Asthma News and Research

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Asthma is a common inflammatory disease affecting the airways that leads to shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Symptoms range from mild to severe but are generally manageable with appropriate treatment.

Injury, dust exposure among 9/11 survivors linked to risk of later heart and respiratory diseases

People who were exposed to the dust cloud or sustained physical injuries during the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001 may be at increased long-term risk of asthma, other respiratory diseases and heart attack, according to a study published in the open access journal Injury Epidemiology.

17 Jul 2017

Whichever way ‘repeal and replace’ blows, pharma is due for windfall

The pharmaceutical industry could see windfall profits from a little-noticed tweak to the insurance market tucked into the Trump administration's draft executive order on drug prices, experts say.

12 Jul 2017

Study finds fewer than half the children receive epinephrine prior to arriving at ED

Anyone suffering a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) should receive epinephrine as quickly as possible. A new study showed that even kids who were prescribed an epinephrine auto injector didn't receive the life-saving medication when they needed it.

12 Jul 2017

New program gives free legal help to families for health-related issues

Chicago families with kids who have complicated medical conditions now have easier access to legal help, thanks to a new partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago and Legal Council for Health Justice.

11 Jul 2017

Researchers aim to examine respiratory effects of body weight in preteens

Do overweight children have more breathing limitations, intolerance for exercise, and breathlessness when exercising than normal weight children, leading to possible misdiagnosis for conditions such as asthma?

10 Jul 2017

BSACI to publish updated guidance on diagnosis, management of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis

The Standards of Care Committee of the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology is to publish updated guidance on the diagnosis and management of allergic and non-allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is common and affects between 10-15% of children and 26% of adults in the UK.

10 Jul 2017

Maternal sugar intake during pregnancy may increase allergy risk in offspring

Findings from the 'Children of the 90s' released this week suggest that a high maternal sugar intake during pregnancy may increase the risk of the child developing allergies. There was a strong positive association between intake of free sugars during pregnancy and the development of allergy and allergic asthma in offspring.

7 Jul 2017

Corticosteroids may worsen disease in some patients with severe asthma

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and UPMC have uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma.

6 Jul 2017

Sialic acid found in animals protects farm children from asthma

It is a known fact that microbes on farms protect children from asthma and allergies. But even non-microbial molecules can have a protective effect: Immunologists from the University of Zurich have shown that a sialic acid found in farm animals is effective against inflammation of lung tissue.

6 Jul 2017

Anti-asthma drug shows blood glucose improvement among some patients with type 2 diabetes

After 12 weeks of taking an anti-asthma drug, a subset of patients with type 2 diabetes showed a clinically significant reduction in blood glucose during a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine and University of Michigan researchers.

5 Jul 2017

Discovery could impact understanding, treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases

Scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre may have cracked the code to understanding the function of special cells called regulatory T Cells.

5 Jul 2017

Ondek raises capital to develop new treatment for childhood allergy

Ondek, the Australian biotechnology company founded by Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall, today announced it raised A$3.59 million in equity funding from professional and high-net-worth investors to support his work to develop a new treatment for childhood allergy.

30 Jun 2017

Food allergies linked to higher prevalence of childhood anxiety

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Albert Einstein College of Medicine studied the link between food allergy and childhood anxiety and depression among a sample of predominantly low socioeconomic status minority children.

29 Jun 2017

Insect venom shortage stings allergy sufferers this summer

As summer begins, signaling peak time for insect stings, allergists across the U.S. are warning of a shortage of a little-known but crucial product — honeybee, hornet and wasp venom extracts used in shots that prevent life-threatening reactions.

29 Jun 2017

U.S. air pollution may be shortening lifespan finds new study

A new study shows that air pollution at levels below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) could cut short life spans. This was one of the largest air pollution studies with more than a whopping 60 million senior citizens participating. The study was published in the Thursday’s edition of the journal New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Jun 2017

Researchers investigate how cystic fibrosis alters structure of mucus in airways

Mucus is important for maintaining healthy lungs. Inhaled particles, including bacteria and viruses, get trapped in mucus and then cilia -- tiny hair like projections on the surface of the airway cells -- sweep the mucus out of the airway.

28 Jun 2017

Safety net clinics can adopt patient-centered medical home models to improve access to primary care

Most of the federally qualified health centers that participated in a program to help them adopt a "medical home" model of advanced primary care were successful in doing so according to a new RAND Corporation study.

23 Jun 2017

Lone star tick likely to be triggering red meat allergies

Experts believe that the lone star tick is responsible for the meat allergies people are developing in South-eastern states including North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The ticks are spreading up the Eastern seaboard to new locations, where they are triggering allergies after just a single mouthful of meat is eaten.

22 Jun 2017

Scientists urge caution on common antimicrobial chemicals Triclosan and Triclocarban

There are two ingredients, triclosan and triclocarban, that are used in several cleaning products such as soaps, toothpastes, detergents, carpets, paints etc. They are mainly used to kill the microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. These chemicals however persist in the environment and continue to pose a risk says a new stud

20 Jun 2017

Researchers urge for improved and consistent reporting of electronic health record studies

We need improved quality of recording asthma diagnosis and events if the UK is to effectively use the very considerable potential locked within electronic health records to promote improvements in asthma care and catalyze research.

19 Jun 2017