: High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) has been shown to reduce exacerbations of COPD and some evidence displays benefits in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) patients. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 12 months of home HFNT on the annual exacerbation rate between mild/moderate and severe NCFB patients, classified by the bronchiectasis severity index (BSI). Secondary outcomes were the evaluation of the dyspnea, pulmonary function, and sputum cultures in both groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBronchiectasis (BE) has been traditionally associated with neutrophilic inflammation, but eosinophilic bronchiectasis (EB) has recently emerged. Data about prevalence, clinical features, and disease severity are lacking. This study aimed to assess the EB prevalence, compare EB with non-EB, evaluate the Type-2 (T2) high endotype in BE (T2-high EB) versus non-T2-high EB, and identify EB predictors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
December 2024
Background: Biological therapies, such as mepolizumab, have transformed the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma. Although mepolizumab's short-term effectiveness is established, there is limited evidence on its ability to achieve long-term clinical remission.
Objective: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of mepolizumab, explore its potential to induce clinical and sustained remission, and identify baseline factors associated with the likelihood of achieving remission over 24 months.
Background And Objective: Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that benralizumab is characterized by a good profile of efficacy and safety, thereby being potentially able to elicit clinical remission on-treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). The main goal of this multicentre observational study was to verify the effectiveness of benralizumab in inducing a sustained remission on-treatment of SEA in patients with or without comorbid chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).
Methods: Throughout 2 years of treatment with benralizumab, a four-component evaluation of sustained remission of SEA was performed, including the assessment of SEA exacerbations, use of oral corticosteroids (OCSs), symptom control and lung function.
ERJ Open Res
March 2024
https://bit.ly/46XMWAz.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The current definition of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) super-responders to biologic treatment does not include patients with other eosinophil-based comorbidities. Although eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is frequently associated with SEA, we lack data on a possible super-response to biologic treatments in patients suffering from these two diseases. We aim to assess super-responder features in real-life patients with SEA and EGPA treated with mepolizumab and benralizumab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pers Med
September 2023
Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases, affecting over 300 million people worldwide [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare vasculitis characterized by asthma, systemic manifestations, and blood and tissue eosinophilia.
Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of mepolizumab (anti-IL-5) and benralizumab (anti-IL-5Rα) in EGPA for 24 months.
Methods: We conducted a multicenter observational study, including patients with EGPA treated with anti-IL-5/Rα biologics in 9 Italian specialized facilities.
: The co-presence of bronchiectasis (BE) in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) is common. Data about the effectiveness of benralizumab in patients with SEA and BE (SEA + BE) are lacking. : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of benralizumab and remission rates in patients with SEA compared to SEA + BE, also according to BE severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, three classes of monoclonal antibodies targeting type 2 inflammation pathways are available in Italy for the treatment of severe asthma: anti-IgE (Omalizumab), anti-IL-5/anti-IL-5Rα (Mepolizumab and Benralizumab), and anti-IL-4Rα (Dupilumab). Numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-life studies have been conducted to define their efficacy and identify baseline patients' characteristics potentially predictive of favorable outcomes. Switching to another monoclonal antibody is recommended in case of a lack of benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The efficacy of dupilumab as biological treatment of severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) depends on its ability to inhibit the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in type 2 inflammation.
Objective: To assess in a large sample of subjects with severe asthma, the therapeutic impact of dupilumab in real-life, with regard to positive or negative skin prick test (SPT) and CRSwNP presence or absence.
Methods: Clinical, functional, and laboratory parameters were measured at baseline and 24 weeks after the first dupilumab administration.
