Full Description
Little new has been introduced into the armamentarium for asthma therapy in the last thirty years apart from improvements in b2-adrenoceptor agonists, corticosteroids and cysteinyl leukotriene antagonists. However, the introduction of a fully humanised monoclonal antibody to immunoglobulin E (IgE) (omalizumab), should provide a new way of treating allergic disorders, with effects that extend beyond a single affected organ and tissue. The precise role of this new agent in treatment guidelines will need to be carefully evaluated, but its clear efficacy and safety provide a strong statement about the importance of IgE across the full spectrum of allergic disease. This pocketbook provides an illustrative summary of the role of IgE in the pathogenesis of asthma and allied allergic disorders, as well as the effects of anti-IgE therapy in the management of these conditions.
Contents
1. What are asthma and allergy? 2. What is immunoglobulin E (IgE)? 3. Synthesis and regulation of IgE 4. Allergic inflammation and the role of IgE 5. Current management of asthma and allergy 6. Anti-IgE as a therapeutic strategy 7. Efficacy and safety of anti-IgE in asthma 8. Efficacy and safety in allergic rhinitis 9. Future prospects for IgE in the treatment of allergic disorders.
