Study at Cincinnati Children's Identifies Breakthrough Treatment For Devastating Blood Disorders

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Researchers have identified a breakthrough treatment for hypereosinophilic syndromes, which can cause heart failure and death.

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) January 11, 2004 --In a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/default.htm) have identified a breakthrough treatment for a group of devastating blood disorders that can cause heart failure and death.

These disorders, hypereosinophilic syndromes, are associated with allergies and are so severe that they can attack the heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract and skin. Moreover, their numbers have been increasing rapidly in recent years.

One patient who hadn't been able to eat solid foods for many years because his disease involved narrowing of his esophagus stopped his regular vomiting and began swallowing solid foods after taking the experimental drug, according to Marc Rothenberg, MD (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/staff/r/marc-rothenberg.htm), director of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/dept-div/allergy-immunology/default.htm) at Cincinnati Children's and leader of the Cincinnati Children's research team.

Other patients reported improved respiratory symptoms and began assuming more normal lifestyles, Dr. Rothenberg says.

Hypereosinophilic syndromes are characterized by severely elevated levels of eosinophils (http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/prog/eosinophilic/default.htm) -- a type of white blood cell.

In these diseases, eosinophils grow in an uncontrolled manner and can attack many parts of the body. Over the last decade, physicians have noted an increasing number of cases of these medical problems, especially in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Dr. Rothenberg's research team tested a newly developed drug, Anti-IL-5 (mepolizumab), which blocks the eosinophil growth hormone Interleukin-5 (IL-5). The drug was originally developed for the treatment of asthma and is under clinical trials for this problem. The researchers found that Anti-IL-5 was well tolerated in all patients and lowered eosinophil counts despite ongoing systemic steroid therapy.

"Amazingly, the decline in eosinophil counts was sustained for at least 12 weeks after the last dose of Anti-IL-5," says Dr. Rothenberg. "Most importantly, Anti-IL-5 improved clinical and quality of life measurements."

IL-5 is a cytokine -- a protein released by a cell that generates an immune response. Cytokines are critically involved in regulating several aspects of eosinophils including their production, activation and tissue recruitment.

The Cincinnati Children's research team aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of this new drug in patients with several forms of hypereosinophilic syndromes. Four patients, previously dependent on or not responding to the toxic medication used to partially treat these disorders, were treated with three intravenous doses of Anti-IL-5 administered at four week intervals.

"Although this is a preliminary study, these tantalizing results suggest that Anti-IL-5 may be very useful for a variety of problems associated with hypereosinophilic syndromes," says Dr. Rothenberg.
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Contact:
Jim Feuer, Media Relations, 513-636-4656, jim.feuer@cchmc.org, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center