More than 17 million
people, including close to five million children, in the United States
have asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease in which airflow in and out
of the lungs may be blocked by muscle squeezing, swelling and excess
mucus. Patients with asthma may respond to factors in the environment,
called triggers, which do not affect non-asthmatics. In response to a
trigger, an asthmatic's airways become narrowed and inflamed,
resulting in wheezing and/or coughing symptoms.
Click here to read more.
Introduction to
Asthma Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/intro.htm Asthma is Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease. Air reaches the
lung by passing through the windpipe (trachea), which divides into two
large tubes (bronchi), one for each lung. Each bronchi further divides
into many little tubes (bronchioles), which eventually lead to tiny
air sacs (alveoli), in which oxygen from the air is transferred to the
bloodstream, and carbon dioxide from the bloodstream is transferred to
the air. Asthma involves only the airways (bronchi and bronchioles),
and not the air sacs. The airways trap airborne particles in a thin
layer of mucus which covers their surface. The mucus is either
coughed-up or swept up into the trachea by cilia, tiny hairs on the
lining of the airways. Once the mucus reaches the throat, it can again
be coughed up or swallowed.
Asthma Basics
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/newsroom/focuson/asthma01/basics.htm In many people, asthma appears to be an allergic reaction to
substances commonly breathed in through the air, such as animal
dander, pollen, or dust mite and cockroach waste products.
Asthma UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICINE
http://www.umm.edu/pediatric-info/asthma.htm Asthma may resemble other respiratory problems such as emphysema,
bronchitis, and lower respiratory infections. It is under-diagnosed --
many people with the disease do not know they have it.
Asthma Tutorial Children's Medical Center of the University of Virginia
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~smb4v/tutorials/asthma/asthma1.html Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system. Your respiratory
system is made up of your nose and mouth, your windpipe (also called
your trachea, pronounced tray-key-uh), your lungs, and a bunch of air
tubes (or airways) that connect your nose and mouth with your lungs
(these tubes are called bronchi and bronchioles, prounounced bron-kye
and bron-key-oles).
Children and Asthma Kathryn Brown
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/interests/childrens/articles/0,,166593_126677,00.html Up to 80 percent of kids with asthma develop the condition before
they turn 5 years old. Diagnosing asthma in this age group can be
tricky. For one thing, all that wheezes is not asthma -- even the
healthiest kids battle bouts of sniffles. How can you tell if asthma
is the culprit? Often times, the condition begins as a lingering cold.
If your child seems wheezy or coughs for more than a few days or a
week--about the time it takes for a cold to lift--call your
pediatrician.
Asthma in Children Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/children.htm Food allergy is a common and often neglected cause of asthma in
children. In a group of 320 allergic children with eczema, 55% had
asthma. Food challenges triggered respiratory symptoms in 59% of
including nose congestion, laryngeal edema, wheezing, and shortness of
breath. Gastrointestinal symptoms occurred in 41% of positive
challenges.
Asthma School Aurora Health Care
http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/aboutus/caremanagement/asthma-school.asp Treat a child for asthma and you give her hope. Teach a child, her
family, her teachers and friends about asthma and you change her life.
It seems simple enough - so why hasn’t it been done that way all
along? We pondered that question, and then introduced the Aurora
Asthma School.
Breathing Better: Action Plans Keep Asthma in Check By Michelle Meadows
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/203_asthma.html During the mid-1980s, Sandra Fusco-Walker's life was filled with
sleepless nights, ruined vacations, emergency room visits, and her
children's frequent school absences. Two of her three children--all
under age 6 at the time--had asthma.
Airborne Asthma Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/airborne.htm Airborne allergens and chemicals cause respiratory disease -
inflammation in the nose and in the lung. Lung inflammation is often
expressed as asthma. Air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, plays a
significant role in the exacerbation of airway disease in asthmatics
and may contribute to the overall increase in asthma morbidity.
Food Allergy & Asthma Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/foodallergy.htm Food allergy can cause both immediate and delayed patterns of
asthma. Immediate food reactions can cause sudden, dramatic and
life-threatening asthma is one of the consequences of anaphylactic
reactions to food. Delayed patterns of food allergy can cause chronic
asthma and/or bronchitis and are among the most neglected causes of
chronic or "intrinsic" asthma. Diet revision can sometimes resolve
chronic and severe asthma.
