Related topics: children
Asthma
hideAsthma is a chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways (bronchi) are reversibly narrowed. Asthma affects 7% of the population, and 300 million worldwide. During attacks (exacerbations), the smooth muscle cells in the bronchi constrict, and the airways become inflamed and swollen. Breathing becomes difficult, and asthma causes 4,000 deaths a year in the U.S. Attacks can be prevented by avoiding triggering factors and by drug treatment. Drugs are used for acute attacks, commonly inhaled β2-agonists. In more serious cases, drugs are used for long-term prevention, starting with inhaled corticosteroids, and then long-acting β2-agonists if necessary. Leukotriene antagonists are less effective than corticosteroids but have no side effects. Monoclonal antibodies such as mepolizumab and omalizumab are sometimes effective. Prognosis is good with treatment.
In contrast to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis, the inflammation of asthma is reversible. In contrast to emphysema, asthma affects the bronchi, not the alveoli.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute defines asthma as a common chronic disorder of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (bronchospasm), and an underlying inflammation.
Public attention in the developed world has recently focused on asthma because of its rapidly increasing prevalence, affecting up to one in four urban children.
For more information about Asthma, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with asthma
Sweet -- sugared polymer a new weapon against allergies and asthma
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step ...
Mother's depression a risk factor in childhood asthma symptoms, study suggests
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Maternal depression can worsen asthma symptoms in their children, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center published online in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.
Asthma a significant risk factor for complications in children with H1N1
Nov 19, 2009 |
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A new study on pediatric H1N1 influenza admissions has found that asthma is a significant risk factor for severe disease in children with pandemic H1N1 compared with the seasonal flu. The study, led by researchers from The ...
Interstitial macrophages: immune cells that prevent asthma
Nov 10, 2009 |
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The continual presence in the air of the microbe-derived molecule LPS promotes asthma in some individuals. What prevents inhalation of LPS from promoting asthma in most individuals is not well understood. However, researchers ...
Women with asthma feel worse
Nov 09, 2009 |
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Women with asthma are more anxious, find it harder to sleep and are more tired during the day than their male counterparts, but nevertheless tend to be better at following their treatment, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska ...
Oral contraceptives may benefit women with asthma
Nov 05, 2009 |
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New research shows that during natural menstrual cycles, women with asthma who were not taking oral contraceptives (OC) had lower exhaled nitric oxide levels (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation associated with asthma, ...
Acetaminophen may be linked to asthma in children and adults
Nov 05, 2009 |
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New research shows that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults exposed to the drug.
Study finds big air pollution impacts on local communities
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely ...
Study links folic acid supplements to asthma
Nov 04, 2009 |
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A University of Adelaide study may have shed light on the rise in childhood asthma in developed countries like Australia in recent decades.
New Mount Sinai research finds 9/11 responders twice as likely to have asthma
Nov 03, 2009 |
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First responders who were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks suffer from asthma at more than twice the rate of the general U.S. population, according ...
FDA panel backs first non-drug asthma treatment
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Federal health advisers on Wednesday said a novel technology from a small medical technology firm should be approved as the first non-drug treatment for asthma.
Fibre may keep asthma, diabetes at bay, study finds
Oct 28, 2009 |
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Insoluble dietary fibre, or roughage, not only keeps you regular, say Australian scientists, it also plays a vital role in the immune system, keeping certain diseases at bay.
'Difficult-to-treat asthma' may be due to difficult-to-treat patients
Oct 23, 2009 |
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Difficult-to-treat asthma often may have more to do with patients who do not take their medication as instructed than ineffective medication, according to researchers in Northern Ireland.
Optimized inhaler mouthpiece design allows for more effective drug delivery
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Researchers have developed an optimized mouthpiece design to aid efficient drug delivery to the lungs by reducing the amount of medication wasted as it passes through the mouthpiece of an aerosol inhaler. With current inhaler ...
Researcher finds there could be up to 200 cold viruses
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Bad news for the immune system: New research has boosted the number of likely common-cold viruses waiting to make you miserable from the long-accepted 100 to perhaps double that number.
