Asthma - NewLifeOutlook

  Whether you've just been diagnosed or have had Asthma for years, you'll find expert advice, valuable resources and a supportive community.  

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Is there a connection between asthma and allergies? Read our article to find out!

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You may think that allergies and asthma are the same thing; sure, they both cause similar symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath, but they are quite different. While allergies are rarely more than just a nuisance we have to deal with, asthma is a serious condition requiring regular treatment. What you may not know is allergies may, with time, trigger asthma symptoms.

Allergies and Asthma

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Do you have any suggestions? Join the conversation on NewLifeOutlook!

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Gretchen Dahlkemper: National Field Director, Moms Clean Air Force

Gretchen Dahlkemper’s daughter Fiona was still a baby when she had her first asthma attack.

“I had never really seen an asthma attack,” Gretchen says.

“She was 10 months old and her lips turned blue and she couldn’t breathe.

“That’s when it became a lifelong passion for me, protecting her and other kids with asthma from the air pollution that exacerbates their health issues.”

Ozone, the gas found in what we call smog, and particle pollution like that found near factories, busy highways and in smoke and dust, make it more difficult for everyone to breathe — but they have a particularly negative impact on asthmatics.

Read the rest of our feature on Gretchen and Moms Clean Air Force. 

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Dogs in Schools and Hospitals?

I received this email and received permission to share on my blog.  Does anybody else have experience with therapy dogs in schools and hospitals? How does this affect individuals with asthma who have dog allergies?

Dear Dr. Wu  I have been reading your blog  asth.ma and have been trying to educate myself more having a child with asthma. I myself have suffered with asthma my whole life, dogs, cats and chest colds are the big triggers. Other than those it has been very well controlled with inhalers. I have 2 daughters. One has allergies and the older (K) has allergies along with asthma. She takes her Flovent, Proair, Singulair and Claritin daily. Both K and I cannot go to homes, drive in cars stay in hotels where there has been a dog so to avoid a hospital visit or prednisone . Last spring, I noticed an increase of K’s asthma attacks and allergies after coming home from school. She was put on a few rounds of prednisone. I found out the nurse at the high school had decided to bring her dog in as a “Therapy Dog” 3 days a week and was kept in her health room office.  Although they new about K’s asthma , a note from the pediatrician saying K could not be exposed to the dog, administration kept passing the issue along and I think did not know how to handle it. It continues to be an ongoing issue. Meanwhile, the dog has been all over the school and brought into classrooms. They have offered to keep the dog in one room but still don’t understand. Last June, K was at X Hospital for jaw surgery.  I thought I was seeing things when after just getting into her room after surgery,  a woman showed up with a therapy dog for her roommate. I was horrified !! My daughter had animal allergies on her wristband. Which brings me to ask why, when so many people have asthma that are triggered by dog dander and exposure would hospitals, schools and planes allowing this to happen. If there is a service dog at a restaurant or store, my daughter can always leave. She cannot leave school or when she is in a hospital. Is it that people are not educated?  I feel so alone in this and did not know if you had advice or who I can speak to.

C

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Phew. Tylenol okay for children with #asthma

Today’s blog post is about a study that I welcomed in so many ways—as an asthma mom, physician, and researcher. The study led by first author, William Sheehan MD, and senior author ,Wanda Phipatanakul MD MS, both from Boston Children’s Hospital. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The authors led a multicenter trial over 48 weeks to see if children with asthma who take acetaminophen (Tylenol) are more likely to have asthma flares than children with asthma who take ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil). They found that there was no difference between acetaminophen and ibuprofen. There was no difference between Tylenol and Motrin.

Why is this important to me?

First, as an asthma mom, I only give my daughter ibuprofen so that I don’t risk worsening her asthma symptoms. Ibuprofen also can last a little longer (it’s to be given every 6-8 hours) while acetaminophen can be given every 4 hours, so to me that’s a bit of a bonus too.

Second, I tell my patients who have asthma to try to stick to ibuprofen and to only use acetaminophen if the ibuprofen wasn’t enough. For example, if a child still has a high fever one hour after ibuprofen, they can go ahead and take acetaminophen, but I recommend that kids with asthma stick to ibuprofen.

Third, in my own survey (unpublished) study of children with asthma, I also found no differences between ibuprofen and acetaminophen. But my study was a retrospective study—I asked parents to think back six months and tell me how many ibuprofen and acetaminophen doses they gave their child with asthma. By asking parents to think back, they may not think back accurately.   We’re all human. And this is the problem with the previous studies that have been performed looking at this question of Tylenol versus Motrin for fever in children with asthma.  All of the studies have been retrospective.

So why did the authors conduct their study?

Studies have suggested that frequent acetaminophen use may be associated with asthma-related complications, so physicians often recommended that children with asthma avoid acetaminophen. No randomized trials that followed children prospectively (in real-time) have been conducted.

