http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/asthma.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/njma-gac051308.php http://tobacco.org/news/265266.html Girls and children exposed to tobacco smoke respond particularly well to montelukast (Singulair) according to researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Associate Professor of Pediatrics Nathan Rabinovitch, MD, and his colleagues also identified two biomarkers that may help physicians predict even more precisely which patients will benefit from montelukast. "These findings will help doctors know in advance which patients are most likely to benefit from montelukast and to tailor an effective treatment regimen for specifically them," said Dr. Rabinovitch. The study was recently published online and will appear in the June issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Inhaled corticosteroids are considered the first-line treatment for cases of persistent asthma. EurekAlert allstetterw@njc.org Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2008/05/10/news/doc4825e08a2062a799346919.txt http://tobacco.org/news/265258.html Chances are you know someone with asthma. Asthma impacts more than 15 percent of Cochise County residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control, asthma is responsible for approximately 500,000 hospitalizations, 5,000 deaths and 134 million restricted activity days per year. What is asthma? Asthma is a chronic disease that causes the airways in your lungs to narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Douglas Dispatch mavant@cochise.az.gov (Melissa Avant) Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512143356.htm http://tobacco.org/news/265254.html Asthma is associated with higher suicidal thoughts with attempted suicide, but does not seem to be linked with suicidal thoughts without attempts, according to a new report. Cigarette smoking and concurrent mental health conditions may independently account for significant proportions (but not all) of the association between asthma and suicidal thoughts with attempts noted Diana E. Clarke, MSc, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues. There is growing evidence of relationships between respiratory diseases and suicidal behaviors, but investigators say this is the first study to examine the association between asthma and suicidal thinking with and without attempts using a nationally representative sample of adults. They also note it is the first study to investigate the potential role of cigarette use and nicotine dependence in the association of asthma and suicidal behavior. . . . Journal reference: * Clarke DE, Goodwin RD, Messias E, Eaton WW. Asthma and suicidal ideation with and without suicide attempts among adults in the United States: What is the role of cigarette smoking and mental disorders? Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2008;100:439-446. ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medwire-news.md/48/74737/Respiratory/Smoking_increases_asthma_risk_in_rhinitis_sufferers.html http://tobacco.org/news/264964.html MedWire News: Cigarette smoking is an important independent risk factor for the development of new asthma cases in adults with allergic rhinitis, researchers report. Writing in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Riccardo Polosa (University of Catania, Italy) and colleagues argue that this means "physicians have the responsibility to alert their patients with allergic rhinitis about the additional risk of asthma if they smoked and to engage in smoking cessation interventions." Cigarette smoking has been reported to be associated with symptoms of chronic rhinitis, the authors explain, while rhinitis itself is an important risk factor for the development of asthma. MedWire News Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/06/content_8111284.htm http://tobacco.org/news/264684.html Austrian teenager smoke generally and therefore enhanced the risk of suffering asthma, the Austrian Society of Pneumology said in a research results released on Monday, a day before the World Asthma day. "20 percent of the 15-year-old boys and 25 percent of the 15-year-old girls smoke daily," said the research, about 50 percent students in the vocational schools smoke. Teenager who never smoke are only around 20 percent. The situation of teenagers who worked in gastronomy is particularly serious with a smoking rate of 70 percent, which mainly attribute to the negative influence from those smoking colleagues and guests. Josef Riedler, an Austrian specialist on respiratory diseases in childhood and adolescence of Austrian Society of Pneumology, said passive smoking would lead to asthma Xinhua Newswire Austria Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uhh-aas040708.php http://tobacco.org/news/263287.html Dry airways may not only play a central role in the development of the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, but also in much more common acquired chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker's lung, the cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is the conclusion reached by scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital under the direction of Assistant Professor Dr. Marcus Mall from the Department of Pediatrics at Heidelberg University Hospital and Professor Dr. Richard Boucher of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In animal studies, they found that insufficient hydration of the airway surfaces leads to pathologies typical of chronic obstructive lung diseases in humans. Thus, these findings point to a new approach for the treatment of these diseases, which are listed by the World Health Organization WHO as the fourth leading cause of death world-wide. There are currently no causal therapies available for treating these diseases; only the symptoms such as shortness of breath and oxygen deficiency can be treated. The results of the study have now been published in the "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine". Cystic fibrosis gene causes airways to dry out and thickens mucus EurekAlert annette.tuffs@med.uni-heidelberg.de Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.physorg.com/news126784670.html http://tobacco.org/news/262840.html Dry airways may not only play a central role in the development of the inherited lung disease cystic fibrosis, but also in much more common acquired chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker’s lung, the cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is the conclusion reached by scientists at Heidelberg University Hospital under the direction of Assistant Professor Dr. Marcus Mall from the Department of Pediatrics at Heidelberg University Hospital and Professor Dr. Richard Boucher of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In animal studies, they found that insufficient hydration of the airway surfaces leads to pathologies typical of chronic obstructive lung diseases in humans. Thus, these findings point to a new approach for the treatment of these diseases physorg.com Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3511502.ece http://tobacco.org/news/261898.html A third of children given hospital treatment for chest infections and asthma are only ill because their parents smoke in front of them, a medical expert has said. Dr Steve Ryan, medical director of Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, said bronchitis, asthma and ear infection rates would fall sharply if parents gave up smoking. He told BBC Radio Five Live this morning that, out of the 35,000 children the hospital treats every year, 2,000 are there because they