News Bits
Kids with Asthma at Risk for Enterovirus D-68 This Fall
Has your child with asthma been having cold- or flu-like symptoms this fall? If so, it would be wise to have the doctor test them for Enterovirus D-68. Most states are reporting cases, and children with asthma are at higher risk for serious respiratory illness.
Prenatal Exposure to Household Chemicals Ups Asthma Risk
Infants who were exposed to higher levels of common household products containing chemicals known as phthalates while in the womb were 72-78% more likely to have developed asthma by ages 5-11, report Columbia University researchers.
Dry Roasting Increases Allergy-Causing Potential of Peanuts
A new study out of the United Kingdom suggests the dry roasting process used on peanuts may be more to blame for peanut allergies than the raw peanuts themselves. Researchers reached that conclusion after exposing mice to either dry roasted or raw peanut proteins. Significantly more allergic reactions were seen with the dry roasted variety.
Job Insecurity Linked to Asthma
The prospect of losing your job could put you at higher risk for asthma, find German researchers who studied the link between job insecurity and development of the disease in more than 70,000 people. For every 25% increase in the perceived threat of job loss they noted a 24% rise in the risk of asthma.
Asthma Research Goes High Tech
Harvard researchers have developed a human airway muscle-on-a-chip they believe will help in the search for new treatments for asthma. Using the high tech device, which mimics the typical allergic asthma response, they’ve already found one drug that might be more effective in reducing the sensitivity of asthmatic tissue when combined with a currently approved asthma medication.
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