How did the authors conduct their study?

·         The authors enrolled 300 children from age 1 to 5 years old with mild persistent asthma. The children were randomized to give only acetaminophen or ibuprofen when needed for pain or fever over the next 48 weeks.  All of the children continued to receive their asthma-controller therapies (inhaled steroids, leukotriene antagonists).  

·         226 children (75%) children completed the study. Children in both groups used similar amounts of either acetaminophen or ibuprofen depending on which group there were in.

·         During the 48 weeks, there was no significant differences between the groups in:

o   Number of exacerbations. There was an average of 0.81 exacerbations per child in the acetaminophen group compared to 0.87 in the ibuprofen group.

o   Having at least one asthma exacerbation. 49% of the children in the acetaminophen group had at least one exacerbation compared to 47% in the ibuprofen group.

o   The percentage of days with full asthma control. The acetaminophen group had 85.8% of full asthma control compared to 86.8% in the ibuprofen group.

o   Use of the rescue medication, albuterol. The acetaminophen group used 2.8 puffs per week compared to 3.0 puffs per week in the ibuprofen group.

o   Urgent care visits for asthma.

What are the limitations of this study?

·         The authors only included young children, so the results may not be true for older age groups.

·         Because this was a clinical trial and children were closely monitored, adherence to controller medications was very high. In real-life, adherence usually isn’t that great.

·         The authors aren’t able to answer the questions of whether being exposed to acetaminophen in utero or in the first year of life could be associated with asthma. This was beyond the scope of this study, but has been suggested by prior studies.

What do the authors conclude?

There aren’t real differences between taking ibuprofen versus acetaminophen in children with asthma.

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Prenatal and postnatal stress associated with #asthma

Today’s blog post is a fascinating study from Alison Lee, MD and all.  Her study on stress during and after pregnancy and asthma was just published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The authors also looked at sex-specific associations.

Why did the authors conduct this study?

Many studies suggest that increased prenatal stress for the mother may be associated with asthma in the child.

Stress after delivery, maternal depression, and adverse life events, have also been associated with wheeze and asthma in children.

Exposure to stress during important times such as pregnancy and early childhood can permanently change stress-response systems. This can play a role in development of asthma.

Studies have had conflicting findings on sex-specific effects on early-life stress on childhood asthma. In other words, does stress have different effects on boys and girls on whether they develop asthma?  

What are the authors’ questions?

What is the relative importance of exposure to prenatal and/or postnatal stress in asthma by age 6 years? What are the effects relative to the child’s sex?

How did the authors study their questions?

The authors used data from a pregnancy cohort—a study that followed women receiving prenatal care in Boston. The pregnant women were enrolled while pregnant and followed through delivery and after birth.

The authors measured stress using the Crisis in Family Systems-Revised survey. The survey was administered when the pregnant mother was enrolled in the study and then again when the baby was 12 months and 18 months. The survey asked about potentially stressful life events such as financial, legal, career, and relationship issues, safety in the home, safety in the community and more.  The researchers worked with the theory that stress could overwhelm our existing coping resources so there could be a physiologic disruption that can affect health.

The children were followed for 6 years and asked at least once a year if the doctor or nurse said the child had asthma.

The authors also analyzed confounders, or reasons that their results could be biased. They analyzed the mother’s age, educations, race/ethnicity, whether there was a history of asthma, eczema, and/or hay fever, mother’s prepregnancy height, weight, child’s sex, season of birth, and birth weight.

What did the authors find?

Boys and girls are at increased risk of having asthma when exposed to higher stress in the perinatal period.

When separating out by child’s sex, boys seemed to be more affected by increased stress exposure than girls.  

What does this mean?

Clinicians could address the role of psychological stress.

Interventions could focus on reducing stress in the prenatal and early postnatal periods.  This period is a stressful enough time as it is.

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Wing®, a Pocket-Sized Sensor and App that Helps Control  Asthma and Prevent Asthma Attacks

Today’s guest post is from Abby Cohen, co-founder of Sparo Labs, the creator of Wing®.

I met Abby back in May at the American Thoracic Society meetings and I was impressed with Wing.

Abby just let me know that Sparo Labs just launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $50K in 30 days. I invited her to write a guest post. She writes…

Wing® is a pocket-sized sensor and powerful app that measures lung function with medical-grade accuracy. We launched an Indiegogo campaign on October 20, with a goal to raise $50,000 in 30 days. This campaign will give people with asthma and other respiratory conditions the opportunity to be the first to get Wing, and assist Sparo Labs, the creators of Wing, in development and spreading awareness about the impact of these conditions.

We designed Wing to help give peace of mind to people suffering from respiratory conditions like asthma, CF, and COPD. Not only does Wing help people better understand their lungs and manage their condition, but it also helps their physicians identify the treatment plan that keeps them breathing their best all year long. 