Asthma Flare-ups
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/681.html To keep your asthma under control, you need to know what to do
when you have a flare-up of symptoms (sometimes called an
“exacerbation” or an “asthma attack”).
Asthma Attacks Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/asthma_attack.htm An asthma attack is any shortness of breath which requires either
medication or some other form of intervention for the asthmatic to
breathe normally again. Wheezing is often associated with the attack -
whistling or rattling sounds occur when air flows through obstructed
airways. Wheezing starts with exhalation, or breathing out, but as the
attack progresses, wheezing may then be heard both while inhaling and
exhaling. If the attack progresses further, the asthmatic may stop
wheezing as small airways become completely blocked.
Diet and asthma in babies National Asthma Campaign
http://www.asthma.org.uk/about/factsheet05.php This fact sheet attempts to give some answers, based on the
current expert medical knowledge.
Chronic Asthma Alpha Nutrition Health Education
http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/chronic_asthma.htm While there are patients who just have hay fever and occasional
asthma attacks as discrete events and are healthy between pollen or
other allergen exposures there is larger group of patients who develop
more chronic symptoms. Coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing may
occur everyday or most days. Often several medications on a regular
schedule are required everyday. With continued antigenic exposure a
chronic cell-mediated inflammation takes over. The chronic state is
more difficult to characterize and understand. Persistent and
recurrent symptoms that require daily medication are suggestive of
delayed pattern food allergy. We encourage everyone with chronic or
frequently recurrent asthma to try diet revision.
Asthma Action Plan
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/696.html To manage your asthma, you need to keep track of your symptoms,
your medicine use and your peak expiratory flow (PEF).
Asthma: A Concern for Minority Populations National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/asthma.htm Allergic diseases, including asthma, are among the major causes of
illness and disability in the United States. Illness and death from
asthma have been increasing in this country for the past 15 years and
are particularly high among poor, African-American inner-city
residents.
Asthma Action Plan
http://asthmatrack.com/schoolcare.html The fill-in-the-blank format makes it easy to customize these
documents with your personal information.
School pack National Asthma Campaign
http://www.asthma.org.uk/about/resource07.php The following document contains information about coping with
asthma in schools taken from the National Asthma Campaign's School
Pack.
Severe asthma at school National Asthma Campaign
http://www.asthma.org.uk/about/factsheet14.php As a parent of a child who is severely affected by asthma, it is
important for you to know that you have both rights and
responsibilities to ensure that your child gets the most out of
school.
Michigan
Resources, Support Groups, Listservs & Websites
AMichigan-specific, comprehensive site for all asthma related
information for the community, parents, schools, students,
professionals, etc. is at
www.getasthmahelp.org.
Hospitalized for Asthma:
Michigan Counties According to Rate, Ages 1-14
Health
Journals for Parents of Kids with Special Needs - "When my
daughter was diagnosed, I created a health journal to help organize
all of her medical information. Soon, the clinic asked me to make 40
more for the other parents." The Little Acorn now offers many versions
of this book which have been customized to fit specific disabilities.
Visit the website for more details or to order. Available items (New
products added often - see website for current offerings): "Juggling
Autism" Starter Kit, "Juggling Cystic Fibrosis” Starter Kit, "Juggling
Down Syndrome” Starter Kit, "Juggling Cerebral Palsy" Starter Kit,
"Juggling Asthma" Starter Kit, "Juggling Diabetes" Starter Kit,
"Healthy Kids” Starter Kit, "A Woman's Health Journal", and "The
Courage Book”
Asthma Parents Discussion List Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asthma-parents/ This discussion group is provided by Ed's Asthma Track for parents
of children with asthma to discuss their questions and concerns.
ALLERGY & ASTHMA NETWORK/MOTHERS OF
ASTHMATICS
Facilitates communication of accurate allergy and asthma information
among patients, parents, physicians, schools, and industry in an
effort to help families create a management program for children who
have allergies and asthma. Provides emotional support to individuals
and their families with allergies and asthma. Promotes the Bill of
Rights for Children With Allergies and Asthma.
2751 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 150
Fairfax, VA 22031
Phone: 800/878-4403 or 703/385-4403
Fax: 703/573-7794 www.aanma.org
ASTHMA & ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF
AMERICA
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America is a not-for-profit,
voluntary health organization dedicated to improving the quality of
life for people with asthma and allergies and their caregivers through
education, research and advocacy.
