Asthma health news roundup 2015: Asthma attack and treatment

Asthma is a condition that affects our airways and breathing. Although manageable, many asthmatics do not have their condition under control, which can lead to further health complications and a worsened quality of life.

There have been many links and associations made between asthma and other health conditions this past year, so here at Bel Marra Health we have wrapped up our top asthma news stories to make it easier for you to learn about a topic that affects millions worldwide.

Gut Bacteria and Asthma: Gut bacteria deficit linked to higher asthma risk

New research suggests that gut bacteria can influence asthma risk.

Researchers from BC Children’s Hospital in Canada discovered that asthma was the top reason for people going to the hospital. With this information in mind they decided to evaluate 319 children who were taking part in a national healthy-infant study to explore asthma and allergies. They used a special genetic technique to analyze fecal samples from children when they were three months old. Low levels of four different types of bacteria at three months were linked with children’s risk of asthma. The four types of bacteria were identified as: Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, Veillonella and Rothia or – as the doctors refer to it – FLVR.

To test if the missing bacteria really were protective, the research team injected mice with the FLVR bacteria and discovered that airway inflammation improved in their offspring compared to those without the FLVR bacteria. Learn More

Asthma Prevention: Asthma and allergies stopped by farm dust bacteria say researchers

Researchers suggest that bacteria found in farm dust can help prevent asthma.

A link has been uncovered between farm dust bacteria and its ability to protect people from asthma and allergies. The findings were discovered by researchers at VIB (a life science institute in Belgium) and Ghent University.

Previous research on children who consumed raw cow’s milk revealed it could protect them against allergies and asthma. Those previous findings are what prompted researchers to conduct their current research. Professor Bart Lambrecht from the university said, “At this point, we have revealed an actual link between farm dust and protection against asthma and allergies. We did this by exposing mice to farm dust extract from Germany and Switzerland. These tests revealed that the mice were fully protected against house dust mite allergy, the most common cause for allergies in humans.” Learn More

Asthma and Migraines: Asthma sufferers may have worsened migraines

A new study shows that asthma can predict chronic migraines.

Researchers have found that pre-existing asthma may be a strong predictor for future chronic migraines in those who currently experience occasional migraine headaches. Lead author, Vincent Martin, M.D., said, “If you have asthma along with episodic or occasional migraine, then your headaches are more likely to evolve into a more disabling form known as chronic migraine.”

The researchers studied 4,500 individuals who experienced episodic migraines, or fewer than 15 migraines a month, in 2008.

Richard Lipton, M.D., co-researcher, added, “Migraine and asthma are disorders that involve inflammation and activation of smooth muscle either in blood vessels or in the airways. Therefore, asthma-related inflammation may lead to migraine progression.” Learn More

Asthma Risk: Bronchiolitis in early childhood increases adult asthma risk

Children illness can increase the chance of developing asthma later in life.

Researchers found that children who experience bronchiolitis have a higher risk of developing asthma in adulthood. Bronchiolitis has been linked with asthma, COPD and lung disorders in adulthood. Much of the research that has linked childhood lower respiratory infections has been done in retrospective studies.

For the study, data was collected between 1981 and 1982 from 83 children diagnosed with bronchiolitis – the children were all younger than two years. Forty-eight of the patients were followed up with in 2010 when they were between the ages of 28 and 31. Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to assess quality of life. Participants also underwent medical examinations.

Asthma was diagnosed in 31 percent of those in the bronchiolitis group; lung function was found to be weaker in this group as well.
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Exercise and Asthma: 30 minutes a day of exercise improves asthma symptoms

New research suggests that half-an-hour of daily exercise can alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

Research from Concordia University in Montreal unveiled that 30 minutes a day of exercise can improve asthma symptoms. Millions of individuals suffer from asthma, and reports show many of them do not have proper control of it. Daily, year-round exercise can offer better control of symptoms for asthma sufferers.

Asthma is a respiratory condition that makes it more difficult to breathe. There are many triggers, such as allergens, respiratory infections, air pollution, cold air, smoke, stress and certain medications. Unfortunately, there is no cure.

Researchers analyzed exercise habits of 643 asthma patients. Their results revealed that those who engaged in more physical activity were two and a half times more likely to have better control of their condition when compared to those who did not exercise. Learn More

Asthma Treatment: Biologics for asthma attack source not just symptoms

A new personalized asthma treatment attacks the source, not just the symptoms.

Unlike conventional treatments for severe asthma, biologics for asthma aim to attack the source of the disease and not just the symptoms. The findings were presented at the 2015 ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio.

Presenter at the meeting, Kevin Murphy, M.D., said, “Biologics is definitely something that has piqued the interest of physicians, including allergists, throughout medicine. Traditional asthma treatments don’t work for some people, and their asthma is uncontrolled. Biologics is at the cutting edge of treatment because it has the potential to be personalized – to be formulated to treat those cells which are the mechanism, or pathway, that leads to allergic inflammation and makes it so hard for some people to breathe.”
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Asthma is not merely a respiratory issue because it is linked with many other health conditions. Knowing the risks of asthma can better help you prevent it from occurring. Furthermore, we hope you have learned alternative ways to help control your asthma and reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks.