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.

Short course of corticosteroids after asthma attack beneficial

Giving patients a short course of corticosteroids after they have been discharged from hospital for an asthma attack reduces the chances of a relapse, a Cochrane Systematic Review has found. Giving the steroids also reduces their use of inhalers.

18 Jul 2007

Education interventions for adults who attend the emergency room for acute asthma

A new review of studies suggests that people with asthma who receive disease education during, or soon after, a serious emergency-room visit are less likely to be re-admitted to the hospital than patients who receive no instruction.

18 Jul 2007

Obesity and asthma often go together

Scientists in Britain say they have discovered a link between obesity and asthma and they believe the connection may explain why overweight people are up to twice as likely to develop the respiratory condition.

17 Jul 2007

Nasal insufflation for sufferers of sleep apnea

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that symptoms in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypopnea can be significantly reduced through treatment with nasal insufflation (TNI), using a nasal cannula to deliver warm, humidified air at a high flow rate.

17 Jul 2007

Structural basis for synthesis of inflammatory mediators by human leukotriene C4 synthase

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have managed to elucidate the crystal structure of a human membrane protein - LTC4 synthase - which has a major influence on the development of asthma.

17 Jul 2007

Respiratory ailments are leading reasons for hospitalized children and teens

About 3 of every 10 children and teens who are admitted to the hospital from the emergency room have asthma, pneumonia, acute bronchitis or another respiratory disorder, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

16 Jul 2007

New gene found for type 1 diabetes in children

Pediatrics researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and McGill University in Montreal have identified a gene variant that raises a child's risk for type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes.

16 Jul 2007

Some smokers have genetic predisposition to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Some people have a genetic variation that makes them more susceptible to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) if they smoke tobacco, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

12 Jul 2007

Striking north-south differences in EpiPen prescribing

A new study suggests strong variation in the occurrence of anaphylaxis between the northern and southern U.S. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can be fatal without treatment with epinephrine.

12 Jul 2007

Electronic health records not associated with improved quality of outpatient health care

Electronic health records have been hailed as a key element in making U.S. medical care more effective and efficient, but a new study led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that electronic records were not associated with improved quality of outpatient health care in 2003 and 2004.

10 Jul 2007

Pharmaxis files for Korean marketing approval of its lung function test Aridol

Pharmaxis has announced its first step into the Asian market, filing for Korean marketing approval of its lung function test Aridol.

10 Jul 2007

Balanced diet keeps asthma away

Teenagers who forego a healthy and balanced diet may have a harder time catching their breath.

10 Jul 2007

Pieris progresses proprietary asthma program

Pieris AG, a bio-pharmaceutical company developing Anticalins, a novel class of targeted human protein therapeutics, today announced significant progress in validating novel, effective products for the potential treatment of asthma.

10 Jul 2007

Unhealthy teen diet increases asthma risk

According to a new study teenagers who have an unhealthy and unbalanced diet may be more prone to respiratory problems such as asthma.

10 Jul 2007

Toronto gets serious about air quality

Residents in Toronto, Canada will soon have a new way of testing the air quality in their city.

9 Jul 2007

Include children in research to make breakthroughs in child medicine

Scientists will only make real breakthroughs in children's medicine if they include children in research programmes as well as adults, according to a leading paediatric expert.

9 Jul 2007

Discovery of new gene with links to childhood asthma

New treatments for childhood asthma could be in the pipeline following the discovery of a gene associated with the condition.

5 Jul 2007

Breakthrough new asthma gene found

In a large-scale study conducted with 2,643 children, international researchers with the participation of the Department of Experimental Pneumology of Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB), Germany (Prof. Dr. Albrecht Bufe), have discovered a gene variant that contributes significantly to the risk of childhood asthma.

5 Jul 2007

Variations in two genes related to inflammation may be a risk factor for lung cancer

Variations in two genes related to inflammation may be a major risk factor for developing lung cancer, according to a team of scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

4 Jul 2007

Asthma gene found

A gene that is strongly associated with a risk of developing childhood onset asthma was identified by an international team of scientists, whose findings are published in the journal Nature.

4 Jul 2007