BACKGROUND Asthma and urticaria are both partially mediated by an increased release of histamine from highly activated mast cells. They are pathophysiologically different, as mast cell degranulation in these 2 disorders results from different mechanisms. OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence of urticaria in patients with asthma, and of asthma in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). ...

BACKGROUND Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases among pregnant women. Acute exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy have an unfavorable impact on pregnancy outcome. This review provides an overview of current knowledge of incidence, mechanisms, and risk factors for acute exacerbations of asthma during pregnancy. METHODS A narrative literature review was carried out using the Pub...

Despite advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma and the availability of effective treatment, the World Health Organization estimates that asthma accounts for 1 in every 250 deaths worldwide. Viruses are associated with half of all asthma exacerbations. The immune response to viral infection may enhance preexisting airway inflammation via the release of chemokines and cyto...

STUDY OBJECTIVES There is some evidence that magnesium, when infused into asthmatic patients, can produce bronchodilation in addition to that obtained from standard treatments. This systematic review examined the effect of intravenous magnesium sulfate used for patients with acute asthma managed in the emergency department. METHODS Only randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion...

ATS/ERS statement: asthma control and exacerbations 2 Consistently very poorly controlled asthma increases risk for future severe asthma exacerbations 2 The FDA and safe use of long-acting beta-agonists in the treatment of asthma 2 Thirteen-year follow-up of early intervention with an inhaled corticosteroid in patients with asthma 3 Oral prednisolone for preschool children with acute virus-indu...

The prevalence of patients with acute severe asthma appears to be increasing in many countries. In the present review, we summarize data in the literature relating to the prevention and treatment of fatality-prone asthmatics. The underlying assumption is that increased understanding of near-fatal asthma will increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of severe asthma, and lead to interve...