PurposeAllergen immunotherapy (AIT) induces immunological tolerance, and there is increasing evidence of the clinical efficacy of AIT in the treatment of allergic asthma. However, the optimal parameters for asthma control in clinical trials are still unclear. We investigated the efficacy of AIT with respect to changes in the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose in patients with allergic asthma.MethodsA total of 117 adults with allergic asthma who had used ICS for more than 1 year in a single tertiary hospital in Korea were included in this retrospective study. We compared the clinical parameters and outcomes between the AIT group (ICS with AIT, n = 48) and the non-AIT group (ICS without AIT, n = 69) by applying an inverse probability of treatment weighting method. The patients in the AIT group had received subcutaneous AIT monthly as a maintenance treatment for more than 1 year. The changes in the ICS dose from baseline were evaluated in the 2 groups for 3 years.ResultsThe proportion of responders who discontinued or decreased in the ICS dose with achieving control status of asthma was significantly higher in the AIT group than in the non-AIT group throughout the study period (at 6 months, 52.1% vs. 24.6%; at 1 year, 70.8% vs. 34.7%; at 2 years, 89.5% vs. 35.6%; at 3 years, 96.3% vs. 51.2%). Treatment responses did not differ significantly by type of allergen (single- or multi-allergens or 3 different products) used throughout the study period.ConclusionsIrrespective of the type of allergen, long-term maintenance AIT helps to spare ICS dose and achieve better control in patients with allergic asthma in real-world clinical practice.

Cardiogenic shock was a new predictor of new-onset AF in STEMI patients.

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Background Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune blistering disease which is characterized by autoantibodies against hemidesmosomal proteins of the skin and mucous membranes. In recent years, the role of eosinophil and immunoglobulin E autoantibodies have been further elucidated in BP, and have been considered potential therapeutic targets. Case presentations A 67-year-old male presented with erythematous bullous eruption. The skin eruption was located on whole body, and suggested BP. Peripheral blood eosinophil count and total immunoglobulin E markedly elevated in initial laboratory findings. Topical and systemic steroid (methylprednisolone 2 mg/kg/day) treatment was started, and his skin symptoms worsened repeatedly, whenever systemic steroid were reduced. On admission day 29, reslizumab (anti-interleukin-5) 3.5 mg/kg was administered intravenously to the patients. The bullous skin lesion began to improve rapidly, and methylprednisolone (8 mg/day) was reduced without any worsening of symptoms during two doses of reslizumab. Conclusions We report a case of successful treatment response to reslizumab administration in a patient with BP. Further studies are needed to confirm the role of anti-interleukin-5 as a treatment for BP in the future.