CI 0.60–5.03, moderate certainty). There is low certainty for mepolizumab reducing NFS (RR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64–0.94) and improving QoL (MD −13.3; 95% CI −23.93 to −2.67) and smell (MD +0.7; 95% CI −0.48 to +1.88), with increased TAEs (RR 1.64; 95% CI 0.41–6.50). The evidence for reslizumab is very uncertain
- …
