Asthma

Over the past 25 years, cases of asthma have risen by 40 million worldwide, going from 318 million in 1990 to 358 million in 2015. Fortunately, at the same time deaths from asthma have declined by more than 26%, dropping from 550 thousand to 400 thousand.

Dust mites, the microscopic parasites which feed on dead skin and hair left behind by humans, are one of the world’s most common asthma and allergy triggers. So a new study from England decided to test if asthmatic children would fare better when using mite-proof mattress and pillow covers.

A new study from the University of Leicester in the UK is giving scientists a clearer understanding of how a protein called high-mobility group box 1, or HMGB1 for short, plays a pivotal role in asthma.

During an asthma attack, the lining of one’s airways become inflamed, and more mucus is produced, making it harder to breath. HMGB1 is a protein which, among other things, promotes inflammation.

Taking heartburn medication while pregnant may increase your child’s risk of developing asthma, according to a review of studies recently published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The review looked at eight different studies with a combined total of more than 1,600,000 participants. It found that children whose mothers took H2 blockers such as Pepcid and Tagamet while pregnant had a 46% increased risk of asthma development.

Thunderstorm asthma has been in the news a lot lately, after a recent case in Melbourne, Australia sent around 8,500 people to the emergency room and killed 8.

What exactly is thunderstorm asthma? During a thunderstorm, winds pick up grass, tree, and weed pollens that under normal circumstances would be too big to breath in.

We don’t know exactly what causes asthma, but it seems to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

One of the many genetic factors scientists have linked to an increased asthma risk is gene variants located on chromosome 17 at region 2 band 1, aka 17q21.

Fall is here and along with the changing leaves and cooling weather come a variety of new asthma and allergy triggers to watch out for.

On May 14th Robbie Grayson had an asthma attack and nearly died. He may have to, if it wasn’t for his daughter Edith.

Edith Grayson woke up in the middle of the night to the sounds of her father having an asthma attack. Robbie tried his inhaler, and his nebulizer, but neither of them could stop the attack. Within a few minutes, Robbie had passed out in the bathroom and his pulse had stopped.

This year, a study from the Netherlands found that in a group of 650 children diagnosed with asthma, 54% did not actually have it. A 2008 study from Canada found that in a group of 540 individuals diagnosed with asthma, 32% did not have it. And a 1996 study from Australia found that in a group of kids who had chronic coughs, a whopping 90% of those diagnosed with asthma did not have it.

According to a new report, increased exposure to sunshine during the second trimester of pregnancy lowers the child’s likelihood of developing asthma.

This report comes not from a group of scientists but from economists at the University of Kansas.