Asthma Cases Rise

Central Fla. Doctors See Sharp Spike In Asthma Cases
ORLANDO, Fla. -- With pollen, mold and other allergens increasing during the rainy season, doctors at several health facilities in Central Florida have seen a sharp increase in people suffering from asthma, according to Local 6 News.

Doctors at Florida Hospital Centra Care locations in Fomosa and Altamonte report a 200 and 300 percent jump in cases of asthma in recent days.

Child Respiratory Health

Air pollutants can harm child lung growth
Washington, DC, Jun. 10 (UPI) -- Long-term exposure to air pollution is a key factor in respiratory-illness development in children, U.S. researchers said at a briefing on Capitol Hill Friday.

"We found that children living in polluted communities are four to five times more likely to have abnormal lung function" than children not living in high ozone communities, said W. James Gauderman, a researcher who conducted a 10-year study examining the effects of air toxics on children's respiratory health.

Exercise-Induced Asthma

Exercise-Induced Asthma More Clearly Linked to High-Salt Diet
Newswise — An Indiana University professor may have uncovered the mechanisms by which high-salt diets can trigger exercise-induced asthma, offering the most complete picture to date of how dietary factors can both aggravate and alleviate the symptoms of this common condition.

The study by exercise physiologist Timothy Mickleborough and his research team in IU Bloomington's Department of Kinesiology demonstrated for the first time that modifying salt intake for two weeks alters airway inflammation and the flow of oxygen into the bloodstream, termed the diffusion capacity of the lungs.

Antifungal drug could improve asthma treatment

ANTIFUNGAL drugs could be the key to improving the lives of thousands of asthmatics, scientists claimed yesterday
Previously, severe asthma attacks have been blamed on air pollutants such as dust mites, pollen or animal hair.

But researchers at the University of Manchester have discovered that the condition can be triggered by an allergic reaction to types of fungi - such as mould, damp and dead leaves.

They are now testing a drug which could cut sufferers' reliance on steroids and prevent the sort of serious attacks that lead to hospital treatment or even death.