Dupilumab has been approved for the treatment of severe asthma with type 2 inflammation by inhibiting interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 signaling. However, dupilumab-induced hypereosinophilia (HE) has been reported and should not be ignored. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of dupilumab in Chinese patients with severe asthma, whether HE affects its efficacy, and the possible risk factors for HE.
20 patients with severe asthma who received dupilumab treatment for at least 12 months in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from 2019 to 2022 were included. We compared clinical data and laboratory tests results before dupilumab treatment and at 4 and 12 months after treatment. Based on whether dupilumab treatment triggers HE defined as blood eosinophil count (BEC) ≥ 1.5 × 109 cells/L, the patients were allocated into non-HE and HE groups.
The patients showed a significant increase in asthma control test (ACT) scores, a decrease in the number of exacerbations, a decrease in the proportion of patients taking an oral corticosteroid (OCS) and in the dose, and a significant improvement in the pulmonary function parameters FEV1/FVC (%) and FEV1 (% predicted) after 4 and 12 months of treatment with dupilumab. For type 2 inflammatory biomarkers, the levels of fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), sputum eosinophil count percentage (SEC%) and total immunoglobulin E (TIgE) decreased significantly, whereas BEC were higher after 4 months of treatment, but returned to baseline levels after 12 months. 8 patients (40%) developed asymptomatic HE after dupilumab, and the efficacy was not significantly different between the HE and non-HE groups. The earliest BEC elevation appeared at 1 month after treatment, but most of them declined after 6 months, and basically returned to the baseline level around 12 months of treatment. In addition, we further found that when patients had FeNO ≥ 60 ppb, food allergens positive and combined eosinophilic otitis media (EOM), their BEC increased significantly more than that of the control group after 4 months as well as 12 months of treatment.
This study demonstrated that dupilumab was efficacious in Chinese patients with severe asthma, and some patients developed asymptomatic, self-limited HE, which did not affect its efficacy. Additionally, FeNO ≥60 ppb, food allergens positive, and co-morbidities with EOM may be the risk factors for developing HE.

Introduction: Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) and immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis (ALA) are two, rare haematological disorders associated with cardiac alterations. Aim: The goal of the present study was a comparative assessment of left ventricular (LV) deformational parameters in HES and ALA patients using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE). Method: In the present study, results of 10 HES patients (mean age: 60.9 ± 14.7 years) and 19 ALA patients (mean age: 63.4 ± 7.8 years, 13 males) were analysed. The control group contained 13 age- and gender-matched healthy adults (mean age: 59.2 ± 4.3 years, 5 males). All patients underwent a complete two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography followed by 3DSTE. Results: All basal segmental LV strains were significantly reduced in ALA patients as compared to the control group. Global and mean segmental LV longitudinal strain (LS) values of ALA patients proved to be significantly decreased as compared to those of the healthy control group. During comparison of HES patients and healthy controls, significant difference could be detected in global LV-LS, while segmental basal LV-LS was also significantly reduced in HES patients. Basal LV radial and 3D strains showed significant differences when parameters of HES and ALA patient groups were compared. Conclusion: 3DSTE is a feasible tool for the detailed assessment of LV deformation in HES and ALA patients. Significant LV deformational abnormalities could be detected in both groups. In the case of ALA, these abnormalities are more prominent. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(5): 169-176.
Absztrakt: Bevezetés: A hypereosinophilia-szindróma (HES) és az immunglobulinkönnyűlánc-amyloidosis (ALA) két ritka hematológiai betegség, melyek cardialis eltérésekkel járnak együtt. Célkitűzés: A jelen vizsgálat célja a HES- és ALA-betegek bal kamrai (BK-i) deformációs paramétereinek összehasonlító vizsgálata volt háromdimenziós speckle-tracking echokardiográfia (3DSTE) segítségével. Módszer: A vizsgálatok során 10 HES-beteg (átlagos életkor: 60,9 ± 14,7 év) és 19 ALA-ban szenvedő páciens (átlagos életkor: 63,4 ± 7,8 év, 13 férfi) eredményeit elemeztük. Kontrollcsoportként 13, korban és nemben egyeztetett, egészséges felnőtt szolgált (átlagos életkor: 59,2 ± 4,3 év, 5 férfi). Valamennyi esetben teljes körű kétdimenziós Doppler-echokardiográfiás vizsgálat készült 3DSTE-vel kiegészítve. Eredmények: A kontrollcsoporthoz képest az ALA-betegcsoportban mért valamennyi basalis szegmentális BK-i strain szignifikánsan alacsonyabbnak mutatkozott. Az ALA-betegek globális és átlagolt szegmentális BK-i longitudinális strain (LS) értékei az egészséges kontrollcsoporthoz hasonlítva szignifikánsan alacsonyabbnak bizonyultak. A HES-betegcsoport és az egészséges kontrollok összehasonlítása során szignifikáns különbséget tapasztaltunk a globális BK-LS tekintetében, míg a szegmentális basalis BK-LS is szignifikánsan alacsonyabbnak bizonyult a HES-betegekben. A HES- és az ALA-betegcsoport értékeit összehasonlítva a basalis BK-i radiális és 3D strain mutatott szignifikáns eltérést. Következtetések: A 3DSTE alkalmas módszer a HES- és az ALA-betegcsoportban a BK-i deformációs mechanika részletes vizsgálatára. Mindkét betegcsoportban jelentős deformációs eltérések tapasztalhatók, ALA fennállása esetén az eltérések kifejezettebbek. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(5): 169–176.