Research presented at the 2017 AAAAI Annual Meeting discussed the role omalizumab may have in treating severe aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD).
In the oral session, Masami Taniguchi, MD, PhD, from Sagamihara National Hospital, Japan, aimed to describe the pathomechanism of induction of severe airway symptoms in AERD patients and described potential mechanisms of anti-IgE (omalizumab) as a treatment for AERD.
The specific pathomechanisms in AERD patients vs. aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA) patients include mast cell activation, platelet activation, and an investigation of possible basophil activation. In 1992, sodium cromoglycate (SCG) was found to have an acute bronchodilative effect only in patients with aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA).
Dr. Taniguchi reported that in a clinical study, 70% of stable AIA patients without inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment saw significant improvement in pulmonary function “immediately after a single inhalation of SCG nebulized solution” whereas none of the ATA patients demonstrated bronchodilation after SCG inhalation.
“These results suggest that airway mast cell activation is one of the most important pathomechanisms in AERD,” he stated.