For many parents asthma is truly scary because it’s not easy for kids to express how they are feeling and there aren’t always noticeable symptoms to indicate an oncoming asthma attack. Wing makes it simple for moms to know if their child is just out of breath or if they actually can’t breathe, by equipping them with the actionable data they need to help prevent asthma attacks – keeping kids active and breathing their best!

Wing is a pocket-sized sensor and powerful companion app that takes the fear and uncertainty out of asthma. By plugging the simple, smartphone-powered sensor into the headphone jack of their phone and launching the Wing app, a user can easily measure their lung function with medical-grade accuracy by blowing into the sensor. With instant results, Wingeasily explains results according to a “stoplight” zone system. This green/yellow/red zone system gives a clear description of how a user’s lungs are doing in order to detect declines in lung function early and take the right action at the right time to help prevent asthma attacks.

Wing automatically stores and tracks lung function measurements over time and also allows users to track the two things that affect their lungs: medications and triggers (e.g. weather, pollen, exercise, etc.). Users can visualize these factors with their lung function, share a report of their data with their doctor, and work together to avoid their triggers and find the best treatment plan for them.

Besides helping those with asthma, people with other respiratory conditions, such as COPD or cystic fibrosis, can also benefit from using Wing. Anyone who is interested in better understanding their lungs, including quantified selfers, athletes, or even wind musicians, can also use Wing to measure and track their lungs.

We’ve talked to hundreds of people with asthma and other respiratory conditions and have been humbled by their eagerness to get Wing as soon as possible and help in any way they could. We launched an Indiegogo campaign to harness this excitement, spread awareness about respiratory conditions, and give our backers the chance to get Wing first!

Wing is currently compatible with iOS 8 and later, with an Android app in development. Sparo Labs has submitted a 510(k) FDA application for Wing and is currently pending FDA clearance. Indiegogo backers are able to contribute $99 (33% off retail price) to Wing’s Indiegogo campaign. This contribution will help to accelerate development and manufacturing of Wing, and in return, contributors will be the first to get Wing once it is available. For more information, visit Wing on Indiegogo at bit.ly/WingPress.

ABOUT SPARO LABS

Sparo Labs is an award-winning, digital health startup in St. Louis committed to empowering people with asthma and other respiratory conditions to proactively manage their condition. Sparo Labs was founded three years ago by Andrew Brimer and Abby Cohen while they were students at Washington University in St. Louis. The team has won 10 of 12 engineering, healthcare and business competitions, totaling $273,000 in grant funding. Sparo Labs was also recently selected to exhibit at the first-ever White House Demo Day. In 2014, Sparo Labs raised a $1.3M seed round of angel funding. For more information, visit www.sparolabs.com.

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Wing®, a Pocket-Sized Sensor and App that Helps Control  Asthma Attacks

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Have you had any luck with changing your diet to improve your asthma? Join the conversation!

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While there isn’t a cure for asthma, there are multiple breathing techniques you can utilize to reduce your symptoms.

Breathing exercises are helpful because, if practiced regularly, they can get rid of stale air in the lungs, increase oxygen levels, and teach the diaphragm to do its job — helping you breathe — properly. Here are some breathing options to help you learn how to treat asthma without an inhaler.

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Managing Cold Weather Asthma

As a longtime asthma sufferer, I’ve discovered certain things that trigger my asthma, despite my best efforts at controlling it with medications. For example, dust can get me wheezing for hours. I love a brisk walk, but anything faster and I’ll be on the side of the road, huffing and puffing, barely able to catch my breath. And cold weather — well, that gets me every time.

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3 things you might not know about childhood asthma - Harvard Health Blog

Knowing if your child has asthma means you can avoid and manage triggers and make sure you have the right medications to relieve the symptoms.

Knowing if your child has asthma means you can avoid and manage triggers and make sure you have the right medications to relieve the symptoms.

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If you’ve taken your reliever medication and it hasn’t helped, read the steps to follow on the asthma first aid poster by Asthma Australia. If you’re helping someone, don’t leave them alone. If you stay calm, it will help them stay calm. If outside of Australia call 911 or the number used for an ambulance emergency where you are.

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In the U.S., our rescue inhalers are not color coded. Otherwise this is a good poster.

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Málaga Elementary honored for its efforts to Healthy Air Living program

Málaga Elementary honored for its efforts to Healthy Air Living program

Málaga Elementary honored for its efforts to Healthy Air Living program.

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6 Signs Your Baby Has Asthma, Which Is Much More Common Than You'd Think

The thought of anything hindering your baby's ability to breathe is terrifying to any parent, which is why many moms and dads are on the look out for signs your baby has asthma. And the concern is reasl, as asthma in kids (and babies) is on the rise,

Signs your #baby may have #asthma. Learn more.

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