Fourteen percent of chronic childhood asthma could be due to exposure to traffic pollution, a study of 10 European cities has found. The new study suggests that air quality can trigger the breathing disorder as much as being around someone else who is smoking, which the World Health Organization has linked to 4…
Asthma is now said to affect nearly 25 million people in the U.S. alone (that’s one in eight individuals), 300 million worldwide. It continues to increase annually. An estimated $48.6 billion are spent in medical bills, $6 billion in prescription drugs, and who knows how much in alternative treatments – practitioner-based or supplement-based. It has…
The sudden onset of an asthma attack can be a frightening event. Asthmatics often experience a severe shortness of breath combined with coughing or wheezing and a tightening sensation in their lungs and chest. If you suffer from asthma, there is a chronic state of inflammation in your lungs. When this inflammation is paired…
Children exposed to the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, may be at an increased risk for asthma, a new study suggests. During the study, kids who had greater exposure to BPA at ages 3, 5 and 7 were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma before age 12 than children who had less exposure….
Vitamin D has effects on the innate and adaptive immune system. In asthmatic children low vitamin D levels are associated with poor asthma control, reduced lung function, increased medication intake, and exacerbations. Little is known about vitamin D in adult asthma patients or its association with asthma severity and control. For more about this, read…
Those who suffer from asthma may have a different mix of fungi in their lungs than those who do not, says a new study from researchers at the School of Medicine at Cardiff University in Wales. For the study, lead researcher Hugo van Woerden and his team analyzed the fungi in mucus from…
Screening smokers with spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) picks up more cases than symptom-based detection, research suggests. The authors say the findings highlight the need for more screening in primary care, which is seldom used at present. “Despite current and updated GOLD [Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease] guidelines…
What causes asthma? The exact cause of asthma isn’t known. It’s possible that a combination of genetics and environmental exposures interact to cause asthma to develop, most often early in life. Risk factors for developing asthma include: Atopy, an inherited tendency to develop allergies Certain respiratory infections during childhood Contact with airborne allergens Exposure…