NIH-funded study identifies distinct features of hard-to-control asthma

The Inner City Asthma Consortium recently published results demonstrating that hard-to-control asthma cases in inner-city children and adolescents shared several baseline features in common, including bronchodilator responsiveness, nasal inflammation and allergy.
“Our study found striking differences in how children with asthma respond to treatment, and these were associated with clinical factors that can be identified from the start,” Jacqueline Pongracic, lead author, head of the Allergy and Immunology Division at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said.....

Read more here: lifesciencedaily.com

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Study finds intestinal diversity protects against asthma

LINKöPING, Sweden, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Bacteria in the intestines may play a strong role in the development of asthma in children, researchers at Linköping University suggest in a new study.
Linköping scientists analyzed stool samples from infants between the ages of 1 month and 12 months, and determined the first year of life has a powerful impact on the immune system's development. The study's authors say their findings confirmed their hypothesis that conditions within the intestine can determine the risk for asthma.....

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Asthma Intervention Program Helps Keep Homes Healthy

Almost 12 percent of Orange County residents reported having asthma in 2011. Only six percent of that number reported earning more than $50,000 per year.
That’s why the Orange County Health Department created Healthy Homes. It’s an asthma intervention program that lets the health department assess the air and safety of a given home environment.....

Read more here: chapelboro.com