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Kids' exposure to secondhand smoke drops — except among those with asthma
NBCNews.com At a time when many Americans have managed to kick the habit, a surprising new government report finds that asthmatic kids are just as likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke as they were a decade ago, especially if they come from poor families. Secondhand Smoke: Most Kids with Asthma Exposed Kids, Asthma and Secondhand Smoke |
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Asthma remission common among boys
Healio The study included 248 children aged 7 to 8 years in northern Sweden identified as having asthma. Participants were re-evaluated annually until aged 19 years (205 remained). Lung function, bronchial challenge testing and skin prick tests were performed … Breathing Easier While Growing Up |
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Researchers use mobile application to improve asthma outcomes among …
News-Medical.net Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL and The University of Illinois at Chicago are using the Internet and motivational multimedia coupled with positive reinforcement via a smartphone application to try to improve asthma outcomes … |
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Guideline-Recommended Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide is a Poor Predictor of Health Care Use Among Inner-city Children and Adolescents Receiving Usual Asthma Care.
Chest. 2013 Jun 13;
Authors: McCormack MC, Aloe C, Curtin-Brosnan J, Diette GB, Breysse PN, Matsui EC
Abstract
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Recent American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines support use of FENO in patients with asthma and highlight gaps in the evidence base. Little is known about use of FENO to predict asthma exacerbations among high-risk, urban, minority populations receiving usual care. METHODS: 138 children with persistent asthma were enrolled in a prospective observational cohort study and skin tested at baseline (wheal?3mm=+SPT). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels, lung function, and asthma-related health care use were assessed at baseline and every three months thereafter for one year. Relationships between FENO and health care utilization in the subsequent three months were examined. Final models accounted for repeated outcome measures and were adjusted for age, gender and lung function. RESULTS: The mean age was 11 years (range 5-17), and most were male (57%), African American (91%), and atopic (90%). At baseline, FENO was (median [IQR]: 31.5ppb [16-61]) and FEV1/FVC was (mean ± SD: 80.7±9.6%). There were 237 acute asthma-related health care visits, 105 unscheduled doctor (UD) visits, 125 ED visits, and 7 hospitalizations during the follow-up period. FENO was not a significant predictor of acute visits, ED visits, UD visits, or hospitalization in either unadjusted or adjusted analyses. Use of recommended cutpoints did not improve the predictive value of FENO (PPV 0.6-32.8%), nor did application of the guideline-based algorithm to assess change over time. CONCLUSIONS: FENO may not be a clinically useful predictor of health care use for asthma exacerbations in urban minority children with asthma.
PMID: 23764806 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
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XX Files: Among adults, asthma is more common in women
STLtoday.com The exact cause of asthma is not known, but the airways of people with asthma become swollen and inflamed. The airway inflammation causes a reaction to substances that are inhaled. These substances can be allergens or other inhaled irritants such as … Breathe Easier: 7 tips to control your child's asthma Breathe Easier This Summer: Tips To Control Your Child's Asthma |
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GlaxoSmithKline's asthma med among top-selling drugs in U.S.
Triangle Business Journal (blog) The British drug company, which has its North American headquarters in Research Triangle Park, comes in fifth with asthma medicine Advair Diskus. The rest of the top five: Otsuka Pharmaceuticals' Abilify. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals' (NYSE: AZN) Nexium … |
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HMS Study Finds Low Use of Asthma Insurance Coverage Among Young Adults
Harvard Crimson A recent study at Harvard Medical School found that young adults in the United States between the ages of 18 and 25 utilized less health insurance coverage for their chronic asthma than adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 did. “As a pediatrician … |
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Annual All-Cause Healthcare Costs Among Influenza Patients With and Without Influenza-Related Complications : Analysis of a United States Managed Care Database.
Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2013 Mar 26;
Authors: Karve S, Misurski D, Herrera-Taracena G, Davis KL
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that patients with influenza have a high risk of developing complications such as secondary infections, exacerbation of cardiovascular conditions and asthma. However, limited data exists on the healthcare cost burden for influenza patients with and without influenza-related complications. OBJECTIVE: We compared healthcare utilization and costs among influenza patients with related complications versus patients without complications. METHODS: In this retrospective database analysis (LifeLink database: 1998-2009) of a US managed care database, we selected patients diagnosed with influenza during influenza seasons and categorized them as complicated or uncomplicated based on the presence or absence of a diagnosis for a related complication in the year following their influenza diagnosis. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to compare all-cause utilization and costs (adjusted to 2009 US dollars) between the two groups. RESULTS: We identified 54,469 patients of which ~65 % had evidence for at least one complication. Patients with complicated influenza had a 1.5-fold higher rate of inpatient utilization compared with uncomplicated cases (p < 0.001). Significantly higher covariate-adjusted predicted mean annual costs were also observed among complicated influenza patients across all care (p-values <0.001 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Healthcare costs were twice as high among influenza patients with complications versus those without, with inpatient and outpatient services being the primary cost drivers. Now with the universal recommendation for seasonal influenza vaccination for all individuals ?6 months of age, improvement in coverage rates may help reduce the healthcare utilization and costs associated with influenza and associated complications.
PMID: 23529713 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
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Asthma rates high among children in Pittsburgh-area communities
WTAE Pittsburgh “It's like I'm battling a monster,” the 8-year-old boy told Channel 4 Action News investigator Jim Parsons. It's been that way since he suffered his first near-fatal asthma attack when he was 3. “It brings tears to my eyes because he came to me and … |
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Workplace link to 1 in 6 cases of adult asthma among UK baby boomers
EurekAlert (press release) The strongest evidence seems to be for jobs involving cleaning or cleaning agents, the research suggests. The authors base their findings on the job histories up to the age of 42 of almost 7,500 British adults born in 1958, all of whom were taking part … |
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