Archive for the 'ASTHMA' Category

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has recently called for the manufactures of asthma drugs that fall into the category of leukotriene receptors to be labeled with a warning to consumers that the drug use may heighten or cause neuropsychiatric events.

A few of the more common drugs that fall under this umbrella include Singulair, Zyflo, and Accolate.

The FDA warned in a statement on its website that use of the drug has been connected with postmarket cases of hallucinations, depression, aggression, anxiousness, suicidal thinking, insomnia, and tremors among other related psychological concerns.

The FDA also formally warned that if you or a family member experience any of these symptoms while taking one of the asthma medicines you should immediately talk to your doctor who can help decide if you need to discontinue the drug in lieu of an alternative treatment.

Back in March 2008 the FDA announced that it was investigating asthma drugs for a link to suicidal behavior but reported they had not yet identified one in January of 2009 until the present announcement was released on Friday.

A new discovery about how asthma develops is hoped to help scientists find new treatment options that work better according to the National Academy of Sciences.

The study reported that people who suffer from asthma have airways that become more muscular as the disease progresses making the airways more susceptible to allergens.

An area of the muscle growth called the SCA2 is thought to be instrumental in the growth rate, thus scientists hope that if drugs could be administered that slow the muscle growth then lung damage can be reduced or prevented altogether.

Research leader Professor Tak Lee commented that while there are other factors involved in the changes that occur in airways, the SERCA2 levels are thought to be the most important factor which is why it is the focus in reducing the chronic nature that asthma is thought to have currently.

The connection was found by studying people who suffered from moderate asthma where muscle cells were still reduced.

Further research proved that if SERCA2 was removed from people without asthma normal muscle cells started to respond in the same manner of asthma which means preserving SERCA2 may be the answer to curing asthma.

According to a report in the latest edition of the Journal of Allergy and ClinicalImmunology, obesity may cause a patient to become unresponsive to certain asthma medications.

The study revealed that the effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids was reduced by more than 50% in overweight individuals.

The team of researchers, headed by Dr. Sutherland, studied over 1,200 patients with persistent asthma of varying degrees of severity. 53% of the patients had a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 kg/m2.

The research concentrated on the forced expiratory volume (FEV) of the overweight patients as compared to that of the leaner patients.

Although there were some differences between the two BMI groups in terms of FEV, Dr. Sutherland concludes that they are negligible when considered alongside the lack of difference in other important measures of asthma such as exhaled nitric acid level, morning peak expiratory flow rate, number of skin allergies and hyperresponsiveness of the airway to methacholine.

However, obesity did have an effect on the response of the patients to medication. Such patients exhibited reduced improvement in lung function in response to asthma treatments involving inhaled glucocorticoid and beta agonist.

A Spanish woman, who has been selling lottery tickets in Madrid for over 20 years has developed Asthma since changing her system of checking winning/losing ticket with a point-of-sale terminal.

Researchers believe that the chemicals used in the production of the terminal and the paper used in these terminals has a covering of N-Propyl-acrylamide and acrylate tints.

Point-of-sale terminals are used all over the world, when you pay with your credit card you are using a point-of-sale terminal.

The woman noticed that soon after arriving at work she would start coughing; feel short of breath and wheezy. But she did not consult a Doctor until two years after noticing the symptoms of asthma although she sought emergency asthma treatment on three occasions.

After tests were completed it was discovered that the woman was allergic to the acrylate tints in the paper. Other employees at printing companies have contracted the occupational asthma after working in the printing business.

On her first examination, bronchial and other breathing tests were performed and the results showed no asthma illness.

New research seems to indicate that children with skin damaged by eczema will develop asthma.

A team from St Louis, led by Raphael Kopan, has made the discovery after studying mice.

The findings show that the skin secretes thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) which then causes the immune system to react in response. It is the body’s way of defending itself from attack.

The scientific term for the way that eczema goes on to become asthma is known as the atopic march. Kopan explains that for decades, clinicians have failed to understand the process and that this is a very important new piece of information.

The professor at Washington University’s department of developmental biology and dermatology believes it is a real breakthrough. Kopan said that finding out about the mice with conditions similar to eczema and the fact that they showed similar responses to the allergens that they inhaled was very interesting. TSLP is the key to all this she added.

