J M Portnoy

..Two meta-analyses reached the same conclusion. Because some studies failed to demonstrate efficacy, it is instructive to review reasons why that may have been the case...

..In this article, Dr Portnoy discusses the role of immunotherapy in patients with symptoms triggered by airborne allergens...

..Fortunately, symptoms are dose dependent, creating an opportunity to develop clinically effective interventions. Given the right guidance, even patients with severe asthma can create healthy indoor environments...

..As proficiency testing of allergy tests becomes more common and the use of tests becomes more consistent, we believe that patients with allergic diseases will benefit...

..The NCICAS resulted in decreased symptom days and a trend toward fewer emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions in the intervention group compared with the control group...

..Without such standards, it is difficult to compare results from one study with those from another or to measure the effect of indoor fungal contamination on a building and its occupants...

..To review the nontoxic harmful effects that poor indoor air quality caused by fungi can have on health...

..When used appropriately, this information could become very useful for clinicians, particularly if cost, convenience, and other indirect factors can be included...

..Interestingly, several clinical studies suggest that cetirizine may be useful in the treatment and prevention of mild asthma...

..The presence of IgE in the absence of symptoms does not indicate clinical allergy. Nonselective use of large panels of allergens can lead to false positives and misinterpretation of the results, particularly in food allergy...

..Routine use of clinically useful criteria for making the diagnosis, as outlined in this review, may help to simplify the process of making an early diagnosis of asthma...

..To take advantage of bioparticulate counts, the public needs to be informed about their meaning and factors that can influence personal exposure...

..Thirty-six percent of homes had Stachybotrys above 100 spores/m(3). Home environmental assessment and case management may reduce medical care utilization for children suffering from allergic rhinitis and asthma...

..Additional information was obtained from a review of recent textbooks and one professional society's webpage...

..Emphasis on cleaning and cleaning education combined with hypochlorite-based cleaning supplies resulted in significantly improved QOL for families with asthmatic children...

..The asthma disease management program at Children's Mercy Hospital improved the care received, decreased costs, and improved the quality of life for those children with asthma...

..We concluded that behavior-oriented programs targeted at provider offices can lead to improved asthma care while reducing costs...

..In this paper, we review recent research published proposing immunotherapy as a means of preventing the development of, or at least ameliorating, allergic asthma...

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..01). Simple low-cost interventions directed to producing cleaner indoor air coupled with healthy home education improve the indoor air quality and health in asthmatic children...

..CONCLUSIONS: Standardized approaches for performing and reporting assessments of indoor fungi are essential if our understanding of this complex field is to improve...

..Because many parents are hesitant to treat cough symptoms, an additional training component may need to be added to address this concern...

..The identification of successful interventions would guide policy implementation to improve outcomes in patient morbidity and mortality and healthcare costs...

..These parameters are not designed for use by pharmaceutical companies in drug promotion...

..Future research should permit accurate correlations to be drawn between the underlying pathophysiology and the clinical condition commonly known as asthma...

..Modifying these factors holds promise for stopping the atopic march in the future. This paper reviews advances that have been made in the primary prevention of atopic disease...

..With early diagnosis and effective treatment it should be possible for patients who have asthma to live normal lives...

..Additional prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, long-term studies of cetirizine and other H(1)-antihistamines are needed in this population...

..In addition, other purported mold-related illnesses and the data that currently exist to support them are carefully reviewed, as are the currently available approaches for the evaluation of both patients and the environment...