Latest asthma news that can effect your life
Eating nut (peanut) products during pregnancy increases risk for childhood asthma
Mothers who eat nut products such as peanut butter during pregnancy might be increasing the likelihood of their offspring developing childhood asthma, prospective study findings indicate. “Daily consumption of nut products increased the risk of asthma outcomes during the first 8 years of life” Saskia Willers (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and colleagues write in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. “This study provides evidence on the relationship between maternal diet during pregnancy and longitudinal development of childhood asthma.” The authors found that maternal vegetable, fish, egg, milk or milk products, and nut consumption did not affect childhood asthma outcomes after 8 years of follow-up. By contrast, the daily consumption of nut products increased the risk for childhood wheeze and asthma symptoms. They conclude: "More research is needed to study the effect of exposure to nut or nut products or other allergenic foods during pregnancy, not only on the development of food allergy, but also on the development of asthma and other allergic diseases.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 178: 124-131
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Dietary sodium levels have no impact on asthma control
Asthmatics derive no extra benefit from adhering to a low-sodium diet as an adjunctive therapy to standard treatment, UK researchers report. Previously observational studies and initial randomized trials suggested that a low-sodium diet may improve asthma control. This study had total of 199 participants with physician-diagnosed asthma and measurable bronchial reactivity to methacholine. Pogson and colleagues found no differences between the two groups (low-sodium diet and placebo) after 6 weeks in terms of change in bronchial reactivity to methacholine, change in lung function, allergen skin prick test responses, morning and evening peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms score, daily bronchodilator use, Juniper Standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score, or atopy. The role of a low-sodium diet on asthma control did not show any evidence of a therapeutic benefit.
The author added: “We cannot exclude the possibility that a low-sodium diet may improve asthma control in those who either consume higher baseline levels of dietary sodium or can achieve a greater decrease in dietary sodium intake than we observed.”
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 178: 132-138
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Fish oil consumption during pregnancy could protect against asthma
Mothers who take fish oil supplements in the final trimester of their pregnancy could be reducing the risk for their child developing asthma, Danish researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Tine Henriksen (Aarhus University Hospital) and team examined whether increasing maternal intake of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in pregnancy affects the risk for offspring developing asthma. In 1990 the team randomly assigned a population-based sample of 533 women with normal pregnancies to receive four 1-g gelatin capsules per day with fish oil providing 2.7 g n–3 PUFAs (n=266); four 1-g, similar-looking capsules per day with olive oil (n=136); or no oil capsules (n=131). The hazard rate for asthma was reduced by 63%, while the hazard rate for allergic asthma was reduced by 87%, in the fish oil compared with the placebo group.
Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 88: 167-175
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Paracetamol triples asthma risk in Europeans
Findings from a case–control study of European asthma patients further support the proposed link between the use of paracetamol and the risk for asthma. Seif Shaheen (Imperial College, London, UK) and co-workers note that evidence from the UK and USA shows that frequent paracetamol use is associated with asthma in adults, but data from Europe remain limited. After controlling their data for confounders such as body mass index, smoking, and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that the risk for asthma was almost three times greater in people who used paracetamol at least once a week compared with those who used the drug less frequently. Of interest, paracetamol was the only analgesic used that affected asthma risk, suggesting that the effect is specific to paracetamol and is not a feature of the drug class. Given the high prevalence of asthma and paracetamol use in some countries, the authors conclude that “there is now a need to carry out suitable intervention studies to determine whether the asthma/paracetamol link is causal.”
Eur Respir J 2008; Advance online publication
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Majority of parents see no cigarette-asthma link
Parents underestimate the effects of second-hand smoke exposure on their children’s risk for asthma, despite generally understanding the importance of preventing such exposure, study results suggest. Despite the failure by most caregivers to relate their own smoking to their children’s asthma, 61.3% had attempted to stop smoking for the sake of their children’s health and 72.7% tried to keep children away from smoke-filled environments. The authors comment: “Our findings on the contribution of passive smoke exposure from day-care providers have important implications for public policy, parent education, and physician counseling.”
Chest 2008; 133: 1367-1374
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Wood smoke provokes airway and systemic inflammatory response
A research study shows that exposure to wood smoke from forest fires causes lung inflammation, cough, sputum production, and nasal congestion in young healthy seasonal forest firefighters. “The present results provide a plausible mechanism for the increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality that epidemiological studies have associated with air pollution from biomass smoke inhalation,” the authors write in the European Respiratory Journal. “The findings also support a growing body of research showing that inhalation of particulate matter from a variety of sources generates a local inflammatory response within the lungs, which subsequently initiates a systemic response resulting in the adverse health consequences associated with air pollution exposure researchers report.” Van Eeden and team conclude: “These adverse health effects may be of little clinical consequence for young healthy firefighters; however, in susceptible subjects exposed to wildfire smoke they could trigger exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, predispose to lung infection, or precipitate acute cardiac events.”
