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Galen Rupp manages allergies in try for Olympics Greenwich Time The American 10000 meter record-holder has exercise-induced asthma, along with severe allergies to pollen and other airborne particles that can make it difficult for him to breathe. Although his training and competition schedules can be captive to … Mask, train, pray for rain: Olympic 10000 meter hopeful Galen Rupp battles …WDBJ7 all 30 news articles »

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Asthmatic Moms Who Breast-feed May Help Their Children's Lungs Tempo Breast-feeding is associated with improved lung function in school-age children, particularly those with asthmatic mothers, a new study says. Swiss and UK researchers analyzed data from nearly 1500 UK children who were born between 1993 and 1997. and more »

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Medical Daily

Breastfeeding tied to stronger lungs, less asthma GMA News NEW YORK – Kids who were breastfed as babies may have better lung function, and a lower risk of asthma, than those who were formula-fed, two new reports suggest. Researchers said that past studies have found conflicting results when it comes to the … Breastfeeding OK for Moms With AsthmaWebMD Breastfed Kids Have Healthier Lungs, Even Ones With Asthmatic MomsMedical Daily Breastfeeding Linked to Better Lung FunctionMedPage Today all 44 news articles »

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Bike hike to fight asthma Perth Now The Asthma Foundation WA is urging people to get huffing and puffing for a good cause raising funds in the 2012 RAC Freeway Bike Hike for Asthma to support people battling asthma. To be held on March 18 and spearheaded by ambassador Angela Tsun, …

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According to published reports, researchers say asthma may significantly increase the risk of hospitalization and death from heart disease in non-smokers, according to a study reported today at the American Heart Association’s 41st Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

“Prior studies have indicated a higher cardiovascular death rate among people with asthma but none of them looked specifically at non-smokers. With this new study, we know now this is true even among non-smokers,” says principal investigator Carlos Iribarren, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., with Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. The researchers studied non-smokers in order to rule out the strong influence of smoking on both asthma and heart disease.

Researchers found that self-reported asthma, regardless of whether the patient was treated for it or not, was associated with a 33 percent increased risk of developing heart disease. Further, the study shows that individuals who were getting treatment for asthma at the time of their enrollment were 82 percent more likely to develop heart disease.

“This new evidence has important public health implications because asthma affects about 6 percent of the general population, and heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States,” says Iribarren. He says the possibility that medications to treat asthma, including inhaled and oral steroids, may increase the risk of heart disease is a topic he plans to research in the future. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease known to cause lung and breathing problems and related death.

“Asthmatic patients and their doctors should be particularly mindful, not only about managing asthma, but also about managing cardiovascular risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose,” says Iribarren.

Asthma was still significantly associated with the risk of heart disease even after the researchers made adjustments for the influence of other risk factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, cholesterol, body mass index, high blood pressure and diabetes. Because inflammation is now believed to play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis – the underlying process that leads to narrowing and hardening of the arteries – the researchers hypothesized that asthma and its associated airway and systemic inflammatory state may also contribute to coronary disease risk.

“Studies to fully understand the imbalance of immune regulating factors in asthma and its effect on cardiovascular disease risk are clearly needed,” says Iribarren.

The population-based study collected data for up to 20 years among members of the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, a large health maintenance organization (HMO) in the San Francisco Bay Area. The study was done in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco’s department of medicine.

A total of 22,036 patients (64 percent women and 56 percent white) between the ages of 35 and 89, with an average age of 50, were enrolled at the beginning of the study. Data on health conditions including asthma and cardiovascular risk factors were collected. All enrollees reported they had never smoked and were free of known coronary heart disease. Of these, 652 women and 410 men reported they had been diagnosed with asthma. Information on the subjects’ hospitalization and/or death due to heart disease was collected for an average of 13 years, through the end of 1998.

Self-reported asthma meant that a participant answered “yes” to the question, “Has a doctor or a nurse ever told you that you have asthma?” Those who responded in the affirmative were also asked, “Is your asthma currently under treatment?” Patients were defined as “never smoking” if they answered “no” to the question, “Have you ever used any tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, pipe, chewing tobacco)?”

Co-authors include Mark D. Eisner, M.D.; Alan S. Go, M.D.; Stephen Sidney, M.D., M.P.H.; and Arthur L. Klatsky, M.D.

CONTACT:
Darcy Spitz or Carole Bullock
AHA News Media Relations
San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter
Ph. (210) 554-6255

Don't blame coal-fired plant for asthma problems Billings Gazette First of all, Dr. Hill's assertion that Rosebud County has the third highest rate of asthma is contrary to national scientific studies. Refer to the American Lung Association Report published in August 2011, which estimates the prevalence and incidence …

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BBC News

Online test helps warn asthma sufferers of impending attacks Yorkshire Post Asthma UK is launching a new online test aimed at people with asthma to help them find out their risk of having an asthma attack and to tell them what they can do to reduce it. People taking the test will find out how to manage their asthma more … Major review aims to reduce asthma deathsNetdoctor Online asthma test could help cut emergency admissionsNursing Times New online asthma test launchedIce Gems BBC News -Healthcare Global -French Tribune all 11 news articles »

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Rise in asthma cases due to dusty weather Gulf Times As many as 460 children were treated at the Al Sadd Paediatric Emergency Centre of Hamad Medical Corporation for symptoms of asthma caused by the intense dusty weather in Doha on Thursday, according to reports published in the local Arabic press.

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Traffic-related asthma costs two cities big money Chicago Tribune NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Traffic pollution may cost two California cities millions each year in managing children's asthma, a new study suggests. The findings suggest that "the real costs of this pollution are substantial," said lead researcher … and more »

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BBC News

Major review aims to reduce asthma deaths Netdoctor A 12-month review has been launched with a view to reducing the number of asthma deaths in the UK. Led by the Royal College of Physicians, the project will collect details on asthma deaths, both in hospitals and in the community, to identify ways to … Online asthma test could help cut emergency admissionsNursing Times New online asthma test launchedIce Gems New online test tries to cut deaths from asthma attacksBBC News Healthcare Global -French Tribune -Healthcare Today all 10 news articles »

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