Nouveautés en pneumologie et en allergologie pédiatriques

Asthma and other allergic conditions are priority research subjects because they are major public health problems world-wide. The management of severe allergic asthma has benefited from the development of a new class of drugs, anti-IgE antibodies (omalizumab). Other molecules being studied in adult asthmatics include monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins whose action is to block bronchial inflammation at different levels. Considerable progress has been made in the understanding of the genesis of asthma and allergy. It appears that the early years of life have a fundamental importance in the natural history of allergic diseases and, in particular, of asthma; this makes it important to act early on the process, that is, from the earliest age possible. Specific immunotherapy, by injection or sublingually, may have a positive effect on the natural history of allergy, making it possible to predict the development of new sensitivities and reduce the risk of developing asthma. The coming years will probably reveal which therapeutic measures will be effective in preserving the respiratory capital of the asthmatic infant.