Allergies - News

Exclusive breast feeding for up to 6 months, though beneficial for an infants' immunity and mothers' weight, may not alter children's health risks over the long term, study findings hint. Dr. Michael S. Kramer, at The Montreal Children's Hospital in Quebec, Canada, and colleagues assessed children through age 6.

People with difficult-to-control asthma are often not taking their anti-asthma medication as prescribed by their doctor, new study findings indicate. Even when prescribed high doses of steroids, about 5 percent of adults with asthma remain difficult to control, with persistent symptoms and frequent flare-ups, Dr.

People who are neurotic -- they tend to worry a lot and to have emotional ups and downs -- seem to be at increased risk of developing asthma, a new study hints. Those who suffer through a divorce or other relationship conflict are also at risk for asthma, according to the study.

Black and Hispanic children with asthma are less likely than their white counterparts to be taking daily medication meant to prevent asthma attacks, a U.S. study shows. The findings, published in the medical journal Chest, suggest one reason for the generally poorer asthma control among minority children.

Being overweight, especially around the middle, may increase a woman's risk for developing asthma, study findings hint. In the study women who were overweight or obese were much more apt to have asthma than women at a healthy weight, public health researcher Julie Von Behren, of Northern California Cancer Center in Berkeley, and colleagues found.

Air conditioning is certainly welcome during hot summers. But could it actually be good for your health? According to a new study, maybe: People living in communities where more homes have air conditioning are less likely to suffer ill effects of air pollution, new research in the journal Epidemiology suggests.

People who say their asthma gets worse when the weather changes are on to something, new research hints. Dr. Alan Baptist of the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor and his colleagues found that pediatric emergency department visits for asthma attacks jumped after increases -- or decreases -- in humidity, while rises in temperature also sent more asthmatic kids to the ER.

Swimming in a chlorinated pool may boost the odds that a child susceptible to asthma and allergies will develop these problems, a study released today indicates. "These new data clearly show that by irritating the airways of swimmers chlorination products in water and air of swimming pools exert a strong additive effect on the development of asthma and respiratory allergies such as hay fever and allergic rhinitis," Dr.

People who live close to a busy road are no more likely than those living further away from heavy traffic to experience declines in lung function over time, new research from the UK shows. Dr. Andrea Venn of the University of Nottingham and her colleagues also found no evidence that living near traffic increased the likelihood of asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis; or allergic disease.

The plume of dust and smoke sent up by the World Trade Center collapse may not have been a substantial cause of respiratory symptoms among people living outside of lower Manhattan, a new study suggests. The study, published in the September 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, found no clear association between respiratory symptoms and estimates of plume exposure among 1,800 people who were living outside of lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

Contrary to what some previous studies have suggested, children who enter daycare at an early age may not have a reduced risk of allergies and asthma later on, researchers reported Tuesday. In a study of more than 3,600 children followed from birth, the investigators found that children who entered daycare before the age of 2 were no less likely than their peers to suffer from allergies or asthma at the age of 8.

Strategies to reduce traffic congestion may help children breathe more easily, especially kids with asthma and those from less advantaged backgrounds, new research from the UK hints. "These findings offer potentially valuable guidance to other cities planning large-scale traffic interventions, particularly those with historic centres," the researchers conclude.

Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment may want to sip some red wine before treatment. A study in women with breast cancer found that drinking red wine can help limit the toxic effects of radiation therapy. "The possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions can reduce radiation-induced toxicity is very intriguing," Dr.

The five most costly medical conditions for the United States didn't change from 1996 to 2006, but the country did see one big shift: spending on treating mental illness almost doubled in that decade. Heart conditions, trauma,...

People's beliefs about the benefits and risks of their asthma medication may be key to their willingness to take it as directed, a new study finds. The study, published in the Annals of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, looked at adherence to inhaled corticosteroid medication among 261 low- income, minority asthma patients.

Riding shotgun with a smoker is just as bad as hanging out in a smoky bar when it comes to being exposed to second-hand smoke, Johns Hopkins researchers report. In fact, they found, it's probably worse-and for back-seat passengers, too.

Tobacco use will kill 6 million people next year from cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a range of other ills, the American Cancer Society said in a report issued on Tuesday. The society's new Tobacco Atlas estimates that tobacco use costs the global economy $500 billion a year in direct medical expenses, lost productivity and environmental harm.

An author of a new industry-funded study on the safety of a commonly prescribed type of inhaled asthma drug says the findings should be "reassuring" to patients who use them. However, two researchers who have published studies of their own on the medications disagree.

When asthma and symptoms of depression coexist in kids, asthma may become worse, study findings suggest. Researchers studied the breathing patterns of 90 asthmatic 7- to 17-year-old boys and girls before and after they watched scenes from the movie ET: The Extraterrestrial.

A new study provides more evidence that breathing in traffic-related pollutants is unhealthy -- for kids and adults. The study, report in the journal Thorax, suggests a link between asthma that develops in adulthood and increased exposure to traffic-related pollutants.

Children who are genetically vulnerable to asthma may be less likely to develop the disease if their exposure to a variety of allergy triggers can be limited, a research review suggests. Children with a family history of allergies and asthma are at increased risk of developing the conditions themselves.

Being around the family cat or dog at 3 months of age may offer protection against allergies to dust mites and pollen later on, but does not appear to impact the development of asthma by the age of 8 years. Dr. Marjan Kerkhof, of the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues studied the effects of pets in the home on the development of asthma and allergies to airborne "triggers" in 2951 children who were assessed annually up to age 8.

Over-the-counter allergy and asthma drugs helped obese, diabetic mice lose weight and control their blood sugar, researchers reported on Monday. Three other studies strongly linked obesity and type-2 diabetes to a dysfunctional immune system, and researchers said these findings could lead to better drugs or perhaps even vaccines to treat the effects of both conditions.

The same "venom shots" used to treat severe insect allergies may take the sting out of milder reactions as well, a preliminary study suggests. The treatment, known as venom immunotherapy, involves a series of shots, given over months to years, that expose an allergy sufferer to gradually increasing doses of insect venom.

Even in rural areas, exposure to ozone appears to have a harmful impact in kids with asthma, researchers report in the journal Allergy. Ozone is formed from byproducts of fossil fuel combustion in the presence of sunlight. In the outer atmosphere, ozone is a good thing, because it helps prevent harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth's surface.

Children with stressed-out parents may be more prone to developing asthma associated with environmental "triggers" such as high levels of traffic-related pollution and tobacco smoke, hints a study published today. In the study,...

People with asthma may be able to better manage their symptoms with the help of Web-based resources and interactivity, a study published Monday suggests. In a year-long study of 200 adults with asthma, researchers found that adding Internet-based consultations to routine care helped patients better control their symptoms day-to-day.

Adults with a history of low birth weight are more prone to be hospitalized for breathing disorders than are adults without such a history, according to a new study. Children born at low birth weights have been known to have abnormal lung function, according to the study's authors, but it has been unclear whether those effects linger until adulthood.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with behavior problems in children with asthma, researchers have found. "Studies have linked asthma symptoms with both childhood behavior problems and troubled sleep," according to the study team, and there is "growing, but limited, evidence that children with SDB may have worse behavior.

US adults with asthma, particularly younger adults, are being vaccinated against the flu at levels well below national goals, report health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. "Increased state and national efforts are needed to improve influenza vaccination levels among this population and particularly among those aged 18-49 years," Dr.