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Health News:Asthma

Asthma Combo Seems Less Influenced by Genes

November 20, 2009

THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) — People’s genetic makeup has been shown to affect how they respond to asthma medications, but a new study finds that many people respond well to a particular combination treatment regardless of their genes.

However, the study did find a difference in response among blacks.

The drug combo in question combines the long-acting beta-agonist salmeterol (Serevent) and moderate doses of an inhaled corticosteroid. The genes in question relate to a receptor in the body that is crucial to the effectiveness of asthma bronchodilators. Read More

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Folic Acid Late in Pregnancy Tied to Asthma in Kids

November 13, 2009

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) — Children born to women who take folic acid in late pregnancy are at increased risk for asthma, Australian researchers say.

The University of Adelaide study included more than 500 women whose diet and supplements were assessed during pregnancy. The women’s children were checked for asthma at age 3.5 years and at 5.5 years. Asthma was found in 11.6 percent of children at 3.5 years and in 11.8 percent of children at 5.5 years. Read More

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‘The Pill’ May Reduce Asthma Symptoms

November 13, 2009

FRIDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) — Women with asthma may notice that their asthma symptoms get worse at certain times of the month. Now, a new study confirms that fluctuating female hormone levels appear to affect airway inflammation, but oral contraceptives might help ease those changes.

In women who were not using birth control pills, the study found that increased levels of estrogen were associated with decreased levels of exhaled nitric oxide — indicating decreased airway inflammation. In these same women, increased levels of progesterone were associated with increased levels of exhaled nitric oxide, indicating increased airway inflammation. Read More

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Wood Fires Can Harm the Youngest Lungs

November 6, 2009

FRIDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) — That picturesque wood-burning stove ranks alongside auto traffic as a risk factor for bronchiolitis, the respiratory condition that is the leading cause of hospitalization in the first year of life, a new study finds.

“Those infants who had more exposure to wood-burning appliances were more likely to show up in doctors’ offices or be hospitalized for bronchiolitis,” said Dr. Catherine Karr, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, and lead author of a report in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Read More

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World Trade Center Workers Twice as Likely to Have Asthma

November 3, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) — World Trade Center rescue and cleanup workers have asthma rates twice that of the general population, a new study shows.

In 2005, about 8 percent of workers and volunteers who had spent time at Ground Zero reported having an asthma attack during the previous year, compared to about 4 percent of the general population. The rate of asthma attacks among World Trade Center workers had been less than 1 percent in 2000. Read More

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Rising Heat, Humidity Raise Risk of Asthma Flares

September 22, 2009

TUESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) — Although many parents already know that changes in the weather can cause their children’s asthma symptoms to flare up, a new study backs up their intuition.

If the humidity levels in the air rose by more than 10 percent or if the temperature increased by more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit in a single day, more children ended up in the emergency department of a Detroit hospital reporting asthma symptoms, the new research found. Read More

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Chlorine in Pools Raises Kids’ Asthma, Allergy Risk

September 14, 2009

MONDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) — Swimming in pools disinfected with chlorine may increase the odds that a child will develop asthma or allergies, new research suggests.

The study found that teenagers who spent more than 1,000 hours swimming in chlorinated pools, either indoors or outdoors, had more than eight times the risk of having asthma than did teens who primarily swam in pools using a copper-silver disinfecting method.

“Chlorinated pool attendance has a very significant impact on the prevalence of allergic diseases in the studied population,” said lead author Alfred Bernard, a professor of toxicology and research director at Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels, Belgium. Read More

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Day Care May Not Shield Kids From Asthma, Allergies

September 9, 2009

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) — Early day care, so the story goes, exposes kids to more germs and illnesses at an early age, thereby protecting them from asthma and allergies later on.

Scientists call it the ”hygiene hypothesis,” but a new study casts doubt on its existence and finds early infections have no effect on asthma and allergy rates at age 8. Read More

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Exposure to Tobacco Smoke Before Birth Affects DNA

September 1, 2009

MONDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) — Women who smoke while pregnant increase their unborn child’s long-term risk for health problems, including childhood asthma, cardiovascular disease and lower pulmonary function, and a new study may help experts understand why.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) found that maternal smoking actually changes the unborn child’s DNA patterns.

The new study found that fetal exposure to maternal smoking was linked to differences in DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism. Read More

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Xyzal Approved for Younger Kids

August 26, 2009

TUESDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) — The antihistamine Xyzal (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) has been approved for children aged six months and older for indoor allergies and hives, drug makers UCB and Sanofi-Aventis said.

The medication, available as a liquid or pill, had been approved previously for people aged six years and older. The expanded approval also sanctions the drug’s use to treat outdoor allergies in children aged two years and older. Read More

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