Springville man's asthma was actually an 8-pound tumor

Editor's note: This article contains graphic medical images in the photo gallery that some readers may find disturbing.
SPRINGVILLE — Mirriam Draper never imagined what was weighing down her son's chest. When she found out, she was shocked.
Draper's 19-year-old son, Jotham, who has autism, had been treated for chronic respiratory problems since he was 5 years old.
"He had asthma was what we thought," Draper said.
The Springville High School graduate had always responded well to asthma medications. But last July, his symptoms worsened.....

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Native Hawaiians More Likely To Have Asthma, Diabetes: Study
One in five Native Hawaiian kids and adults have ever had asthma, making it nearly twice as common in that group than in other Americans.

NEW YORK, NY — Although Hawaii regularly ranks among the healthiest states, a federal survey found Native Hawaiians — descendants of the state's original Polynesian settlers — are in unusually bad health.
Native Hawaiians are in worse health than many other Americans and were more likely to suffer asthma, diabetes and obesity. They also were more often under severe psychological stress, and were less likely to say they are in good health, according to the report released Friday.....

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Repurposed asthma drug shows reduction in blood glucose

A subset of trial participants with type 2 diabetes showed a significant reduction in blood glucose after taking an anti-asthma drug, according to recent study findings.
In the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, some patients with type 2 diabetes responded to amlexanox (aphthasol, Uluru), an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drug that is used to treat asthma. Researchers conducted a molecular analysis of fat cells from the participants who showed a reduction in glucose.....

Read more here: healio.com