have been exposed to their parents' smoke. Times Of London UK Sat, 08 Mar 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://media.www.utahstatesman.com/media/storage/paper243/news/2008/03/24/Opinion/Letter.Asthma.A.Factor.In.Smoking.Ban-3280215.shtml http://tobacco.org/news/261892.html Before someone else complains about the no-smoking proposal, why don't we hear from someone who has experience with asthma? Did any of the writers of the previous letters to the editor ever experience an asthma attack triggered by smoke? Did they realize that Cache Valley already has bad air, and so to add cigarette smoke to the already unhealthy air is a recipe for disaster for asthmatics? Did they "research" how many carcinogens and toxins are in secondhand smoke? Let's look at a study done at UCSF (a school not known for morals). In 2005, medical researchers there reported "directly measured secondhand smoke exposure appears to be associated with poorer asthma outcomes [than previously thought]. In public health terms, these results support efforts to prohibit smoking in public places." Do you think that those medical researchers included a 'moral factor' in their study when they recommended to ban smoking? . . . Before anyone complains more about the morals behind banning smoking, try looking at it from the point of view of those with asthma and 'bad genes.' The Utah Statesman Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/330574 http://tobacco.org/news/260395.html A Toronto medical expert says lung disease caused by tobacco smoke and air pollution will overtake breast cancer as a killer of Canadian women within seven years. Dr. Kenneth Chapman, director of the Asthma and Airway Centre of the University Health Network, says twice as many men as women were hospitalized with chronic pulmonary obstructive disorder, or COPD, in 1985. The numbers are equal today and by 2015 women will outnumber men two to one. He told delegates to the Upwind Downwind 2008 air quality conference at the Hamilton Convention Centre yesterday that there are many theories why COPD is affecting women more than men, one "that size matters -- that they are on average smaller and their lungs and breathing passages smaller, so women suffer far greater consequences." . . . Chapman said the increase in diagnosed COPD among women in part reflects the increase in those who smoked in the latter half of the 20th century. Hamilton Spectator emcguinness@thespec.com (Eric McGuinness The Hamilton Spectator (Feb 26, 2008)) Canada Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24healthli.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=smoking&st=nyt&oref=slogin&oref=slogin http://tobacco.org/news/260243.html GWENDOLYN STRETCH, the medical director at the Elsie Owens North Brookhaven Health Center, in Coram, had a lot to do during the 20-minute appointment with her next patient. . . . Atop the doctor's priority list was to encourage her patient to stop smoking. "She really wants to get me to quit," said Ms. McPherson, who goes to the Suffolk County clinic every six weeks. "I'm going to try -- eventually." Every week, Dr. Stretch meets with about 50 asthma patients as part of a new asthma initiative begun by the county's fledgling Division of Preventive Medicine. "By educating our health care providers and our patients, we're trying to change the way we treat asthma," she said. The asthma initiative is a pilot project for the Division of Preventive Medicine, created last month within the Department of Health Services. . . . The asthma initiative is a partnership between the county and the Asthma Coalition of Long Island. It is financed partly by the New York State Department of Health New York Times Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080209/NEWS06/802090354 http://tobacco.org/news/259496.html A 19-year-old woman shows up for work at a smoke-filled Michigan bar, appearing both healthy and happy. She's worked there without incident for several months. Fifteen minutes later, she collapses and dies within minutes of that. A mystery? No. An autopsy showed the woman died of a severe asthma attack. Dr. Ken Rosenman, a professor of medicine and chief of the division of occupational and environmental medicine at Michigan State University's College of Medicine, said the death is directly linked to the secondhand smoke in her workplace. He published his findings this month in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, making it what is believed to be the first documented link of secondhand smoke to an asthma-related death in an adult, Rosenman said. Detroit Free Press mmwalsh@freepress.com (PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER) Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://msutoday.msu.edu/research/index.php3?article=07Feb2008-1 http://tobacco.org/news/259480.html A young asthmatic woman who collapsed and died shortly after arriving for her shift as a waitress at a bar may be the first reported death to be reported nationally from acute asthma associated with environmental tobacco smoke. This case report by an MSU physician, published in the February edition of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, not only outlines circumstances under which the woman died, but also raises a number of issues regarding safety in the workplace. The report states the woman arrived at the bar in Michigan and, according to co-workers, seemed happy and healthy. About 15 or 20 minutes later she collapsed and within a few minutes died. Michigan State University Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117859611/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 http://tobacco.org/news/259470.html Results The waitress collapsed at the bar where she worked and was declared dead shortly thereafter. Evaluation of the circumstances of her death and her medical history concluded that her death was from acute asthma due to environmental tobacco smoke at work. Conclusions This is the first reported acute asthma death associated with work-related ETS. Recent studies of asthma among bar and restaurant workers before and after smoking bans support this association. This death dramatizes the need to enact legal protections for workers in the hospitality industry from secondhand smoke. American Journal of Industrial Medicine rosenman@msu.edu Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3312/content.htm http://tobacco.org/news/259469.html A young asthmatic woman who collapsed and died shortly after arriving for her shift as a waitress at a bar may be the first reported death to be reported nationally from acute asthma associated with environmental tobacco smoke. This case report by a Michigan State University physician, published in the February edition of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, not only outlines circumstances under which the woman died, but also raises a number of issues regarding safety in the workplace. The report states the woman arrived at the bar in Michigan and, according to co-workers, seemed happy and healthy. About 15 or 20 minutes later she collapsed and within a few minutes died. "This is the first reported acute asthma death associated with work-related ETS," said Kenneth Rosenman, an MSU professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. "Recent studies of air quality and asthma among bar and restaurant workers before and after smoking bans support this association." . . . "This death dramatizes the need to enact legal protections for workers in the hospitality industry from secondhand smoke." Michigan State University newsroom@msu.edu Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT