Feature Channels: Asthma

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Nearly 7 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma and thousands more are living undiagnosed, struggling to breathe each day. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that a commonly used pulmonary lung function test can provide early detection of asthma before a child shows any symptoms of breathing problems. This early diagnosis could reduce the number of people who have serious complications of the disease later in life.

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L.A's CicLAvia, one-day events in which neighborhood streets are closed to motor vehicles so that people can walk and cycle freely, significantly reduces air pollution along the route and even on other streets in the communities where the event is held. Events like this could benefit other cities.

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The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and LifeMap Solutions, a digital-health subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), today announced initial results and new clinical features for their free Asthma Health app. Released six months ago, the app enables individuals with asthma to participate in a large-scale medical research study by simply using their Apple iPhones.

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While pollution from cars and other sources is known to trigger asthma in some children, there are a number of lesser-understood factors that also increase their risk – everything from viral infections, to stress, to playing soccer all day. A team of University of Utah researchers is developing an informatics platform that will make it possible to crowdsource scientific data and, eventually, pinpoint the cause of a child’s wheezing.

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The risk for hospitalization doubles for kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a study led by Mayo Clinic Children’s Research Center.

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Parents who allow their children with asthma to be exposed to second hand smoke (SHS) at home need to know the risk is high their child will be hospitalized. In fact, the risk is nearly double that for kids with asthma who are not exposed to SHS.

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Fine particulate matter released from a variety of sources in Houston was associated with slight increased mortality risk from 2000 to 2011, according to research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

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A device to mix liquids utilizing ultrasonics is the first and most difficult component in a miniaturized system for low-cost analysis of sputum from patients with pulmonary diseases such as tuberculosis and asthma.

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Hair samples can be used to measure the effects of asthma on the cortisol levels of women during pregnancy, according to research presented today at the 2015 AACC Annual Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in Atlanta. This research also shows that levels of cortisol, a stress-related hormone, tend to be lower among pregnant women with asthma than among pregnant women without the chronic, inflammatory lung disease.

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Some first-time college freshman may need a reminder that they must take charge of their healthcare, and everything that involves. They’ll have to make sure they have needed supplies and the emergency systems in place should they have an allergic response or an asthma attack.

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With the 4th of July around the corner, no one wants to be a “Yankee Doodle Scratchy.” The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology offers some tips for those who want their 4th of July celebrations to be itch, sneeze and wheeze-free.

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Older patients with asthma are at increased risk for treatment failure, particularly those patients being treated with inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study.

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Although some data have suggested that supplementation with soy isoflavone may be an effective treatment for patients with poor asthma control, a randomized trial that included nearly 400 children and adults found that use of the supplement did not result in improved lung function or clinical outcomes, including asthma symptoms and episodes of poor asthma control, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA. Soy isoflavones are plant (soybean) derived chemicals that have anti-oxidant effects.

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Researchers report that statins inhaled as a spray can treat symptoms of asthma. The findings support that statins should be explored as a new class of inhaler therapy for asthma.

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Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, and it can only be managed, not cured. It affects a disproportionally higher percentage of low-income, urban minority children, and is also the most common disease-related reason for children missing school. This can have a negative effect on their academic achievement, as well as later success in life.

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Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: nutrition, fibromyalgia, e-cigarettes, cystic fibrosis, asthma, and gluten

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In recent years and months, peanut allergies in children have been in the news frequently, as scientists reveal new insights into why more and more children are developing them and what can be done to avoid them. However, until now, few have studied the connection between peanut allergy and childhood asthma.

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In what they are calling a surprising finding in a large study of men who completed questionnaires and allowed scientists to review their medical records, Johns Hopkins researchers report that men with a history of asthma were less likely than those without it to develop lethal prostate cancer.

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New study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows how an app directly connecting an allergist and an asthma sufferer can provide necessary intervention when asthma isn’t under control.

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The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has developed an infographic to address how uncontrolled asthma impacts sufferers in the United States.

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A new study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that women with acute asthma who are treated in the emergency department are 60 percent more likely than men to need hospitalization.

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May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Asthma prevalence is at an all-time high. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology offers tips for keeping asthma under control.

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Investigators will present data from more than 50 studies on topics including adolescent sexual risk, co-locating behavioral health and primary care services, childhood obesity, asthma and autism.

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Research from The University of Manchester is bringing scientists a step closer to developing new therapies for controlling the body’s response to allergies and parasitic worm infections.

