Healthcare Workers have Highest Rates of Asthma, according to CDC

According to a new Centers for Disease Control study, the healthcare and social assistance industry has the highest percentage of workers with asthma—10.7% of workers in this industry reported having asthma.
The study surveyed working adults in 21 states in 2013. Participants were asked about any asthma diagnosis and their occupation and industry.
Lots of asthma triggers are present in healthcare settings, including cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, and aerosolized medications. These substances don’t need to be there—safer alternatives are available.....

Read more here: nationalnursesunited.org

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Health Beat: Real relief for serious asthma

PITTSBURGH - Jenn McBride spends a lot of time in the kitchen.
"Baking is something me and my girls do a lot," said McBride, 38.
For the first time in years, everyday activities don't wear her out.
"I just couldn't get through the day, because I couldn't breathe," she detailed.
McBride had asthma since she was 21, but four years ago she got pneumonia. After that, no matter what doctors prescribed, her airways were often inflamed.....

Read more here: wfmz.com

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New Treatment May Boost Effectiveness of Asthma Therapy
UCSF Team Looks to Experimental Cancer Drug to Dampen Bronchospasm

UC San Francisco researchers have developed a new treatment strategy for asthma that acts in a completely different way than standard drugs that have been used for decades as “rescue” medicines.
The new type of drug treatment, which they tested in asthmatic lab mice and in tissue from cadaveric human lungs, appears to have an add-in effect to drug mainstays, like albuterol, and might potentially save lives, according to authors of the study, published online on Dec. 5, 2016, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
One in 12 adults has asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2009, asthma was found to be responsible for close to 500,000 hospitalizations, 1.9 million emergency department visits and 3,388 deaths.....

Read more here: ucsf.edu