1233 20th Street, NW, Suite 402
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 800-7-ASTHMA (800-727-8462) or 202/466-7643
Fax: 202/466-8940 www.aafa.org
Web-Based Asthma Program Helps Kids Manage Symptoms - An
Internet asthma-management program is highly effective in helping
low-income black students manage asthma, according to a study at
Detroit's Henry Ford Health System published in the first May issue
of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The "Puff City" program teaches teens to focus on three core
behaviors: medication adherence, rescue inhaler availability and
quitting or reducing smoking.
Inside the Nation’s Asthma Mobiles - Childhood asthma rates are
on the rise, especially among kids who live in urban areas. More and
more cities are taking steps to help. Here, Connect for Kids
highlights several urban asthma mobiles across the U.S. that are being
used to treat the symptoms of asthma, and to educate parents and
children about how to effectively manage this chronic condition.
U.S.
The Old Yellow School Bus As a Threat - A concerted effort has sprung up to fight exposure of children to
toxic diesel exhaust. The EPA judges diesel fuel to be one of the most
harmful air pollutants, and many studies have shown a correlation
between the chemicals in diesel exhaust and increased respiratory
illness. [Source]
OH
Neighbors of Vast Hog Farms
Say Foul Air Endangers Their Health - Around industrial hog farms across the country, people say their sickness
rolls in with the wind. It brings headaches that do not go away and trips to the
emergency room for children whose lungs suddenly close up. People young and old
have become familiar with inhalers, nebulizers and oxygen tanks. They complain
of diarrhea, nosebleeds, earaches and lung burns.
Read the article "NIH Launches
Nationwide Research to Reduce Asthma in Inner-city Children"
- click here.
Asthma children 'get raw deal'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1965021.stm Campaigners have attacked government "indifference" towards
asthma, which they say is now the most common long-term childhood
illness.
FDA Approves First Biologic for Allergy-Related Asthma
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01236.html The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved the first
biotechnology product to treat patients with a type of asthma that is
related to allergies.
Urban air 'worsens asthma'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1897646.stm Air which passes US quality standards can still cause breathing
problems in children with asthma, research suggests.
Enzyme May Play Unexpected Role in Asthma
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2003/niaid-15.htm In a finding that could have important implications for the
millions of Americans who suffer from asthma, researchers funded by
the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have
discovered novel sets of genes possibly involved in the disease.
Asthma patients 'miss out'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1853383.stm People with asthma are missing out on essential treatment because
they are not going to the doctor, research suggests.
Poor housing 'causing child illness'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1866586.stm Children in run-down housing are suffering from serious and
prolonged illnesses exacerbated by the appalling conditions in which
they live, a report says.
Parenting link to asthma
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1573066.stm Researchers have found that psychological factors may increase the
likelihood that children whose genetic make-up makes them vulnerable
to asthma will actually develop the condition.
FDA Clears New Breath Test for Monitoring Asthma
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01219.html The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today cleared for marketing
a first-of-a-kind, non-invasive test system to measure the
concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled human breath. The test system
should help make it easier for doctors to monitor a patient's asthma.
Dust 'protects against asthma'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/745178.stm Children living in houses with low levels of a substance found in
dust are more likely to have wheezing attacks, scientists found.
Dairy diet may prevent asthma
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3030122.stm Young children who regularly eat products containing milk fat are
less likely to develop asthma, research suggests.
Cinemas may trigger asthma
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2998672.stm Cinema seats could trigger wheezing in asthma sufferers because
they are packed with allergens spread from cat fur, a study suggests.
Asthma myth 'widely held'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2918335.stm A National Asthma Campaign survey found many people wrongly think
the condition is only associated with childhood.
Asthma drug raises heart risk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2881781.stm Patients taking anti-inflammatory steroid drugs for conditions
such as asthma are at a greater risk of heart disease, research
suggests.
Warning Given on Use of 4 Popular Asthma Drugs, but Debate Remains
- Two federal drug officials have concluded that asthma sufferers
risk death if they continue to use four hugely popular asthma drugs
— Advair, Symbicort, Serevent and Foradil. But the officials’ views
are not universally shared within the government.
