Wheezing, coughing that doesn’t stop, a pale and sweaty face: clinically, severe asthma attacks look very similar from patient to patient. But biologically, not all severe asthma is the same—and a team of scientists has, for the first time, identified the key difference in people, a finding that has important implications for treatment. In a
Ana's 9-year-old son was the first in the family to come down with symptoms that looked like covid-19 last March. Soon after, the 37-year-old unauthorized immigrant and three of her other children, including a daughter with asthma, struggled to breathe. For the next three weeks, the family fought the illness in isolation — Ana clutching
Research has repeatedly shown that women have a stronger immune response to infections than men. Studies from as early as the 1940s have elucidated that women possess an enhanced capability of producing antibodies. Image Credit: Peterschreiber.media/Shutterstock.com Even though this builds an effective resistance barrier to infections, women have a higher predisposition to autoimmunity caused by
(HealthDay)—Daily use of a fine particulate matter air filtration device can significantly improve airway mechanics and reduce airway resistance in children with asthma, according to a study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics. Xiaoxing Cui, Ph.D., of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues performed a double-blind study
Children living in a home with a greater use of any cleaning product during a child’s infancy increased the odds of a recurrent wheeze, recurrent wheeze with atopy, and asthma diagnosis. The highest risk of respiratory issue was associated with scented and sprayed cleaning products. The most common cleaning products used were dishwashing soap, dishwasher
Severe asthma attacks in pregnancy make babies more likely to have birth defects, study warns Researchers in Canada studied data covering more than 100,000 births They found the risk of the deadly complication pre-eclampsia rose by 30% Pregnant women may stop medicating asthma out of fear it will harm their baby But experts said the
A new study of African Americans with poorly controlled asthma, found differences in patients’ responses to commonly used treatments. Contrary to what researchers had expected, almost half of young children in the study responded differently than older children and adults, and than white children in prior studies. “We shouldn’t assume that current treatment strategies for
Children with a high genetic risk of developing type 1 diabetes have different gut microbiomes than children with a low risk, according to a new study from Linköping University in Sweden and the University of Florida in the US. The results published in the scientific journal Nature Communications suggest that genetic risk can shape an
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis supports evidence that children with mild asthma can effectively manage the condition by using their two inhalers—one a steroid and the other a bronchodilator—when symptoms occur. This is in contrast to the traditional method of using the steroid daily, regardless of symptoms, and
DR ELLIE CANNON: Did school spark my daughter’s asthma? My daughter suffers mild asthma and it’s usually easy to control. But every September, when the school year starts, she has an attack and ends up in hospital. Is there a connection? Asthma often gets worse when sufferers return to school or work after a long
Diabetes is a global health concern expected to affect 693 million people worldwide by 2045. It’s been well documented how diet and exercise influence risk of type 2 diabetes; however, a new study suggests that early menarche also is associated with a higher risk, but body mass index (BMI) may mediate this association. Study results
Chances are, if you live in one of the southern states of Australia, you maybe only think about humidity a couple of times a year. That’s partially because we tend of only think about humidity in connection to long, hot, sticky days in summer, or how we console ourselves with not being able to afford
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated the link between osteoarthritis and mortality in an epidemiological study. It was shown that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was higher for people with osteoarthritis than for the rest of the population. Using population registers, the researchers studied approximately 469,000 people living in Skåne, Sweden,
Some young adults who were bullied as a child could have a greater risk of ongoing depression due to a mix of genetic and environmental factors according to a new study from the University of Bristol. Researchers wanted to find out what factors influenced depression in young adults between the ages of 10 and 24
Almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cardiac arrest, when the heart suddenly stops beating. People experiencing cardiac arrest will suddenly become unresponsive and either stop breathing or gasp for air, a sign known as agonal breathing. Immediate CPR can double or triple someone’s chance of survival, but that requires a bystander to be present.
Earlier research has shown that growing up on a farm with animals may as much as half the risk of asthma and allergies. The protective effect is thought to be attributable to the diverse microbial exposures encountered on farms. “We discovered that the presence of farm-like microbiota in an early-life home seemed to protect from
For the first time, researchers have mapped the building blocks of the human lungs and airways, in both asthma patients and normal people. The research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University Medical Center Groningen, Open Targets, GSK and collaborators revealed the identity of each cell type, creating the first draft Human Cell Atlas of the
Treatment with gabapentinoids — a group of drugs used for epilepsy, nerve pain and anxiety disorders — is associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, unintentional overdose, injuries, and road traffic incidents, finds a study from Sweden published by The BMJ today. Prescriptions have risen steeply in recent years, and gabapentinoids are among the
Asthma-like symptoms may indicate heart disease Hide some people inherit a heart condition unnecessary because the disease is confused with Asthma? The lives of patients with heart failure seems to be in jeopardy, because of new research, according to Doctors confuse the symptoms of heart failure often with Asthma. In a recent study by the
In ongoing research to find a treatment for acute kidney injury, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) scientists have further advanced a promising approach using therapeutic factors produced by stem cells by creating a more efficient delivery method that would improve tissue regeneration. WFIRM researchers wanted to determine if any of the growth factors
