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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: asthma

asthma stories: 18 news summaries
health study

 Go Easy on 
 the Candles 


Aug 21, 09 1:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Don't go overboard on the candles, researchers warn. The fumes of paraffin wax candles can contribute to cancer and asthma, though it would take years of heavy use to cause a problem, the BBC reports. “An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you,” says... More »

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cancer • research • illness • asthma • health research • candlelight • candle

 Asthma 
 Breakthrough 
 Holds Promise 

'Cellular pump' suggests possible treatments

Jun 16, 09 2:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have found a “cellular pump” that appears central to the development of asthma, pointing the way to possible new treatments, the BBC reports. The pump, called SERCA2, helps airway muscles relax. People with asthma had reduced SERCA2 levels, researchers found; replacing it in airway muscle cells could help... More »

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medical breakthrough • treatment • medical treatment • asthma • health research

(Newser) - An Alberta woman is the first Canadian to die in connection with swine flu, though the province's heath chief said today she also had serious underlying medical conditions, the AP reports. A source told the Globe and Mail the woman, in her 30s, had asthma; she died April 28. Her... More »

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Canada • asthma • swine flu • H1N1 virus • Alberta

(Newser) - Children with asthma might want to get outside more. According to a recent study, children with lower levels of vitamin D are likely to have more severe asthma symptoms, ScienceDaily reports. In the first in vivo study on the subject, researchers looked at 600 Costa Rican children with asthma. Those... More »

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asthma • vitamin D • medical study

 Study Links TV 
 to Child Asthma Risk 

Young kids who watch more than 2 hours a day twice as likely to develop asthma

Mar 3, 09 3:03 AM CST
(Newser) - Young children who watch over two hours of television a day are twice as likely to develop asthma later in childhood. Researchers, who tracked the health of 3,000 children from birth to 11, believe that the TV-watching is symptomatic of sedentary lifestyles, the BBC reports. They speculate that more... More »

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television • children • exercise • asthma • television watching • respiratory problems

Scientists Map Common Cold's Genome

Makes creating a cure possible, but still
pricey and unlikely

Feb 12, 09 4:43 PM CST
(Newser) - Researchers have completed a “family tree” for the common cold, paving the way for an eventual cure to one of mankind’s most stubborn ailments, the New York Times reports. Scientists mapped the genomes of the 99 variations of rhinovirus, which causes most colds, and have cataloged the weaknesses... More »

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pharmaceutical companies • genome • virus • asthma • common cold • pharmaceutical industry • cold • rhinovirus

Study Links Child Abuse, Asthma

Stress seen as possible cause of respiratory condition

Sep 1, 08 4:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Abused children are twice as likely to develop asthma as kids who are not abused, a new study says. Although the research doesn't conclusively establish a cause-and-effect link, it does suggest doctors should consider looking for evidence of physical and sexual abuse in young patients with hard-to-treat asthma, the Boston ... More »

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study • child abuse • sexual abuse • Puerto Rico • asthma

 Docs Link
 Ulcer Drop,
 Asthma  Boom 

Decline in stomach bacteria might link to asthma boom

Jul 15, 08 4:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - A lack of ulcers may be driving the increased incidence of childhood asthma, Reuters reports. In a study of children infected with the H. pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers, those who had the infection were 59% less likely to have asthma than those who didn't. H. pylori infection has been... More »

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disease • hygiene • bacteria • asthma • childhood • ulcer • Helicobacter pylori

OPINION

 Why Is 'Supermom'
 Getting the Bonds
 Treatment? 

If it weren't for McNamee, maybe we'd still be happily naive about sports doping

Jul 6, 08 7:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some are calling five-time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres "Supermom," but Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star thinks that "Wonder Woman" might be more appropriate. Everyone's wondering how a 41-year-old new mother could come back from retirement and surgery to take first place at her fifth qualifiers.... More »

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steroids • Roger Clemens • swimming • asthma • Brian McNamee • comeback • Olympic trials • Dara Torres

FDA Probes Suicide Link
to Asthma Drug

Merck adds new warnings on nervous system side effects

Mar 28, 08 7:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - The FDA has opened an investigation of anecdotal links between the popular asthma and allergy drug Singulair and suicidal thoughts. In the past year, manufacturer Merck has added warnings of several possible side effects of  the pill related to the nervous system, including anxiety, depression, tremors, and suicidal thinking. The... More »

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suicide • FDA • Merck • allergy • asthma • Singulair

 9/11 Illnesses Haunt Journalists 

Those who covered Ground Zero report breathing problems, other ailments

Mar 12, 08 11:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - The helicopter ride through the burning World Trader Center's thick, chemical-laden smoke won Keith Meyers' 9/11 photos a share of the Pulitzer, but he says it cost him his health and career. "I could feel my skin tingling and burning," recalls the former New York Times photographer. Like... More »

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cancer • media • New York City • Ground Zero • World Trade Center • September 11 • journalist • asthma • PTSD • Twin Towers • coughing

Immune-System Ailments Now an 'Epidemic'

Doctors blame sterile homes, diet, obesity
for making us sick

Mar 4, 08 7:46 PM CST
(Newser) - Allergies and immune-system ailments like asthma, lupus, and MS are on the rise—and scientists increasingly blame modern life, the Washington Post reports. Many point to sterile conditions in the US and Western Europe, but pollution, diet, and obesity may also play a role. "We have dramatically changed our... More »

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health • epidemic • immune system • multiple sclerosis • asthma • food allergies

Outbreak Hits World's Most Remote Island

Viral asthma affecting 275-person UK territory in South Atlantic

Dec 5, 07 2:18 PM CST
(Newser) - A severe viral asthma is wreaking havoc on Tristan da Cunha, a volcanic island 1,700 miles off the coast of South Africa described as the world's most remote community, the BBC reports. Many of the island's 275 residents are having trouble breathing; medical supplies are dwindling in the South... More »

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United Kingdom • asthma • outbreak • Tristan da Cunha

Norman Mailer Back in Hospital

After lung collapse, ex-wife says combative writer not ‘doing well’

Oct 17, 07 12:43 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Norman Mailer was hospitalized yesterday in New York for respiratory ailments; his ex-wife said surgery had succeeded in removing scar tissue after a lung collapse—but she worried that he’s “not in very good shape.” It's the second recent scare for the 84-year-old... More »

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literature • Pulitzer Prize • asthma • Norman Mailer

Cleaners May Trigger Asthma

Common household products blamed
for 1 in 7 cases

Oct 14, 07 11:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Cleaning products with bleach and air fresheners may cause asthma, or aggravate symptoms, even if those products are used only once a week, according to new research. As many as 1 in 7 asthma cases may be caused by exposure to household cleaners, says a study in the American Journal ... More »

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housework • asthma • air freshener • cleaning • bleach • irritant

Docs Skimp on Kids' Health Care: Study

Pediatricians provide standard preventive care less than half time

Oct 11, 07 3:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - American children are not getting adequate preventive care during most visits to their pediatrician, a new study has found. Doctors skip basic screening tests, weight and measurement checks and some standard care for conditions such as asthma, according to the findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. Children in... More »

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asthma • pediatricians • New England Journal of Medicine. • Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute • University of Washington School of Medicine • RAND Corporation • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services • California HealthCare Foundation • urine cultures • diarrhea

Groups Ask Feds to Regulate Air Fresheners

Environmental lobby claims scents contain toxins, harm health

Sep 20, 07 6:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Air fresheners contain dangerous chemical compounds linked to asthma, cancer, and developmental problems, said a coalition of environmental groups in petitioning the EPA yesterday to regulate the industry. While most companies denied the charges, Walgreen Co. responded by pulling three fresheners off shelves in its 5,850 stores, the San ... More »

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cancer • toxic chemicals • Environmental Protection Agency • consumer protection • phthalates • Walgreens • asthma • air freshener • benzene • formaldehyde

Asthma Hits 9/11 Rescuers at 12 Times Normal Rate

Rates highest for those who arrived first, worked longest and didn't wear masks

Aug 29, 07 5:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - Ground Zero rescue and cleanup workers are developing asthma at 12 times the normal rate, a New York City health report has found. Among 25,000 workers interviewed, 3.6% of them—926 firefighters, police officers, construction workers and volunteers—have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness since 2001. The... More »

MORE ABOUT:
health • New York City • Ground Zero • public health • September 11 • rescue • asthma

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