asthma - Medical Dictionary

Home | asthma - Medical Dictionary |


asthma		A form of bronchial disorder associated with airway obstruction, marked by recurrent attacks of paroxysmal dyspnea, with wheezing due to spasmodic contraction of the bronchi. [ Articles \| Books \| Images \| Discussion groups ]

Additional comments : Obese Children More Prone To Asthma This study suggests that obesity is a risk factor for asthma in children. Similar associations have been reported in adults, and studies in the US have found that obesity precedes asthma. There is no obvious explanation for why fat girls should be more prone to asthma than fat boys, say the authors. But the hormone leptin, levels of which are higher in girls, and which is produced by fat tissue in the body, may be part of the answer. Source: Center For The Advancement Of Health Protein Potentially Links Diet, Obesity, And Asthma Australian researchers have identified a new protein in human airway epithelial cells that regulates allergic airway inflammation. This protein – adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid–binding protein aP2 – is known to regulate the uptake by fat cells of fatty acids and has been previously linked to insulin resistance in diabetes and the development of atherosclerosis. Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation Inhaled Corticosteroids Reduce Death In Patients With COPD Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids may have a significantly decreased mortality risk, according to a new study published in the September issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). New research shows that patients who received inhaled corticosteroids within 30 days of hospital discharge had a 25 percent reduced all-cause mortality rate. Cardiovascular-related death alone in patients using steroids paired with beta-agonists was reduced by 38 percent. Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation Vitamin Supplement Could Help Treatment-resistant Asthma Asthma patients who don't respond to steroid treatment suffer repeated asthma attacks, and are at greater risk of dying from the condition. Researchers from King's College London have found that vitamin D3 could substantially improve the responsiveness of these patients to steroid treatment, offering them hope of an improvement in their condition. Source: King's College London ICS Most Effective For Persistent Asthma In Children While both inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) have been proven to help control mild-to-moderate persistent asthma in school-age children, a new study shows ICS may be the more effective treatment. Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Involuntary Smoke Exposure Affects Asthma Severity Among Children Children with high levels of tobacco smoke exposure are more likely to have moderate or severe asthma, says a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it has long been known that involuntary exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is linked to respiratory infections, middle ear disease and asthma, this study confirms that children with asthma who are exposed to ETS are more likely to have increased respiratory symptoms, increased school absences and decreased lung function. Source: American College Of Chest Physicians UT Southwestern Study Links Asthma And Pneumonia Most people recover completely from pneumonia. Doctors have known for a long time, however, that Mycoplasma pneumonaie bacteria can linger in humans months after the acute infection has subsided. Scientists have hypothesized that chronic respiratory infection caused by the bacteria played a role in asthma since laboratory cultures find more of the bacteria present in asthmatics than in people without asthma. Source: University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center At Dallas Melatonin's Influence On Nighttime Asthma Attacks To Be Determined Using Sleep Deprivation, Bright Lights National Jewish researchers believe that in people with asthma, increased nighttime production of melatonin may cause immune system responses that produce airway inflammation, making asthma worse. For example, melatonin may increase production of IL-4, which, when it binds to IL-4 receptors on a cell, can significantly contribute to allergies. In many people, allergies cause asthma attacks. Melatonin also binds to the CD4 T cell, which plays a major roll in asthma. Source: National Jewish Medical And Research Center

Back