Three cases of severe adolescent asthma treated with mepolizumab: lung function trajectories

Miyuki Hoshi; Mayumi Matsunaga; Kazutaka Nogami; Kana Hamada; Taiga Kobori; Keigo Kainuma; Mizuho Nagao; Takao Fujisawa

doi:10.5415/apallergy.2020.10.e13

Three cases of severe adolescent asthma treated with mepolizumab: lung function trajectories

Asia Pac Allergy. 2020 Apr 10;10(2):e13. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2020.10.e13. eCollection 2020 Apr.

Authors

Miyuki Hoshi¹, Mayumi Matsunaga¹, Kazutaka Nogami¹, Kana Hamada¹, Taiga Kobori¹, Keigo Kainuma¹, Mizuho Nagao¹, Takao Fujisawa¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Clinical Research, National Hospital Organization Mie National Hospital, Tsu, Japan.

Abstract

Real-world experience with mepolizumab for pediatric asthma is still limited. We report 3 patients who were treated with mepolizumab for severe adolescent asthma. Two patients, a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, responded well to mepolizumab and showed apparent improvement in lung function from a downward trend over time before treatment. The third patient, a 16-year-old boy, whose treatment was switched from omalizumab to mepolizumab, did not have satisfactory response. The 2 successful cases had eosinophil counts of 440 and 371/μL and multiple comorbid allergic diseases including food allergies. The clinical benefit to them included elimination of both exacerbation and exercise-induced asthma. Interestingly, the boy's food-induced gastrointestinal symptoms disappeared following start of mepolizumab treatment.

Keywords: Adolescent; Eosinophil count; Eosinophilic inflammation; Interleukin-5; Mepolizumab; Severe asthma.

Publication types

Case Reports