Eosinophils are in the news. Eosinophils and their role in asthma attacks are in the headlines. That’s unusual for a tiny white blood cell. There have been a plethora of asthma medications, like Fasenra, also called (benralizumab) advertised on television and in magazines in recent months.
Research has proven Eosinophils are key players in some cases of severe asthma attacks.
And “Eosinophils,” specialized types of white cells have become mysterious, thanks to the advertisers. They’ve could also become the misunderstood star of the Fasenra story.
Let us begin with the points that are actually the most important and patient-centered conclusions to draw from this blog article:
Eosinophils, Fasenra, and Your Asthma
- Just because a medication is trendy at the moment does not mean it’s right for you. Fasnera For example, the new drug for Eosinophilic Asthma, might not work on your type of asthma. A blood test will show you the truth.
- Your FLASS Health Care Professional will give you an Asthma Action Plan, and your appropriate asthma prescription
Appropriate Prescriptions
- If you have severe asthma, it is likely you have prescriptions such as a corticosteroid medication and an emergency inhaler.
- Again, FLASS alerts you. Do not stop using these if your doctor prescribes Fasenra as an additional medication. If your asthma is severe, then your healthcare provider might prescribe Fasenra to lessen the number of exacerbation (asthma attacks) you might endure.
- In fact, you should report back to your FLASS health care professional or pulmonologist. And do inform him or her if your asthma improves or worsens. That’s being a proactive patient.
Fasenra and Excess Eosinophils: How To ControlRenegade Immune Cells
Today FLASS intends to spotlight eosinophils, asthma and the use of Fasenra, which the first that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved. They endorsed it only “as an add-on maintenance treatment for people 12 years and older with severe asthma. And asthma has to be a special type of asthma.
On television, there have been massive saturation campaigns for Fasenra (benralizumab.) The advertisements have spawned an interest in eosinophils. They are listed by Fasenra as a key cause of severe allergic asthma. FLASS doesn’t dispute that. But we do want to give you deeper information that goes far beyond the commercial.
What Are Eosinophils?
Eosinophils are white cells that do not deserve a bad rap. They have two primary functions in the human body:
If you have an eosinophilic asthma attack, you will still need your inhaler, even if you have been taking Fasenra injections.
1. They can gobble up foreign substances like parasitic infections that have been targeted by the body for destruction.
2. Likewise, these eosinophils can actually regulate and promote inflammation. They can “play a beneficial role in isolating and controlling a disease site.”
3. To state it simply, the real problem with eosinophils occurs if your body makes too many of them. Then they can promote too much inflammation and inflict damage on the good, structural cells too. In the case of eosinophilic asthma, this means a serious asthma attack.
As Mayo Clinic states, “Sometimes inflammation may be greater than is necessary. This can lead to troublesome symptoms or even tissue damage. For example, eosinophils play a key role in the symptoms of asthma and allergies, such as hay fever.” But remember, it is not always bad to have eosinophils.
4. Fasenra targets eosinophils and attracts cells in your own immune system. Thus, your own immune cells attack, break down the eosinophils and remove them. With the our-of-control eosinophils tamed or obliterated, the medication can prevent severe asthma attacks.
A Special Note for Our Deep Readers and Researchers on this Hot Topic:
Our deep readers will appreciate knowing the sub-microscopic details behind this process. “Once activated, eosinophils secrete their granule contents which consist of four principal proteins: major basic protein: eosinophilic cation protein, eosinophilic-derived neurotoxin, and eosinophil peroxidase.
Eosinophils also release inflammatory lipid mediators, including cysteinyl leukotrienes C4 and D4, platelet-activating factor, and prostaglandin D2” which further propagate the allergic response.” That means you could have a severe asthma attack. Find more of the latest medical research on eosinophils at the link to a dependable online resource, within this sentence.
Your FLASS Special Alert: A Summary of Fasenra
This Glowing Message Tells Us to Breathe. It’s a tough command when Eosinophilic asthma strikes.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved Fasenra, also known as (benralizumab). In summary, the FDA authorization is for asthma “stemming from an over-abundance of immune cells known as eosinophils.” (A blood test will show their overly abundant presence.)
- Excessive levels of the cells lead to inflammation, as detailed above.
- Did You Know? “Elevated levels of eosinophils are seen in about half of those with severe asthma. ” As stated above, “they lead to airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness that worsen asthma and lung function, and increase the risk of asthma flare-ups.”
The Terrific Take-Away: Fasenra Might Be Your Answer to Your Asthma Control
Studies proved “Fasenra significantly improved asthma patients’ lung function and cut their flare-ups in half. It also led to a 75 percent reduction in patients’ daily use of steroids.” As we all know, although effective, steroids can cause health damage over the long term. Fasenra might give a patient respite from the higher doses of steroids or complete freedom from them. We will have to judge this outcome on a case-by-case basis.
Celebrating Victory over Excess Eosinophils
Pascal Soriot, the chief executive officer of AstraZeneca, said in a press release. “We’re excited to offer Fasenra as a new precision biologic to help improve the lives of severe asthma patients whose disease is driven by eosinophilic inflammation.”
He added optimistically, “This is the first approval from our respiratory biologics portfolio and the latest in a series of significant milestones for our company.”
If You Suffer from Eosinophilic Asthma, You Might Soon Be Breathing Easier
Eosinophils under control, a woman breathes in and embraces the sunset. We are still learning the details of how Fasenra works on Eosinophils. She’s just happy it does.
And in their clinical trials, patients manifested no safety problems during the eight-week Fasenra regimen. Last Year’s “FDA approval means that asthma patients in the United States will be able to take Fasenra by injection once every eight weeks.”
The Terrific Take-Away:
On November 20, 2017, Dr. Eugene Bleecker, the lead investigator of the SIROCCO study stated, “This is an important day for severe, eosinophilic asthma patients who have had limited treatment options for far too long, with many relying on oral steroids to manage their symptoms.”