Doctors Need More Freedom of Choice in Rescue Asthma Therapy
LifeSciences Press (LSP)A recent electronic survey of US asthma experts demonstrated the need for better access to levalbuterol for selected patients.
A recent electronic survey of US asthma experts demonstrated the need for better access to levalbuterol for selected patients.
Are herbal remedies effective for asthma treatment? Latest study reports use can actually lead to worsening asthma and poorer quality of life. Patients interested in herbal remedies need to use them to complement treatment and not as an alternative, or they will not maximize their health and may actually hinder it.
Clarkson University researchers are helping the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health study the link between air pollutants and health problems in children in Detroit. The project is examining the relationship between asthma in children and exposures within 150 yards of major highways.
How do you solve problems? You bring diverse perspectives together and create a new approach. That’s what’s happening in a new class at the University of Houston Honors College called Asthmatic Spaces: Houston, which uses a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to problem-based studies.
Ten year, retroactive study shows allergy immunotherapy, generally referred to as allergy vaccinations or shots, reduce total health care costs in children with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) by one-third, and prescription costs by 16 percent. Serious medical and economic consequences make early diagnosis and aggressive treatment a priority.
Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be important in the aberrant immune system response seen in asthma, the discovery may suggest a new therapeutic target.
Parenting expert Jo Frost instructs and inspires many beleaguered parents on her hit ABC show, “Supernanny.” Now she brings her trademark no-nonsense advice and indomitable spirit to help guide parents of children with asthma and other respiratory conditions in a new exclusive interview with Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)’s Allergy & Asthma Today magazine.
Asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage to their lungs that exacerbates asthmatic symptoms just by putting down their cigarettes, according to research out of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
A few home visits by a health care specialist to educate children with asthma about basic strategies for earlier symptom recognition and improving medication use can lead to fewer flare-ups and less frequent trips to the ER, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center published in the December issue of Pediatrics.
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found that informed adults can help families stave off complications associated with asthma. The findings, available online and in the December issue of Pediatrics, suggest that interventions by parent mentors – caregivers of asthmatic children who have received specialized topical training – can effectively reduce wheezing, asthma attacks, emergency room visits and missed adult workdays.
Exposure shortly after birth to ambient metals from fuel oil combustion and particles from diesel emissions is associated with respiratory symptoms in young inner-city children, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
Children who are exposed to high levels of traffic-related pollution and high levels of indoor endotoxin early in life have six times the risk of developing persistent wheezing by age three than children exposed to low levels of traffic and indoor-related pollutants, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way.
Maternal depression can worsen asthma symptoms in their children, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center published online in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.
As flu season got underway this fall, Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an allergist, noticed that her office started to receive an unusually high number of calls from people with egg allergy. They previously had avoided flu vaccines because of their sensitivity to eggs. This year, with all the attention being paid to the novel H1N1 influenza, those patients want to be protected against flu, and they contacted her to find out if they are candidates for inoculation.
Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are two of the most common work-related health issues facing workers worldwide say experts. The reaction can be allergic or caused by irritation. There is crossover between industries related to a high incidence of contact dermatitis and jobs linked to occupational asthma.
The treatment of allergic rhinitis is shown to improve co-existing conditions including conjunctivitis, asthma, sinusitis, otitis media with effusion (fluid in the middle ear) and sleep disorders. An estimated 50 million people in the United States suffer from allergic rhinitis and it is the most prevalent chronic condition in patients under age 18.
Tobacco smoke is involved in uncontrolled asthma, a diminished response to anti-asthma drugs, rhinitis, nasal obstruction, and deregulation of the immune system. Active smoking also causes changes in inflammation in asthma patients, diminishes their response to anti-asthma drugs, and has been found to induce nasal obstruction and decreased mucociliary clearance.
Damp environments, poorly maintained heating and air-conditioning systems and carpeting may contribute to poor indoor air quality, according to experts. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are repeatedly exposed to indoor allergens and airborne particles that can lead to respiratory symptoms and conditions.
Investigators discover cellular mechanisms that may impact the decline of both innate and adaptive immune functions that increase the susceptibility to various infectious agents, cancer and diseases in the elderly say experts.
Researchers are unveiling new data on investigational findings in nearly 450 abstracts on the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. Key studies focus on anaphylaxis, nasal saline irrigation, egg allergy, new treatment for hereditary angioedema and a food allergy survey of school nurses.
While progress has been made in identifying 39 genes potentially associated with asthma, the disease is complex, and its development is likely dependent upon both genetics and environmental exposures.
Asthma Insight and Management (AIM), the largest and most comprehensive survey of asthma in the United States conducted in more than a decade, reveals limited progress in reducing hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to asthma over the past ten years.
Less restrictive dietary options, better detection, targeted avoidance measures, educational directives and potential new therapies are improving food allergy management and giving hope to the more than 12 million Americans affected according to experts at the XIII International Food Allergy Symposium.
