Allergy-Associates – Page 32 – 6294 1st Ave N., St Petersburg, FL 33710 (727)345-1900

Allergic to one drug, maybe to all – or maybe not

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Cephalosporins constitute a large family of antibiotics. They are “kissing cousins” to the penicillin family, but are unique in their own right. Until recently it was thought that if a person was allergic to one cephalosporin, they would be allergic to the entire family. Several research groups have questioned this conventional wisdom. Most recently the Italian Ministry for University Research did a large population study on this issue. They did both skin testing and clinical challenges (giving the patient a…

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Dear Doc: My wife says if I don’t wear my hearing aids I’ll get dementia. Could she be right?

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

The answer to your question is yes; and, furthermore, I personally always follow the mantra: “Happy, wife; happy life.” Unfortunately, hearing loss is very frequent: 3 in 10 over age 60; 1 in 6 aged 41-69 (Baby Boomers), and 1 in 14 aged 29-40 (Generation X). However, untreated hearing loss leads to loss of gray matter (the thinking part of our brains). Also, the extra effort used by people straining to hear interferes with normal cognition. Finally, the social isolation…

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Water sports draw attention

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

The School of Sports Science in Australia recently completed a research study on Olympic athletes regarding aquatic sports and asthma. They found the highest incidence of asthma in aquatic athletes as compared to all other Olympic athletes. Among aquatic athletes pool swimmers had the most asthma, and among categories of swimmers it was the endurance swimmers who again had more asthma than the sprint and intermediate swimmers. After pool swimmers, the water sports associated with asthma in decreasing order of…

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Roach dust has value? Who knew?

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Just when you think the wacky world of immunology can’t get any crazier, new research turns another corner. Readers of this newsletter have previously been exposed to the hygiene hypothesis of allergy; that is, because we are “so clean,” our idle immune systems find a mischievous outlet in the form of allergic diseases. Now researchers at the University of Texas have looked into the role exposure to cockroach dust might play in this regard. As it turns out, exposure to…

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Q – Tips: Asthma and Shingles

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that having asthma increases the risk for developing shingles almost two-fold. This is true both in children and adults.

Q – Tips: Respiclick

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Respiclick is a new format for albuterol inhalers. Opening the protective mouthpiece arms the inhaler so it automatically delivers the albuterol spray once the patient starts inhaling.

Q – Tips: Hereditary Angioedema

October 8, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

A new treatment for hereditary angioedema has become available: Ruconest. It is a recombinant (man-made) C1-esterase inhibitor, and the first available not derived from a blood product such as plasma. Infusion of Ruconest replaces the deficiency of C1-esterase inhibitor which is the cause for hereditary angioedema attacks.

More asthma research yields hopeful new controls

August 7, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

For quite some time it has been known that calcium plays a major role in muscle contraction. A number of calcium-altering medicines are used to help heart problems and hypertension by relaxing the smooth muscle found in the heart and arteries. Now there may be an application to asthma. Smooth muscle is also found in our bronchial tubes; constriction of this muscle that occurs through proteins called calcium-sensing receptors causes asthma. A recent British study examined the use of a…

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Zithromax new hero in infant RSV?

August 7, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

The major cause of bronchiolitis in infants, and not infrequently the major cause of subsequent chronic asthma in these children, has been the topic of recent exciting research at Washington University. The culprit – RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) – seems to succeed because is elicits such a strong inflammatory response in the airways of its tiny victims that they never fully recover. In the past efforts have been made to try to reduce this inflammation by the use of both…

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Milk — Aged wisdom for modern dilemma

August 7, 2015 Stephen J. Klemawesch, MD

Dear Dr. K: My chiropractor told me too much milk might actually weaken my bones. I’ve always heard milk is good for teeth and bones. Could he be right? Actually, he is right. The whole cow milk and health issue has a convoluted history. It dates back to the Great Depression when many Americans were starving and rickets was common. The Federal government stepped in and subsidized the dairy farmers so that milk could be both available and cheap. It…

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