Biomedical subjects

Ronald A Simon

Publications and source records attributed to Ronald A Simon.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

The safety of celecoxib in patients with aspirin-sensitive asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor, cross-reacts in patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) with asthma. METHODS: Sixty patients with asthma underwent double-blinded, placebo-controlled oral challenges with celecoxib (100 mg, 200 mg, and 2 placebos) over 48 hours in our General Clinical Research Center. The next day, sensitivity to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was proven in all patients with the use of single-blinded ASA challenges. RESULTS: None of the 60 patients experienced any symptoms, changes in nasal examinations, or declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second during the celecoxib challenges. All 60 patients experienced oculonasal and/or asthmatic reactions to ASA, with a mean provoking dose of 69 mg. The exact 1-sided confidence interval for the probability of celecoxib inducing cross-reactions in AERD patients was calculated to be between 0% and 5%. CONCLUSION: Cross-reactivity between ASA and celecoxib does not occur in patients with AERD. These results do not preclude the possibility of other types of immune reactions occurring with celecoxib after prior exposure. Our results add to the growing body of evidence that inhibition of COX-1 is a critical initiating event in the precipitation of respiratory reactions in AERD patients following ingestion of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

PubMed2002

The natural history and clinical characteristics of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

BACKGROUND: Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by chronic rhinitis, nasal polyps, asthma, and precipitation of asthma and rhinitis attacks after ingestion of aspirin (ASA) and most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Most information about the disease in the United States has come from small samples of patients. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the natural history and clinical characteristics of 300 AERD patients, referred to our institution for aspirin desensitization. METHODS: All potential AERD patients were evaluated using a standard questionnaire that included information about clinical characteristics and natural progression of their disease, previous history of reactions to ASA and other NSAIDs, current use of medications, and ethnic backgrounds. All patients underwent oral ASA challenges to prove they had AERD. RESULTS: From patients' history we found that the average age at onset of AERD was 34 years, and that 57% were female. Counting ASA as an NSAID, 33% had previously reacted on two occasions to NSAIDs and 36% on more than three occasions to NSAIDs, whereas only 27% had reacted to one NSAID before they came to us for evaluation. Our patients had averaged 5.5 episodes of sinusitis per year. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics or use of medications between genders. Ethnicity was heterogeneous in most participants. CONCLUSIONS: AERD begins in the third decade of life and in both sexes. The disease progressed over the 13 years between historical onset and current evaluation, with more sinusitis and need for controller medications over time. There was no ethnic or familial distribution of AERD.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2002

Sensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

BACKGROUND: Aspirin can provoke reactions ranging from respiratory to cutaneous in susceptible individuals. There has been particular attention looking at the role of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes 1 and 2 and their role in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease. OBJECTIVE: Patients who present with a spectrum of allergic and pseudoallergic reactions to aspirin pose a special challenge for the physician. This article discusses proposed classification system, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis of disease, and current treatment options of aspirin-related disease. DATA SOURCES: Relevant articles in the medical literature were derived from searching the MEDLINE database with key terms aspirin-sensitive asthma, cyclo-oxygenase enzymes 1 and 2. Sources also include review articles, randomized control trials, and standard textbooks of allergy and immunology. RESULTS: Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease remains a complex, heterogenous disease with varied clinical presentations. There have been many advances in trying to elucidate the pathogenesis of this disease. The classification system presented will provide greater ease when reading the literature and communicating with one another. Oral aspirin challenge remains the diagnostic test of choice for both respiratory and cutaneous reactions. Aspirin desensitization is an option for those with refractory respiratory disease or who require aspirin for other medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: This review discusses the challenges in classification, diagnosis, and treatment of those patients with a sensitivity to aspirin. Special attention is made to the possible mechanisms mediating disease progression and how specific therapies, such as leukotriene modifiers, may be helpful.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Making the call: the diagnosis of acute community-acquired bacterial sinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Although one of the most common illnesses encountered in the primary care setting, acute community-acquired bacterial sinusitis (ACABS) can be a challenge to diagnose. METHODS: Existing diagnostic modalities ranging from clinical history to imaging studies used to diagnose ACABS are discussed. RESULTS: Numerous methods exist but they do not distinguish well between viral and bacterial illness. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of ACABS should primarily be made based on the clinical history. Other modalities provide useful information in select cases.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The allergy-asthma connection.

Asthma and allergic rhinitis are both common conditions and, therefore, often present in the same patients. Also, among the various triggers for asthma, allergy is an extremely common provoking factor for both adult and pediatric patients. The nose and lungs are connected by neural reflexes, and nasal allergen provocation can cause bronchoconstriction, and bronchial challenge can result in nasal inflammation. Treatment of allergic rhinitis with nasal steroids improves asthma control of symptoms, decreases bronchial hyperreactivity, and improves forced expiratory volume in 1 second. Treatment of subjects who have both allergic rhinitis and asthma with antihistamines (both alone and in combination with decongestants) and/or leukotriene receptor antagonists results in improvements in both conditions.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical implications of combination therapy on the future of asthma management.

Current guidelines for the treatment of moderate persistent asthma list the combination of long-acting beta-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) as the treatment of choice. This decision is based on their efficacy compared with other dual controller combinations such as increased doses of ICSs or adding leukotriene modifiers, especially when the forced expiratory volume in 1 second value is used as the primary comparator. The main purpose of this study is to examine this form of dual controller therapy in terms of anti-inflammatory effects. One of the concerns with the combination of long-acting beta-agonists and ICSs is what happens to patients on this therapy during an asthma exacerbation. The existing data indicate that when combination therapy was compared with high-dose ICSs alone, it did not alter the ability to detect deteriorating asthma, it led to faster recovery after an exacerbation, it did not disguise deteriorating asthma, and it did not increase/mask airway inflammation. This study also examines how to approach patients placed on this dual controller therapy after control of their asthma is attained. Suggestions for the transition from initial therapy to maintenance therapy that may involve single controller medications are made. Innovative methods of handling asthma exacerbations with dual controller therapy also are made.

Administration, Inhalation↗