The current issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology focuses on the unfortunate topic of violence and war and how it affects allergic conditions. This month’s cover image is very sobering – and a reminder of the horrors of violence and war.
As we hope for peace throughout the world –including reduction in violence at home — two articles focus on the unique perspective of treating allergic conditions during the wars in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine. Drs. Alon Y. Hersko and Francesca Levi-Schaffer describe the effect on patients, the medical system and medical education in the middle east, while Drs. Igor Kaidashev and Eugenia Ditiatkovskaya describe the dramatic increases in asthma admissions in Ukraine since the start of war.
Violence and its effects on asthma are the focus of two reviews – one by Drs. Yueh-Ying Han and Juan C. Celedon and the other by Dr. Lisa Frueh and colleagues. Drs. Han and Celedon discuss how stress affects the HPA axis, immune modulation and its related pathways, as well as stressing the need for additional research in this area. Dr. Frueh’s review focuses on community violence and asthma. It explores the association of crime, perceived and real safety issues, the rate of asthma admission and hospitalization, and concludes with possible mechanisms to explain these relationships. This month, the Marginal Zone illustrates Department of Defense medical waivers for allergic conditions in a satirical (but educational) vein.
In addition to the themed articles, there are several outstanding original research articles in this month’s Annals. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is the topic of two of these articles. Dr. Anthony J. Castaldo and colleagues report development of a United States-specific Quality of Life measure for HAE, which is something that might help with FDA approval of new compounds. Dr. Timothy Craig and colleagues explore the long-term safety of lanadelumab in adolescents as part of the HELP trial, showing a decrease in HAE events without any serious treatment-related adverse events.
Asthma is another focus this month. Dr. Yusuke Hayashi and his group examined lower skeletal muscle density and airway structure using CT scans and found female, but not male, patients with asthma had lower pectoralis muscle density compared to matched controls. Dr. Melissa H. Bloodworth and colleagues report the results of looking at obesity and its impact on asthma risk in adults. They found that being overweight or obese led to a 10-year attributable risk of 14.5%. Interestingly, of all the metabolic dysfunction related diseases, only diabetes was associated with new onset asthma. This intriguing study suggests that helping our adult patients reduce their weight and avoid diabetes may be a way of reducing the development of asthma, as well.
This issue of Annals (our 81st year of publication!) contains many more exciting original articles and letters that will help you provide the best possible care to your patients.
We hope for a peaceful and healthy holiday season and upcoming year for all. And, as always, if you have any comments, please consider sending correspondence to Annals (email us at annals@ACAAI.org). We are always excited to hear how Annals has helped you improve the lives of your patients!
Jonathan Spergel, MD, PHD, FACAAI
Deputy Editor