Eur Respir J 2008; 32: 129-138
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Mediterranean diet leads to better asthma control in children
Asthma and hay fever patients can reduce their symptoms and improve their lung function by eating a Mediterranean-style diet, researchers report. The researchers found that patients with well-controlled asthma were significantly more likely to have a high intake of fruit and vegetables and a lower intake of alcohol than those with poorly controlled asthma. Patients with a largely Mediterranean-style diet were 78% less likely to have poorly controlled asthma than those with more less healthy diets. The team also found that a high intake of fresh fruit was independently associated with a 71% reduced risk of poorly controlled asthma, whereas high alcohol intake significantly increased the risk.
Allergy 2008; 63: 917-923
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Homemade spacers good alternatives to commercial products
Homemade spacers for metered-dose asthma inhalers could be a viable option for children in countries where manufactured spacers are too expensive for the general population and availability is limited, study findings indicate. Rodriguez-Martinez and team systematically reviewed the results of six randomized clinical trials that compared the response to inhaled beta-2 agonists, delivered through home-made or commercially produced spacers, in 658 children with acute exacerbations of wheezing or asthma. The researchers found no significant differences between the two types of spacers in terms of need for hospital admission, change in oxygen saturation, peak expiratory flow rate, clinical score, need for additional treatment, or change in heart rate per minute. The team concludes: "Selection of the spacer device for an individual patient should begin with a commercial spacer, with home-made spacers being used if a commercial device is not available."
Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008; 2: CD005536
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Maternal bronchial hyperresponsiveness increases non-atopic asthma risk
Non-atopic children whose mothers exhibit bronchial hyperreactivity are more likely to develop asthma than the children of mothers with a normal bronchial response, according to Turkish researchers. The researchers used the American Thoracic Society Respiratory Disease questionnaire to record data on asthma and rhinitis symptoms, and past medical history, from 51 children aged 4–16 years and their parents. Skin prick tests, pulmonary function, and methacholine bronchial provocation tests were also performed, and serum levels of IgE were determined. They conclude: “Consequently, the maternal component of bronchial hyperreactivity suggests that the influence of genetic factors may be transmitted from one generation to the next.”
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2008; 19: 248-254
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Mothers who eat nut products such as peanut butter during pregnancy might be increasing the likelihood of their offspring developing childhood asthma, prospective study findings indicate. “Daily consumption of nut products increased the risk of asthma outcomes during the first 8 years of life” Saskia Willers (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and colleagues write in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. “This study provides evidence on the relationship between maternal diet during pregnancy and longitudinal development of childhood asthma.” The authors found that maternal vegetable, fish, egg, milk or milk products, and nut consumption did not affect childhood asthma outcomes after 8 years of follow-up. By contrast, the daily consumption of nut products increased the risk for childhood wheeze and asthma symptoms. They conclude: "More research is needed to study the effect of exposure to nut or nut products or other allergenic foods during pregnancy, not only on the development of food allergy, but also on the development of asthma and other allergic diseases.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 178: 124-131
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Dietary sodium levels have no impact on asthma control
Asthmatics derive no extra benefit from adhering to a low-sodium diet as an adjunctive therapy to standard treatment, UK researchers report. Previously observational studies and initial randomized trials suggested that a low-sodium diet may improve asthma control. This study had total of 199 participants with physician-diagnosed asthma and measurable bronchial reactivity to methacholine. Pogson and colleagues found no differences between the two groups (low-sodium diet and placebo) after 6 weeks in terms of change in bronchial reactivity to methacholine, change in lung function, allergen skin prick test responses, morning and evening peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms score, daily bronchodilator use, Juniper Standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score, or atopy. The role of a low-sodium diet on asthma control did not show any evidence of a therapeutic benefit.
The author added: “We cannot exclude the possibility that a low-sodium diet may improve asthma control in those who either consume higher baseline levels of dietary sodium or can achieve a greater decrease in dietary sodium intake than we observed.”
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2008; 178: 132-138
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Fish oil consumption during pregnancy could protect against asthma
Mothers who take fish oil supplements in the final trimester of their pregnancy could be reducing the risk for their child developing asthma, Danish researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Tine Henriksen (Aarhus University Hospital) and team examined whether increasing maternal intake of n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in pregnancy affects the risk for offspring developing asthma. In 1990 the team randomly assigned a population-based sample of 533 women with normal pregnancies to receive four 1-g gelatin capsules per day with fish oil providing 2.7 g n–3 PUFAs (n=266); four 1-g, similar-looking capsules per day with olive oil (n=136); or no oil capsules (n=131). The hazard rate for asthma was reduced by 63%, while the hazard rate for allergic asthma was reduced by 87%, in the fish oil compared with the placebo group.
Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 88: 167-175
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Paracetamol triples asthma risk in Europeans
Findings from a case–control study of European asthma patients further support the proposed link between the use of paracetamol and the risk for asthma. Seif Shaheen (Imperial College, London, UK) and co-workers note that evidence from the UK and USA shows that frequent paracetamol use is associated with asthma in adults, but data from Europe remain limited. After controlling their data for confounders such as body mass index, smoking, and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that the risk for asthma was almost three times greater in people who used paracetamol at least once a week compared with those who used the drug less frequently. Of interest, paracetamol was the only analgesic used that affected asthma risk, suggesting that the effect is specific to paracetamol and is not a feature of the drug class. Given the high prevalence of asthma and paracetamol use in some countries, the authors conclude that “there is now a need to carry out suitable intervention studies to determine whether the asthma/paracetamol link is causal.”
Eur Respir J 2008; Advance online publication
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Majority of parents see no cigarette-asthma link
Parents underestimate the effects of second-hand smoke exposure on their children’s risk for asthma, despite generally understanding the importance of preventing such exposure, study results suggest. Despite the failure by most caregivers to relate their own smoking to their children’s asthma, 61.3% had attempted to stop smoking for the sake of their children’s health and 72.7% tried to keep children away from smoke-filled environments. The authors comment: “Our findings on the contribution of passive smoke exposure from day-care providers have important implications for public policy, parent education, and physician counseling.”
Chest 2008; 133: 1367-1374
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Wood smoke provokes airway and systemic inflammatory response
A research study shows that exposure to wood smoke from forest fires causes lung inflammation, cough, sputum production, and nasal congestion in young healthy seasonal forest firefighters. “The present results provide a plausible mechanism for the increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality that epidemiological studies have associated with air pollution from biomass smoke inhalation,” the authors write in the European Respiratory Journal. “The findings also support a growing body of research showing that inhalation of particulate matter from a variety of sources generates a local inflammatory response within the lungs, which subsequently initiates a systemic response resulting in the adverse health consequences associated with air pollution exposure researchers report.” Van Eeden and team conclude: “These adverse health effects may be of little clinical consequence for young healthy firefighters; however, in susceptible subjects exposed to wildfire smoke they could trigger exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, predispose to lung infection, or precipitate acute cardiac events.”
Eur Respir J 2008; 32: 129-138
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Mediterranean diet leads to better asthma control in children
Asthma and hay fever patients can reduce their symptoms and improve their lung function by eating a Mediterranean-style diet, researchers report. The researchers found that patients with well-controlled asthma were significantly more likely to have a high intake of fruit and vegetables and a lower intake of alcohol than those with poorly controlled asthma. Patients with a largely Mediterranean-style diet were 78% less likely to have poorly controlled asthma than those with more less healthy diets. The team also found that a high intake of fresh fruit was independently associated with a 71% reduced risk of poorly controlled asthma, whereas high alcohol intake significantly increased the risk.
Allergy 2008; 63: 917-923
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Homemade spacers good alternatives to commercial products
Homemade spacers for metered-dose asthma inhalers could be a viable option for children in countries where manufactured spacers are too expensive for the general population and availability is limited, study findings indicate. Rodriguez-Martinez and team systematically reviewed the results of six randomized clinical trials that compared the response to inhaled beta-2 agonists, delivered through home-made or commercially produced spacers, in 658 children with acute exacerbations of wheezing or asthma. The researchers found no significant differences between the two types of spacers in terms of need for hospital admission, change in oxygen saturation, peak expiratory flow rate, clinical score, need for additional treatment, or change in heart rate per minute. The team concludes: "Selection of the spacer device for an individual patient should begin with a commercial spacer, with home-made spacers being used if a commercial device is not available."
Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008; 2: CD005536
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
Maternal bronchial hyperresponsiveness increases non-atopic asthma risk
Non-atopic children whose mothers exhibit bronchial hyperreactivity are more likely to develop asthma than the children of mothers with a normal bronchial response, according to Turkish researchers. The researchers used the American Thoracic Society Respiratory Disease questionnaire to record data on asthma and rhinitis symptoms, and past medical history, from 51 children aged 4–16 years and their parents. Skin prick tests, pulmonary function, and methacholine bronchial provocation tests were also performed, and serum levels of IgE were determined. They conclude: “Consequently, the maternal component of bronchial hyperreactivity suggests that the influence of genetic factors may be transmitted from one generation to the next.”
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2008; 19: 248-254
Asthma Asthma Cause Asthma Symptoms Asthma Diagnosis
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