Asthma

Dog-associated house dust protects against respiratory infection linked to asthma

House dust from homes with dogs appears to protect against infection with a common respiratory virus that is associated with the development of asthma in children. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, ...

Immunology created Jun 19, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Team shows how childhood viral infection leads to increased risk for allergic asthma as adult

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have shown in an animal model that a common childhood virus disables the normal ...

Immunology created Sep 12, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Mice at risk of asthma, allergies can fight off skin cancer

A molecule involved in asthma and allergies has now been shown to make mice resistant to skin cancer, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Cancer created Oct 15, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Disappearing bacterium may protect against stroke

A new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers reveals that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isn't implicated in the overall death rate of the U.S. population, and may even ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Asthma drug found highly effective in treating chronic, severe hives and itch

An international team of researchers has found that a once-a-month, high-dose injection of a commonly used asthma drug is highly effective in treating teens and adults chronically afflicted with hives and severe, itchy rash. ...

Immunology created Feb 24, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Grandmother's cigarette habit could be the cause of grandchild's asthma

Grandmother's cigarette smoking could be responsible for her grandchild's asthma, and the recent discovery of this multi-generational transmission of disease suggests the environmental factors experienced today could determine ...

Obstetrics & gynaecology created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Clinical trial finds new class of cancer drugs safe and effective

The safety and preliminary efficacy of a new class of tumor fighting drugs were reported today by Scottsdale Healthcare's Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Cancer created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Brain diseases affecting more people and starting earlier than ever before

Professor Colin Pritchard's latest research published in Public Health journal has found that the sharp rise of dementia and other neurological deaths in people under 74 cannot be put down to the fact that we are living longer ...

Health created May 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Ginger compounds may be effective in treating asthma symptoms

Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia University shows purified components of the ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 19, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Death rate for children with asthma is rising

Health experts have warned parents of children with asthma to take the condition more seriously as new data reveals that in recent years asthma-related deaths among people under 15 have increased for the first ...

Inflammatory disorders created Apr 05, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Assessing the impact of indoor air pollution on Europeans

The health impact of indoor air pollution is a real environmental health issue, which is believed to have a bearing on respiratory conditions such as asthma. This has prompted a European study to take action. ...

Health created May 07, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Abuse during childhood linked to adult-onset asthma in African-American women

According to a new study from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University, African-American women who reported suffering abuse before age 11 had a greater likelihood of adult-onset asthma compared to women whose ...

Health created Dec 07, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Studies find that toxicity caused by second-hand smoke remains long after a smoker leaves the premises

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers are finding that, long after a smoker leaves the premises, the toxicity caused by second-hand smoke remains and transforms into something even more deadly.

Health created Mar 07, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Hidden dangers in the air we breathe

(Medical Xpress)—For decades, no one worried much about the air quality inside people's homes unless there was secondhand smoke or radon present. Then scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence ...

Health created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

New study finds obesity-asthma link in children varies by race/ethnicity

Children and adolescents who are overweight or obese are more likely to have asthma than their healthy weight counterparts, according to a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published in the online edition of ...

Inflammatory disorders created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


Asthma (from the Greek άσθμα, ásthma, "panting") is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Asthma is clinically classified according to the frequency of symptoms, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow rate. Asthma may also be classified as atopic (extrinsic) or non-atopic (intrinsic).

It is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Treatment of acute symptoms is usually with an inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonist (such as salbutamol). Symptoms can be prevented by avoiding triggers, such as allergens and irritants, and by inhaling corticosteroids. Leukotriene antagonists are less effective than corticosteroids and thus less preferred.

Its diagnosis is usually made based on the pattern of symptoms and/or response to therapy over time. The prevalence of asthma has increased significantly since the 1970s. As of 2010, 300 million people were affected worldwide. In 2009 asthma caused 250,000 deaths globally. Despite this, with proper control of asthma with step down therapy, prognosis is generally good.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital ...

The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...

Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?

Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have ...

Scientists identify molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer's disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons ...

Practice makes perfect? Not so much

Turns out, that old "practice makes perfect" adage may be overblown. New research led by Michigan State University's Zach Hambrick finds that a copious amount of practice is not enough to explain why people ...

Neurons that can multitask greatly enhance the brain's computational power, study finds

Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location ...

Older prostate cancer patients should think twice before undergoing treatment

Older prostate cancer patients with other underlying health conditions should think twice before committing to surgery or radiation therapy for their cancer, according to a multicenter study led by researchers in the UCLA ...

Immune protein could stop diabetes in its tracks

Melbourne researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed.