Dirt Prevents Allergy, Danish Research Suggests
Acetaminophen May Be Linked To Asthma In Children And Adults
High-Fat Meals a No-No for Asthma Patients, Researchers Find
Low-Fat Yogurt Intake when Pregnant Linked to Increased Risk of Child Asthma and Hay Fever, Study Suggests
Heat in Chili Peppers Can Ease Sinus Problems, Research Shows
Traffic Pollution Affecting Unborn Children, Says Asthma Expert
Gastric Bacterium Helicobacter Pylori Protects Against Asthma
Infection with the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori provides reliable protection against allergy-induced asthma, immunologists from the University of Zurich have demonstrated in an animal model together with allergy specialists from the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Their results published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation confirm the hypothesis recently put forward that the dramatic increase in allergic diseases in industrial societies is linked to the rapid disappearance of specific micro-organisms that populate the human body.
... << MORE >>News-Jan-Feb 2009
Formoterol Plus Low-Dose Budesonide May Improve Asthma Control
Adding formoterol to low-dose budesonide treatment is more likely to be associated with well-controlled asthma vs a large increase in the dose of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), according to the results of a study reported in the December issue of Chest.
"Combination therapy with...ICSs and long-acting beta 2-agonists (LABAs), or treatment with high doses of ICSs alone improves asthma control when therapy with low-dose ICSs is not sufficient," write Paul M. O'Byrne, MB, FCCP, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues. "However, it is not known which of these treatment options is more effective in sustaining asthma control."
"The addition of formoterol to therapy with low-dose budesonide increases the probability of well-controlled asthma compared to a substantial increase in the dose of an ICS," the study authors write. "This analysis demonstrates no benefit for increasing the ICS doses alone in achieving well-controlled asthma, although reductions in exacerbations and time with poor control were observed."
Inhalers Do Not Improve Outcomes in Preschoolers With Intermittent Wheezing
Corticosteroid and leukotriene antagonist inhalers do not improve outcomes when used episodically by preschool children with moderate-to-severe intermittent wheezing associated with respiratory tract infection, according to a new report.
Many preschoolers who wheeze in the context of respiratory tract infections experience severe exacerbations separated by extended periods of wellness, but evidence for management strategies in these children is lacking.
Dr. Leonard B. Bacharier from Washington University and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, and colleagues in the Childhood Asthma Research and Education (CARE) Network of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute evaluated the impact of three different treatment strategies on the course of moderate-to-severe intermittent wheezing over a 12-month period.
Improvements in these short-term outcomes were limited to children with positive Asthma Predictive Index (API) status, the investigators say, whereas those with negative API status did not experience significant reductions in any of the symptom scores compared with conventional therapy.
"For those children with a negative API, treatment other than symptom relief is unlikely to be of help," the editorial concludes. "For those children with a positive API, intermittent (or regular) use of oral montelukast or wet nebulized budesonide may be of value."
J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008;122:1127-1137.
Breathing Training Is Beneficial for Asthmatic Patients
Asthmatic adults who receive breathing training show improvements in health status, asthma symptoms, and psychological well-being, even though asthma pathophysiology is not changed.
In the January issue of Thorax, Dr. M. Thomas of the University of Aberdeen, UK, and colleagues report on a prospective, randomized study in which 183 asthma patients with impaired health status received either three sessions of physiotherapist-supervised breathing training or nurse-delivered education.
No association was observed between breathing training and significant changes in airway physiology, inflammation, or hyper-responsiveness.
"This study suggests that breathing exercises may potentially have a role in patients with suboptimally controlled mild to moderate asthma, but the use of such techniques must occur with patient education on the ongoing need ...<< MORE >>
Tiotropium-Formoterol Better Than Salmeterol-Fluticasone in COPD
Chest 2008;134:255-262.
Combination therapy with tiotropium and formoterol achieves great improvement in daytime lung function (FEV1) in patients with moderate COPD than does salmeterol and fluticasone.
Dr. Klaus F. Rabe of Leiden University Medical Center and colleagues note that inhaled corticosteroids such as fluticasone along with a long-acting bronchodilator is a popular choice for patients with COPD. However, they observe, use of two bronchodilators from different classes might be of greater help.
To investigate, the researchers studied 592 patients with moderate COPD who were randomized to treatment with once daily tiotropium and twice daily formoterol or twice daily salmeterol ...<< MORE >>
Things which every body must know about asthma
Asthma affects millions of people worldwide. It is one of the disease where the incidence of disease is increasing year by year. It is also the most common chronic disease affecting children. Here are some important facts about asthma that everybody must know about asthma.
1. Asthma is not a communicable disease. You cannot get infected and get asthma by any asthma patient. Asthma is disease where genetic and environmental factors play role.
2. Asthma is caused by the chronic inflammation (swelling) of airways of lungs.
3. Airway inflammation contributes to airway hyperresponsiveness, airflow limitation, respiratory symptoms.
4. Atopy, the genetic predisposition for the development of an immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated response to common aeroallergens, is the strongest identifiable predisposing factor for developing asthma.
5. Viral respiratory infections are one of the most important causes of asthma execerbation and may also contribute to the development of asthma.
6. The main symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, recurrent breathlessness or shortness of breath, tightness of the chest, and pain or pressure on the chest.
7. Diagnosis of asthma is made by detailed medical history, physical exam focusing on the upper respiratory tract, chest, and skin and spirometry.
8. Asthma is not a contraindication for doing exercise. Many great athletes suffer from asthma.
9. Two main categories of asthma medication are relievers (used to treat symptoms and exacerbations) and preventer (agents for long-term control, used to achieve and maintain control of persistent asthma) medication.
10. Inhaled route is the most preferred way to deliver asthma medication as it delivers drugs directly to lung airways. So the action is fast and drug side effects are very low.
11. Asthma is one of the most common potentially life-threatening condition complicating pregnancy. Read pregnancy and asthma.
12. Remember that asthma is a treatable disease and you can live a healthy and productive life like any body else with proper treatment.
