Asthma exacerbations decreased by 87% in patients treated with an investigational agent that targets the interleukin-4 (IL-4) receptor, results of a placebo-controlled phase II trial showed. Dupilumab was associated with an exacerbation rate of 6% compared with 44% in the placebo group. Measures of lung function and asthma control also improved significantly…
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have identified a potential new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea: asthma. Using data from the National Institutes of Health (Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)-funded Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, which has been following approximately 1,500 people since 1988, researchers found that patients who had asthma were 1.70…
It may be time to spice up your asthma treatment. A few components of ginger root appear to relax the airway tissues that tighten up during an attack, finds research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s International Conference held in Philadelphia during May 17-22, 2013. The walls of the airways that carry oxygen…
May is a great month to renew your commitment to asthma, as we mark National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month and World Asthma Day on the 7th. Media will be looking for stories to cover, so give them a call and invite them out to your facility to see all the good things…
More attention should be given to patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and concomitant asthma, after a study showed that nearly one-fifth of patients with COPD fall into this subtype. Patients with overlap of the two conditions experienced poorer symptom control, had lower quality of life (QoL), and took part in…
Researchers surveyed the parents of 80,000 children in one of six languages and found that association held even after they took into account where families lived and how often they moved, as well as their race and income. “This is definitely something we see clinically and we’re trying to better understand, what is…
If you’re among the 27 million North Americans with asthma, chances are it’s triggered by allergies to airborne irritants in your environment (a whopping 75 percent of adults with sensitive airways have allergic asthma). Unfortunately, only 25 percent of people with asthma know what they’re allergic to and how to avoid the triggers that…
Children with asthma should play hard in gym class and stop worrying they might have an attack that could leave them struggling to breathe, respiratory specialists are now recommending. Physical activity by people with asthma isn’t harmful and might even be helpful to treating the condition, doctors in the field believe. A report…