2014 Volume 63 Issue 10 Pages 1338-1347
Background: The efficacy of anti-IgE antibody, omalizumab, was studied in patients with severe bronchial asthma. There have been reports stating that although omalizumab could not improve objective results, it has shown improvements in subjective symptoms of patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of omalizumab in severe bronchial asthma. Methods: Thirteen patients were enrolled. Omalizumab was administered subcutaneously every 2 or 4 weeks based on serum IgE level and body weight of each patient. Pulmonary function tests, Asthma Control Test (ACT), Asthma Health Questionnaire-JAPAN (AHQ-JAPAN), number of emergency visits and dosage of methylprednisolone during a 16-week period were compared to the previous year. We examined the correlations between respiratory function, and ACT and AHQ-JAPAN. Results: Treatment with omalizumab did not improve lung function. AHQ and ACT over the 16-week period significantly improved compared to baseline (p< 0.01). The number of emergency visit and doses of methylprednisolone were significantly reduced compared to the previous year (p<0.01). Conclusion: Although treatment with omalizumab could not improve lung function, AHQ and ACT during the 16-week study period had significantly improved compared to baseline. Omalizumab significantly reduced the number of emergency visits and dosages of methylprednisolone.
