Allercy and Asthma Health
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The Official Publication of AAN - MA

News Bits

Food Allergies Don't Result in More Asthma ED Visits, Hospitalizations
Food allergies don't lead to more asthma-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations among children with asthma, report Chicago researchers who compared kids with asthma who had food allergies with those who did not. The two groups had similar rates of emergency room and hospital use.

Exercise + Weight Loss Improves Asthma Symptoms
If you have asthma and are also obese, exercising can make a big difference. A new study of obese asthma patients who took part in a weight loss program found that those who exercised had more asthma symptom-free days per week. They were also less likely to be depressed and they slept better.

Steep Rise Seen in Allergy-Related ER Visits
Allergies are sending more kids to the emergency room. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association researchers who looked at ER visits over a seven year period found ER visits related to food and other allergies went up by 150% and suspected anaphylaxis episodes rose by 104%. The investigators call for more study to find out why.

Four Times the Usual Dose Helps Stem Asthma Attack
According to British researchers, using four times the usual amount of inhaled steroids can significantly reduce the severity of asthma attacks. Their study compared people who were instructed to quadruple their inhaled steroid dose when they began experiencing an attack with those who followed usual care guidelines when an attack began. Three patients in the quadrupling group had to be hospitalized vs. 18 in the control group.

Six Questions May Personalize Care
Children who are hospitalized with asthma fare better if their discharge plan includes an individualized assessment of their asthma care needs, according to Connecticut researchers. They found that when health care providers asked patients/families six simple questions, controlled medication therapy increased from 60% to 80%. The questions covered asthma symptoms and medication use and were designed to help clinicians personalize asthma care.

  

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