Asthma
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. It is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Asthma Stories
- The number of people with asthma has increased sharply over the past few decades. It has been suggested that this is a result of decreased childhood exposure to microorganisms.
- In a paper that suggests a new strategy to prevent asthma, scientists at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues report that the influenza virus infection in young mice protected the mice as adults against the development of allergic asthma.
- Approximately 13 percent of parents turn to alternative therapies to treat their children's asthma, according to a new study from the Université de Montréal.
- People with multi-symptom asthma more often have night-time awakenings due to asthma-symptoms, a sign of severe asthma.
- Workplace asthma costs the UK at least £100 million a year, and may be as high as £135 million, reveals research published online in Thorax.
- Italian doctors warn asthma patients in an unusual turn of events of getting an attack just because of a Facebook update.
- The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma.
- As choking smoke from the Tesoro Golden Eagle refinery drifted eastward, health officials in the Bay Area advised people with asthma or breathing problems to stay indoors.
- Evidence suggesting that the risk of childhood asthma associated with prenatal paracetamol exposure may depend on antioxidant genes in the mother has been found by a team of UK scientists.
- Risk of asthmatic attack on US children is directly related to their low social economic status (SES) and exposure to pests.
- What is common between your tongue and lung? As you struggle to find an answer, scientists have found recently that these two organs share the same bitter taste receptors. These receptors in the bronchial muscle may well be the answer for asthma and other lung diseases.
- Researchers from Tufts University pooled data from five previous epidemiological studies to investigate the prevalence of asthma in children in the Boston neighborhoods of Chinatown and Dorchester.