Allergic rhinitis is a frequent presenting problem in primary care in the UK, and has increased in prevalence over the last 30 years. When symptomatic, patients report significant reduction in their quality of life and impairment in school and work performance. Achieving adequate symptom control is pivotal to successful allergic rhinitis management, and relies mostly on pharmacotherapy. Whil…
Alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency is one of the most common genetic disorders in Caucasian population. There is a link between granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and most frequent variants of SERPINA1 gene encoding severe alpha-1 antitripsin deficiency
Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a genetic disorder that produces inactive/defective AAT due tomutations in the SERPINA1 gene encoding AAT. This disease is associated with decreased activity of AAT in the lungs and deposition of excessive defective AAT protein in the liver. Currently there is no specific treatment for liver disease associated with AAT deficiency. AAT lung disease is o…
The environmental exposure unit (EEU) is an instrument designed to determine onset of action of antiallergic treatment. Confirmation of test results would be useful in defining its role
Azelastine has been shown to be effective against seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). The Environmental Exposure Unit (EEU) is a validated model of experimental SAR. The objective of this double-blind, four-way crossover study was to evaluate the onset of action of azelastine nasal spray, versus the oral antihistamines loratadine 10 mg and cetirizine 10 mg in the relief of the symptoms of SAR
The treatment of rhinitis has been improved in recent years by a better knowledge of the mechanisms of the disease and the availability of effective new treatments. Practice guidelines incorporating these advances have been found to improve patient care for those with allergic rhinitis
Cetirizine is a selective, second-generation histamine H1 receptor antagonist, with a rapid onset, a long duration of activity and low potential for interaction with drugs metabolised by the hepatic cytochrome P450 system. Cetirizine was generally more effective than other H1 receptor antagonists at inhibiting histamine-induced wheal and flare responses
H1-receptor antagonists are considered central to the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD)-associated pruritus and are widely used in the treatment of AD despite a lack of double-blind, randomized clinical trials. In this study we analyzed the effects of the longterm use of cetirizine on the severity, natural history, and treatment of AD.
Fifteen to twenty percent of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency patients (A1ATD) have a severe liver outcome (portal hypertension -PHT) during childhood. Since they all share the same ZZ SERPINA1 genotype and that environmental factors such as alcohol cannot be advanced, the presence of modifier genes is now well recognized. SNPs located on the SERPINA1 and MAN1B1 genes have already been tes…