The epithelium, once simply considered a protective barrier against harmful agents, has in recent times gained considerable relevance as an entity that can promote and regulate inflammatory processes through the production of cytokines, namely interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), known as "alarmins". TSLP, in particular, has been extensively studied as a possible therapeutic target in patients with severe asthma because it is involved in the inflammatory processes of both type 2-high and type 2-low inflammation. In this regard, tezepelumab (AMG-157/MEDI-9929), a TSLP-targeted first-in-class fully human monoclonal antibody, has been shown in phase II and III studies to be effective and safe in treating patients with severe asthma, regardless of the underlying endotype or phenotype and irrespective of baseline biomarkers, such as blood eosinophil count and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) provides several pathophysiological benefits in chronic respiratory disorders. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term HFNT in patients with bronchiectasis (BE).
Methods: This is a retrospective bicentric case-control study of outpatients with BE on optimized medical treatment with a severe exacerbation requiring hospitalization in the previous year.
J Womens Health (Larchmt)
January 2023
Coronavirus-19 Disease (COVID-19) may cause persistent symptoms and functional respiratory impairment, known as long COVID. Determinants of long COVID are unclear. Although males experience more severe acute illness, the impact of sex on the occurrence of long-term sequelae is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonaldi Arch Chest Dis
August 2022
Bronchiectasis (BE) is a long-term, chronic lung condition featured by widened and scarred airways. These can alter the physiological mucociliary clearance, making it difficult to clear mucus and microorganisms, leading to frequent exacerbations. High flow nasal therapy (HFNT) is a noninvasive respiratory support that delivers heated and humidified gas eventually enriched with oxygen, through a nasal cannula.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: In patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and mild hypoxaemia, the clinical benefit of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) remains unclear. We aimed to examine whether HFNO compared with conventional oxygen therapy (COT) could prevent escalation of respiratory support in this patient population.
Methods: In this multicentre, randomised, parallel-group, open-label trial, patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO) ≤92% who required oxygen therapy were randomised to HFNO or COT.
Background: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has produced remarkable effects on the sleep quality and mental status of the general population and more dramatic effects on patients with chronic illness. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), already suffering from disordered sleep, might be more susceptible to the effect of the pandemic on their sleep quality and mental health. We therefore performed a case-control study to compare sleep quality, depression and anxiety symptoms reported by patients with severe OSA and age-matched healthy subjects during the first wave of the COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The wide availability of monoclonal antibodies for the add-on therapy of severe asthma currently allows for the personalization of biologic treatment by selecting the most appropriate drug for each patient. However, subjects with overlapping allergic and eosinophilic phenotypes can be often eligible to more than one biologic, so that the first pharmacologic choice can be quite challenging for clinicians. Within such a context, the aim of our real-life investigation was to verify whether allergic patients with severe eosinophilic asthma, not adequately controlled by an initial biologic treatment with omalizumab, could experience better therapeutic results from a pharmacologic shift to benralizumab.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Type 2-high severe asthma (T2-SA) is often associated with several comorbidities. To this extent, the coexistence of T2-SA and bronchiectasis (BE) is considered an emerging phenotype.
Methods: We performed a prospective observational multicentre study, including T2-SA patients.
Background: Benralizumab is effective in severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA), but suboptimal responses are observed in some patients. Although several factors have been associated with benralizumab response, no cluster analysis has yet been undertaken to identify different responsiveness sub-phenotypes.
Objective: To identify SEA sub-phenotypes with differential responsiveness to benralizumab.
Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) affects around 60% of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA). Benralizumab was recently approved for SEA add-on treatment.
Objective: To assess the real-world effectiveness of benralizumab in SEA with or without CRSwNP.
Background: The association of bronchiectasis (BE) in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) is quite frequent. Mepolizumab is a well-recognized treatment for SEA; we aim to evaluate its effectiveness in SEA patients with and without BE in real-life.
Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective pilot study, including patients with SEA treated with mepolizumab for one year.
Introduction: Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-4Rα recently licensed for severe asthma (SA). A Named Patients Program (NPP) was created in Italy before its commercial availability for SA patients with no other available therapeutic options. We aimed to assess the real-world effectiveness of dupilumab in patients with SA and unmet needs.
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