It is believed that up to seventy percent of American children that suffer severely from eczema, or atopic dermatitis as it is also referred to, will go on to become asthmatic.

Asthma is a disease that literally captures your breath. Asthma attacks are no fun. It is a thought, in the medical world, that asthma is hereditary.

For instance, if your mother or father, or even a long lost relative, had asthma then you may be susceptible to the disease.

It is something that stays in the family. Asthma is not curable, but it will usually go dormant in a child after ten years, and it is manageable.

One thing that can affect asthma is environmental factors. Several things can bring on an asthma attack.

Growing Mold

Mold can start to grow from different situations. May be your home’s basement got flooded, it took you a long time to get the water removed, and now you have mold growing on your wall.

Mold loves to grow in a wet environment. When you start to clean up the mold, you will need to be careful. Scrubbing the mold can release mold spores into the air. These mold spores, inhaled by you, may bring on an asthma attack.

Globally, the winter time now has greater rainfall and is much milder, this in turn now means that we tend to have an extended spring period which has consequently resulted in a large increase in pollen.

For asthmatics and hay fever sufferers this means a much shorter spell when relief does not have to come from drugs.

Dr. David Peden of the University of North Carolina believes that awareness is crucial so individuals can arm themselves and this include finding out exactly what your allergies are.

As the director, at the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology, Peden explains that it is advisable to see an allergy specialist, to ensure that you get the best available drugs to control your condition [Asthma medications]. An allergist, he says, will be able to recommend what is the best way forward.

The changes to the planet caused by the hole in the ozone layer and climate alterations have other implications too. Warm conditions attract insects, for example in Alaska they have seen a massive increase in instances of people being stung by bees.

Plant life is changing to the new conditions as well, with barren cold regions like the Alaskan tundra are seeing growth in vegetation.

If you have lung disease, and even if you don’t, you need to be particularly cautious when you are around an area that has flooded.

While the flood waters themselves pose serious threat, even once active flooding has ended, the remaining flood waters and the aftermath can pose serious hazards.

The flood waters themselves can contain a number of water-borne microorganisms and toxins.

Once the waters begin to recede, they leave these microorganisms and toxins behind, along with other bacteria, viruses, and especially molds.

Not only do these aggravate the conditions of those who already have asthma and lung problems, they can cause lung problems in previously healthy individual.

Further, dealing with a flood causes a great deal of stress, which further exacerbates the danger, while community housing can expose you to a number of airborne illnesses including tuberculosis, pneumonia, and the flu.

If electrical power is lost, be cautious when using gasoline or diesel powered machinery. Any of these can produce carbon monoxide, which is odorless, colorless, and potentially deadly.

The increasing number of people that suffer from asthma and other allergies seems to indicate that is an affliction of the 21st century.

Perhaps by studying the immune systems of those alive a few centuries ago could be helpful in determining why this is the case.

With mice that is possible as their generations pass by in a few years compared to centuries in humans.

Even lab mice are a modern phenomenon in that they are bred for that purpose and are never affected by outside factors and maybe their immune systems never gets tested enough.

A University of Nottingham team lead by Joseph Jackson believe that their research into lice infected mice, using rodents captured from the wild, has shown that immune systems may need to build up a level of tolerance by exposure to certain conditions.

Jackson believes that the immune dysfunctions of today could be caused by the totally dissimilar world that people live in now. The mice were all infected by a Polyplax serrata louse after which their immune systems were carefully examined.

For asthma sufferers, if an attack involves a visit to a doctor or hospital it is advantageous to know what tests and examinations are likely to take place.

For family members and friends, it could also be useful to know what the professionals will be doing.

Each asthma attack can be classified as severe, moderate or mild; this will be the first assessment that will be made. In the case of a mild case the patient themselves may well be able to indicate this to the doctor or nurses in attendance.

There are three factors that are monitored to determine how strong the attack is for the patient. Firstly the degree of obstruction of the airway and this can be determined by the use of a spirometer. Other equipment than can be used is the oximetry or a peak flow meter.

Usually medical staff will have their own preferred method which they will use or sometimes medical or hospital practice will have its own guidelines. A chest x ray may also be taken if there is the slightest concern over the patient’s condition.