News Bits
Personalized Weather App for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers
A new app from HealtheWeather is now available to help allergy and asthma suffers deal with changes in the weather that can make their conditions worse. DailyBreath is available in the Apple iTunes App store and allows users to sign up for a personalized health weather forecast and dynamic flare-up tracking. An Android version is expected soon.
Feeding at Breast Linked to Lower Asthma Rates
Newborns who were fed directly from the breast for the first three months of life had the lowest rates of asthma at age three in a Canadian study. The rate of asthma in those infants was 8.8% vs. 12.5% for infants receiving some expressed breastmilk, 14.9% for those receiving breastmilk and formula, and 15.8% for formula only infants. Researchers speculate pumping and storing expressed breastmilk may degrade properties that protect against asthma or infants who feed only at the breast may develop stronger lungs.
Many Food Allergies Develop in Adulthood
Most people think food allergies always begin in childhood. Not true, report Chicago researchers who looked at around 53,500 U.S. adults. They found that among those with food allergies, 45% reported first becoming allergic after they became an adult. The most common food allergy seen in adults was to shellfish, accounting for 3.6% of the cases.
Obesity Ups Asthma Hospitalizations in Kids
Japanese researchers who looked at data on nearly 40,000 children found those considered obese were most likely to require a hospitalization for their asthma and to stay in the hospital longer. They were also more likely to have to return to the hospital within 30 days of being discharged. However, they weren't more likely to need care in the ICU.
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