News Bits
Age May Explain Asthma Treatment Failure
People over the age of 30 are more likely to experience treatment failure with asthma maintenance medications known as corticosteroids, report researchers publishing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The investigators aren’t sure why this is happening but speculate biological factors and/or socioeconomic, geographic, or treatment adherence difficulties could be in play.
High-Fiber Diet May Ward Off Asthma in Offspring
Moms-to-be may be able to help prevent asthma in their offspring by eating a high-fiber diet while they are pregnant. That’s the take-home message from researchers who looked at the effect of different diets on the development of asthma in mice. When researchers attempted to induce allergic airways disease in the infants of mice fed a high-fiber diet while pregnant, the babies did not develop the condition.
Delayed Reactions Possible
Children who experience anaphylaxis can have a second reaction hours later, report Canadian investigators who looked at the medical records of 484 kids treated for the condition. Results showed 71 of the children, or 15%, had a second reaction, most often within six hours of the original reaction. They believe kids who experience severe anaphylaxis should remain in the hospital for several hours to ensure proper medical treatment to monitor them for a second reaction.
Hop on the Treadmill
Have asthma and thinking of starting an exercise program? A new study out of Brazil suggests higher intensity exercise may be best. When researchers compared asthma patients who were randomly assigned to 30-minute yoga breathing exercises with those assigned to the breathing exercises plus 35 minute, twice-weekly treadmill sessions, those in the treadmill group showed greater improvements in asthma severity and quality of life.
Avoiding Peanuts May Not Be the Answer
Keeping kids considered at high risk for peanut allergy away from peanuts may actually foster the development of peanut allergy in those children, find researchers publishing in The New England Journal of Medicine. When compared to children for whom peanuts were avoided, they saw an 86.1% relative risk reduction in peanut allergy at 60 months of age for young children who were introduced to peanuts beginning at four months of age. The investigators are quick to note, however, that children in this study were carefully monitored and parents should consult their child’s physician before changing their diets to include peanuts.
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