MI
U-M Hospital
Improves Care For Asthmatic Kids - A team of physicians from
the University of Michigan's C. S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann
Arbor, says comparing their treatment of asthma patients with other
children's hospitals from around the country has helped them cut
costs, hospital stays and repeat hospitalizations.
CA
Report:
Kids at Steep Risk From Bad Air - Los
Angeles children playing outside were at high risk of breathing
unhealthy air one out of five days over the last three summers.
CA Region's
Kids Left Gasping for Air - Asthma among children is rising --
affecting an estimated 390,000 youngsters in Los Angeles, San
Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties -- and exhaust from a
growing number of cars and trucks is among the suspected causes. Air
pollution is known to hinder lung development, increase asthma among
athletes and cause coughs and runny noses, but experts say many other
factors could be causing the asthma epidemic.
Update on National
Asthma Guidelines Released http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2002/nhlbi-10.htm The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), has
issued an update of selected topics in the Guidelines for the
Diagnosis and Management of Asthma. The guidelines now recommend
inhaled corticosteroids as safe, effective and preferred first-line
therapy for children as well as adults with persistent asthma. The
update continues to recommend a "step-wise" approach to asthma
management — in which treatment is adjusted depending on disease
severity — but it modifies specific treatment recommendations at each
step to reflect research over the last five years.
Asthma Medical Glossary http://asthmatrack.com/medsglossary.html This is where you'll find information about all the medication,
equipment and technical terms commonly associated with asthma.
Drug Treatments Alpha Nutrition Health Education http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/children.htm A shift in treatment strategy has occurred in the past decade
toward prevention and primary treatment of asthma with blocking
medications taken orally and inhaled steroids. Previously, drug
treatment relied on bronchodilator drugs that dilate the small tubes
in the lung which constrict during an asthma attack; these drugs
relieve the wheezing and shortness of breath quickly. Many patients
are instructed to inhale broncholilators continuously and rely on them
completely to control their asthma This is symptomatic therapy which
does not address the cause or mechanisms of the asthma.. Newer, better
treatment strategies emphasize other drugs which prevent the allergic
response or treat the inflammation that keeps asthma going.
Asthma: Taking Medicines Safely http://familydoctor.org/handouts/171.html Some medicines might make your asthma worse. Not all people with
asthma have a problem with medicines. It's important to know about the
following medicines in case you have a problem.
Medicines that can trigger asthma National Asthma Campaign http://www.asthma.org.uk/about/factsheet09.php This factsheet outlines the medicines that can trigger asthma
symptoms in some people. These medicines will not act as triggers for
everyone with asthma but in some cases it is wise to avoid these
medicines if you have asthma.
Metered-Dose Inhaler: How to Use it Correctly http://familydoctor.org/handouts/040.html It's important to keep track of how much medicine you've used so
you can plan ahead and replace your inhaler before you run out of
medicine.
Anaphylaxis & Asthma Alpha Nutrition Health Education http://www.alphanutrition.com/asthma/anaphylaxis.htm Anaphylactic shock is a severe and potentially life-threatening
allergic reaction which occurs when an allergen enters the bloodstream
and circulates, causing a general reaction. Symptoms begin with a
rapid heart rate, flushing, swelling of the throat, nausea, coughing,
and chest tightness. Severe wheezing (asthma), cramping, and a rapid
drop in blood pressure follow may lead to cardiac arrest. Hives and
vomiting are also common features. The treatment for anaphylaxis is
injected epinephrine (adrenalin), followed by antihistamines and
steroids.
2VNFOXDLOW&isbn=067976982X&itm=1 Asthma and allergies are different conditions that often go
together. In many cases they are year-round problems requiring
continual management, involving the child and his or her parents,
caregivers and pediatrician in a team approach. Guide to Your Child's
Allergies and Asthma is a well organized, easy-to-follow key to this
process.
2VNFOXDLOW&isbn=0807545600&itm=3 Sean's nebulizer mask and his imagination aid in his recovery
following an asthma attack. Includes information on childhood asthma
and how to control its symptoms.
2VNFOXDLOW&isbn=006095289X&itm=4 "...addresses the emotions as well as the physical problems
children with asthma face...proposes a plan that uses natural methods
for alleviating & preventing attacks that should in time lower a
child's dependence on medications."