Flu shots can be given to patients with egg sensitivity if the proper procedure is followed. A food allergy expert at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, presents a novel way to classify children and adults as to their risks and suggests procedures for administering the vaccines.
Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).
A University of Adelaide study may have shed light on the rise in childhood asthma in developed countries like Australia in recent decades.
Difficult-to-treat asthma often may have more to do with patients who do not take their medication as instructed than ineffective medication, according to researchers in Northern Ireland.
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) view updated statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with concern - new data shows that 26 percent of patients who have been hospitalized for H1N1 flu this season had asthma. About 1,400 adults and about 500 children have been hospitalized with H1N1 since the pandemic began this summer; 81 children have died of complications from H1N1, the CDC reports.
An apparent allergic reaction after an immunization should be investigated rather than avoiding future immunizations, which could leave patients at greater risk of disease, according to new medical guidelines.
For men with type 2 diabetes, a cell type linked to allergic inflammation is closely linked to a key indicator of diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy), suggests a study in the November Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
A group of pregnant women who have asthma or allergies will get extra vitamin D as part of a study to determine if the vitamin can prevent their children from developing asthma.
Children in Southern California may soon be breathing a little easier, thanks to the UCLA Breathmobile, an asthma clinic on wheels that provides free diagnosis, treatment, medication and education at school sites for children with asthma.
For the estimated 36 million Americans who will continue to sniffle and sneeze into the fall, allergy symptoms can be just as bad as they are in spring. Dr. Daniel A. Hussar, Remington professor of pharmacy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, strongly recommends that patients speak with a pharmacist before selecting the OTC product that will be the most effective and safest to use for the symptoms that they are experiencing.
Parenting expert Jo Frost is a trusted fixture in many parents’ lives, sharing no-nonsense advice for frazzled families. She also knows from personal experience what it’s like to live with asthma. Now she has joined up with Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading patient advocacy group for asthma and allergy, to launch a new educational campaign to help parents better manage their children’s asthma, Time 2 Talk Asthma.
Today, Schering-Plough Corporation announced the recipients of the 2009 Will to Win Scholarship Program, which recognizes high school seniors with asthma who are pursuing higher education. Ten scholarships of $5,000 have been awarded to two high school seniors in each of the five scholarship categories: performing arts, visual arts, community service, athletics and science.
Investigators find changes in humidity and temperature result in an increase in Emergency Department (ED) visits for pediatric asthma exacerbations, correlations observed after controlling for levels of airborne pollutants and common aeroallergens.
New research hints that the common belief that kids who go to daycare have lower rates of asthma and allergy later in life might be nothing more than wishful thinking. While young children in daycare definitely do get more illnesses and experience more respiratory symptoms as a result, any perceived protection these exposures afford against asthma and allergy seem to disappear by the time the child hits the age of eight.
UMDNJ Allergist Dr. Catherine Monteleone is available to discuss allergy symptoms and pollens such as ragweed, other weeds, and mold.
Screening tests used to predict asthma activity in patients may have little tracking success when applied to people with persistent disease who are adhering to their health care regimens, UT Southwestern Medical Center physician report.
Journalists are invited to report on the latest developments in the treatment of allergic diseases that afflict more than 50 million Americans at the ACAAI Annual Meeting, Nov. 5-10, 2009, at the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Fountainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Fla.
Some children with a history of severe milk allergy can safely drink milk and consume other dairy products every day, according to research led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and published in the Aug. 10 online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading national nonprofit for people with asthma and allergies, and National Jewish Health, the nation's No. 1 respiratory hospital, are teaming up to provide a comprehensive approach to controlling symptoms for people with allergies and asthma.
Food allergy knowledge in the general public is poor concerning the difference between food allergy and food intolerance, the absence of a cure, and current treatments. Investigators say this is the first study to provide such detailed information about the general public's food allergy knowledge.
Children with stressed out parents may be more susceptible to developing asthma associated with environmental triggers such as high levels of traffic-related pollution and tobacco smoke, according to a new study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).
Reducing children's exposure to a variety of allergens, rather than targeting a single "trigger," might be a better way to avoid asthma, according to a new review of studies.
AANMA and other advocates are celebrating their latest legislative triumph: Louisiana and Connecticut are the 48th and 49th states to pass laws allowing students to carry and self-administer life-saving asthma and anaphylaxis medications in school starting this coming school year. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell have just signed both bills into law.
The same bee and other insect venom shots that doctors use to prevent deadly systemic reactions to insect stings can also tone down large local allergic reactions that, while not dangerous, can be painful and inconvenient, a Johns Hopkins study shows. Results of the study are published in the June 2009 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society have released official standards for clinical trials and practice with respect to the assessment of asthma. The statement appears in the July 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Data from the first-ever clinical study of a new formulation of a capsaicin-based nasal spray containing MucoAd were presented last week in Europe during a poster presentation at the 28th Congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EACCI), held in Warsaw Poland.