Alphabetical list:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Q Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
News: November 27, 2009
Air Pollution Raises Infants' Risk of Bronchiolitis
November 27, 2009Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, including vehicle and industrial emissions and wood smoke, are at increased risk for bronchiolitis. The study is unique because it evaluated multiple sources of air pollution and their impact on infants' health.
Bronchiolitis is a common illness of the respiratory tract that is caused by an infection that impacts the minute airways call bronchioles, that lead to the lungs. When these airways become inflamed, they fill with mucus and make breathing difficult. Because infants and young children have especially small airways, they are more susceptible to bronchiolitis. Disease occurrence usually peaks at about 3 to 6 months of age and is more common in children who have not been breastfed.
The new study, which was published in the November 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, included analysis of nearly 12,000 diagnoses of infant bronchiolitis between 199 and 2002 in southwestern British Columbia. Pollutants monitored included nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter from monitoring stations within 10 km of where the infants lived.
The researchers found that bronchiolitis was significantly associated to an increased lifetime exposure to specific pollutants. Specifically, with respect to each of the pollutants, the infants' risk increased by 8 percent (nitric oxide), 12 percent nitrogen dioxide) 4 percent (sulfur dioxide), and 13 percent (carbon dioxide). A 6 percent increased risk was found among infants who lived with 50 meters of a highway, and an 8 percent increased risk was associated with wood smoke exposure.
Although the increased risk of bronchiolitis seen in this study was not severe, the authors note that it is important to pay attention to the impact of air pollution because it is so ubiquitous, that bronchiolitis is the main reason children are hospitalized during the first year of life, and that reducing air pollution may be one way to decrease the occurrence of the disease.
Bronchiolitis is often mild, yet some infants are at risk for more severe disease that requires hospitalization. Factors that increase the risk of severe bronchiolitis include prematurity, presence of chronic heart or lung disease, and a weakened immune system associated with illness or medication use. Children who have had bronchiolitis may be more likely to develop asthma later in life as well.
The results of this study may highlight the need for physicians to educate parents about the impact air pollution can have on their infants and how they can avoid it. It also strengthens the relationship between ambient air pollution and the development of respiratory disease among infants and children and why places where children spend a lot of time (e.g., school, playgrounds) should not be near highways and facilities that pollute the air.
SOURCES:
American Thoracic Society
Mayo Clinic
Archive issues: (50)
Archive list: 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
December 12, 2009 | Researchers Find New Drug To Shrink Breast Cancer TumorsBoston (SmartAboutHealth) - Researchers have discovered a new antibody drug that has the ability to shrink breast cancer tumors that other drugs have failed to impact. The study was carried out by researcher Dr. Ian Krop and colleagues at the Dana ...
December 11, 2009 | Fewer dollars for smoking preventionEven as states pull in billions of dollars in tobacco settlement money - part of which is typically used to fund anti-smoking programs - they're slashing the amount they spend on such programs by 15%. Altogether, states will spend $567.5 million on anti-smoking efforts in the 2010 fiscal year, says a report released by five groups including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Cancer Action Network. That’s ...
December 9, 2009 | Smoking Kills Millions Worldwide Every YearTobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year, a figure that could rise if countries don't take stronger measures to combat smoking, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. In a new report on tobacco use and control, the U.N. agency said nearly 95 percent of the global population is unprotected by laws banning smoking. WHO said secondhand smoking kills about 600,000 people every ...
Related articles:
Clinical Tests Used to Diagnose ED
Duplex ultrasound (Duplex ultrasound is used to evaluate blood flow, venous leak, signs of atherosclerosis, and scarring or calcification of erectile tissue. Injecting prostaglandin, a hormone-like stimulator produced in the body, induces erection. Ultrasound is then used to see vascular dilation and measure penile blood pressure. Measurements are compared to those taken when the penis is flaccid). Penile nerves function ...Section: Erectile Dysfunction
Treatment - diet
The foundation of therapy is a modification of diet to help patients avoid those foods which can further irritate the damaged bladder wall. Common offenders are highly spiced or acidic foods and include alcohol, coffees, teas, herbal teas, green teas, all sodas (particularly diet), concentrated fruit juices, tomatoes, citrus fruit, cranberries, the B vitamins, vitamin C, monosodium glutamate, chocolate, and potassium-rich foods such as bananas. Most IC/PBS support groups ...Section: Interstitial cystitis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis has been greatly simplified in recent years with the development of two new methodologies. The Pelvic Pain Urgency/Frequency (PUF) Patient Survey, created by C. Lowell Parsons, is a short questionnaire that will help doctors identify if pelvic pain could be coming from the bladder. The KCl test, also known as the potassium sensitivity test, uses a mild potassium solution to test the integrity of the bladder wall. Though the latter is not specific for IC/PBS, it has been determined to be helpful in predicting the use of compounds, such as pentosan polysulphate, ...Section: Interstitial cystitis