Omalizumab in Severe-Allergic Asthma:the Impact on Real Life Patients

Omalizumab has been reported to be a valid therapeutic intervention for the treatment of severe allergic asthma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of omalizumab and its impact on quality of life (QoL) and emotional sphere. A retrospective study on 33 adults with severe allergic asthma treated with omalizumab from January 2016 to January 2018; patients were divided in group 1 and 2 with age>55 or <55 years, respectively. Exacerbations, FEV1 values, Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) scores were evaluated at T0 baseline, T1 1 year and T2 2 years. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 was used to investigate Alexithymia. Omalizumab induced a significant decrease in exacerbations and increase in FEV1 , ACT and AQLQ. Alexithymia, in six patients, did not interfere with omalizumab efficacy. From T1 to T2 improvement, even if present, was not significant but a reduction of exacerbations in both groups occurred and in group 1 AQLQ increase correlated to environmental stimuli. Omalizumab was efficacious in different age groups with severe allergic asthma but also improved their QoL. In our study these results were obtained regardless to the presence or not of alexithymia.