Allergies and Asthma

• Get First Cat as Adult, Double Allergy Risk

  

  Posted 4:01 AM 12/29/2011

  Dec. 28, 2011 -- Adults who get their first cat double their risk of cat allergy -- especially if the cat is allowed in the bedroom.

  But adults who had cats as kids are less likely to become allergic to their new feline pets, a large European study finds.

  An adult's risk of developing a new cat allergy over a nine-year period "was nearly doubled in those acquiring a cat," report Mario Olivieri, MD, of the University of Verona, Italy, and colleagues. (More)
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• Daily Steroids May Not Be Needed for Wheezing

  

  Posted 9:01 PM 11/23/2011

  Nov. 23, 2011 -- Daily inhaled steroids are currently recommended for preschoolers with frequent wheezing who have a high risk for developing persistent asthma or high risk for severe asthma, but the treatment may cause a small decrease in their growth.

  Now new research finds that less frequent treatment with higher doses of inhaled steroids works just as well to control (More)
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• Pork-Cat Syndrome an Under-Recognized Allergy

  

  Posted 6:50 PM 11/7/2011

  Nov. 7, 2011 -- Some people with cat allergies may also be allergic to pork and other meats because of a rare type of cross-reactive allergy known as pork-cat syndrome.

  A new study describes the first six cases of pork-cat syndrome documented in the U.S. The syndrome has been established in Europe since the late 1990s.

  Researchers say the basis for the syndrome appears to be a reaction to a protein of non-primate mammals. (More)
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• How Smog Can Affect Allergies and Asthma

  

  Posted 3:14 PM 10/26/2011

  For people with allergies and asthma, sometimes the very air they breathe can be bad for their health. That's because a variety of pollutants in our air -- collectively called smog -- can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms, leaving people with these conditions struggling to breathe.

  What is Smog?

  Smog is a type of air pollution that results from a mix of gases and particulates reacting with sunlight. The gases in smog include carbon monoxide (More)
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• FDA: Some Asthma Drugs Riskier for Kids Than Adults

  

  Posted 10:41 PM 10/25/2011

  Oct. 25, 2011 -- Children are more vulnerable than adults to rare but potentially life-threatening events associated with asthma drugs known as long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs), a new analysis from the FDA shows.

  The analysis is published in Pediatrics.

  Early last year, an FDA panel concluded that the single-agent LABA (More)
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• My WebMD: Coping with Asthma at College

  

  Posted 1:59 PM 10/6/2011

  I think my mother was more worried about my going to college two years ago than I was. I have had asthma since I was very young.

  It was worse when I was younger. I used to have to use an inhaler before I ran the mile in PE class. And one time I had a big role in a play, and I developed pneumonia. My asthma got really bad. I remember using my nebulizer -- a machine that creates a medicated inhalable mist -- backstage before I went on. And I hid cough drops (More)
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• FDA to Primatene Users: Get Asthma Prescription Now

  

  Posted 9:17 PM 9/22/2011

  Sept. 22, 2011 -- The Primatene Mist inhaler is going away on Dec. 31, and prescription inhalers are the only alternative to the over-the-counter asthma drug.

  Don't wait to get that prescription. The FDA warns that Primatene supplies may not last until the end of the year.

  "All inhalers that might substitute require a prescription," the FDA's Andrea (More)
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• Carbon Dioxide Gas May Treat Nasal Allergies

  

  Posted 4:06 AM 9/15/2011

  Sept. 15, 2011 -- Shooting a quick blast of carbon dioxide gas into the nose may ease some allergy symptoms, and the relief appears to last for about four hours.

  When carbon dioxide (CO2) is blown through the sinuses in a kind of pressurized gas rinse, it (More)
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• African-American Kids May Have More Food Allergies

  

  Posted 5:51 PM 9/6/2011

  Sept. 6, 2011 -- African-American children in the U.S. have a higher rate of food allergies than children of other races, and new research suggests that genetic and environmental factors may explain why.

  Researchers found self-reported black race to be associated with a higher risk for all food (More)
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• Prepregnancy Obesity Linked to Asthma in Teens

  

  Posted 10:34 PM 8/15/2011

  Aug. 15, 2011 -- Children of women who are overweight or obese when they become pregnant may be more likely to have asthma by the time of adolescence, a new study shows.

  Researchers in Britain (More)
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