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Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: diet supplements and cancer risk (3 days on top 10 list), oral mucositis in cancer treatment, updated breast cancer screening guidelines, climate change, materials science, asthma, mental health and gun violence, genetics and immunology, and multiple sclerosis treatment.

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Cardiff University scientists have for the first time identified the potential root cause of asthma and an existing drug that offers a new treatment.

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New study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that children exposed to greater number of adverse childhood experiences had increased risk of asthma incidence.

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This winter was one of the coldest on record, but spring allergy season is already beginning and it’s time for sufferers to start preparing now. An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, which are commonly called hay fever. Symptoms include itchy eyes, nose and throat; sneezing; stuffy or runny nose; tearing or dark circles under the eyes.

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A pair of air pollutants linked to climate change could also be major contributors to the unparalleled rise in the number of people sneezing, sniffling and wheezing during allergy season. The gases, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone, appear to provoke chemical changes in certain airborne allergens that may increase their potency. That, in combination with changes in global climate could help explain why allergies are becoming more common.

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In diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the body produces too much mucus, making breathing difficult. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides clues to potentially counteract inappropriate mucus production.

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First-of-its-kind asthma study developed using ResearchKit framework.

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As marijuana’s legal status throughout the country continues to change, people should know it can cause allergic reactions.

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A new study found that twice as many children born to mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy were diagnosed with asthma by age 3 than children born to mothers who didn’t take prenatal antibiotics.

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An investigational drug appears to cut the risk of severe asthma attacks in half for patients who have difficulty controlling the disorder with standard medications, according to results from two multicenter clinical trials headed by Mario Castro, MD, an asthma specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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Henry Ford Hospital researchers say that breastfeeding and other factors influence a baby’s immune system development and susceptibility to allergies and asthma by what’s in their gut.

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Researchers from Canada, the UK, Sweden and the US have discovered more than 30 genes that strongly affect an antibody involved in allergies and asthma. Some of the genes could provide targets for drugs to treat those conditions, according to the international team’s study, published online in Nature.

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A new study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows that only 15 percent of employed adults with asthma discussed with their doctor how work might affect their condition. However, of the employed adults with asthma, 46 percent had asthma that was possibly work-related.

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Challenging the long-standing belief that city dwellers suffer disproportionately from asthma, the results of a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study of more than 23,000 U.S. children reveal that income, race and ethnic origin may play far more potent roles in asthma risk than kids’ physical surroundings.

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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with collaborators in Korea and Scotland, have identified a novel signaling pathway critical to the immune response of cells associated with the initiation of allergic asthma. The discovery, they say, could point the way to new therapies that suppress the inflammatory allergic response, offering potential relief to millions of Americans with the chronic lung condition and potentially other allergic diseases.

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Participants in a sleep study who had asthma had an increased risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea, with this association stronger with having had asthma longer, according to a study in the January 13 issue of JAMA.

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According to a new study, misuse of epinephrine auto-injectors has been documented in cases of fatal anaphylaxis. In the study, only 16 percent of those prescribed epinephrine for severe allergic reactions used their auto-injector properly, and only 7 percent of those with metered-dose inhalers (MDI) for asthma used them in the right way.

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Asthma that requires daily medication is associated with a significantly higher risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH).

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Patients with active asthma — such as any use of asthma medications, and unscheduled office or emergency visits for asthma — are at a twofold risk of having a heart attack, according to Mayo Clinic research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2014.

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A novel program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that peer trainers who coach parents over the phone on managing their children’s asthma can sharply reduce the number of days the kids experience symptoms. The program also dramatically decreased ER visits and hospitalizations among low-income children with Medicaid insurance.

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Asthma caused or worsened by living near major roadways cost Los Angeles County more than $441 million in 2007 alone, according to a new peer-reviewed article by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Southern California and the University of Basel, Switzerland.

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According to a study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, teens and caregivers have different levels of asthma health literacy, and teens don’t necessarily get their information from caregivers when it comes to managing asthma symptoms.

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According to a presentation at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting, as many as 50 percent of older adults with obstructive airway disease have overlapping characteristics of asthma and COPD. And this percentage increases as people get older.

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Children who had their tonsils and adenoids removed for obstructive sleep apnea also had dramatic reductions in acute asthma exacerbations, acute status asthmaticus, asthma-related hospitalizations and ER visits in the first large study of the connections between OSA surgery and asthma.