Found a few things already:
Background: A few previous studies have suggested that childhood vaccines, particularly whole cell pertussis vaccine, may increase the risk of asthma. We evaluated the suggested association between childhood vaccinations and risk of asthma.
Methods: Cohort study involving 167 240 children who were enrolled in 4
large health maintenance organizations during 1991 to 1997, with follow-up from
birth until at least 18 months to a maximum of 6 years of age. Vaccinations were
ascertained through computerized immunization tracking systems, and onset of
asthma was identified through computerized data on medical care encounters and
medication dispensings.
Results: In the study 18 407 children (11.0%) developed asthma, with a
median age at onset of 11 months. The relative risks (95% confidence intervals) of asthma were: 0.92 (0.83 to 1.02) for diphtheria, tetanus and whole cell pertussis vaccine; 1.09 (0.9 to 1.23) for oral polio vaccine; 0.97 (0.91 to 1.04) for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; 1.18 (1.02 to 1.36) for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); and 1.20 (1.13 to 1.27) for hepatitis B vaccine. The Hib result was not consistent across health maintenance organizations. In a subanalysis restricted to children who had at least 2 medical care encounters during their first year, the relative risks decreased to 1.07 (0.71 to 1.60) for Hib and 1.09 (0.88 to 1.34) for hepatitis B vaccine.Conclusion: There is no association between diphtheria, tetanus and whole cell pertussis vaccine, oral polio vaccine or measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the risk of asthma. The weak associations for Hib and hepatitis B vaccines seem to be at least partially accounted for by health care utilization or information bias.
Well, we're going to see our peds allergist next week to see whether we go back
to Pulmicort. I'm bummed -- the Singulair is soooo much easier on all of us.
But I'm wondering if I'm overreacting. Do your kids cough and if so, how
much and how often, on a regular basis? It's probably crazy to think we
could eliminate his cough entirely, but then parenting is pretty much crazy
as it is. Also, tell me about Flovent vs. Pulmicort. How old do you need to
be to use it -- with a MDI and spacer, right? I'm just so tired of strugglng
with a daily nebulizer treatment!!!! Cheryl
Would any of you reading this know if DUONEB can cause sinus problems??? My
father is in bad shape and his ENT doc is a major a** and dont seem to care
since his insurance ends on 8-25. So he seems to think that the duoneb might
have caused him sinus infection (that drains into his lungs) after he had to use
his nebulizer with a mask. And believe me, he went thru all the possible
traetments and the doctor (not ENT) says he dont know whatelse to do. Any
suggestions?? Would really appreciate it....
FDA panel recommends asthma drugs remain on market
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee unanimously recommended
Wednesday that three asthma medications, one of which is GlaxoSmithKline's
top-selling drug, remain on the market. But the committee urged more research to
determine whether the medications might actually worsen asthma in certain
patients.
The FDA had asked the panel to review the safety of Glaxo's
Serevent and blockbuster Advair — a combination product containing Serevent and
a corticosteroid — and Novartis' Foradil, which belongs to the same class of
drugs as Serevent.Medicaid to pay for asthma drug mistakenly left off list
The children's drug was not included until doctors and parents complained.TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's Medicaid program will begin paying for an asthma medicine needed by thousands of children, responding to a mistake that had left the drug off a new list of covered medications.Under a new law that took effect this month, the Medicaid program redrew its list of drugs it will pay for, in most cases only putting on the list drugs made by companies that will give the state a bulk discount.
Doctors can get approval to prescribe off the list -- but some have said it can be a cumbersome task and could be dangerous because doctors may first try drugs on the list that may not work on that particular patient.
When the new list was drawn up, an asthma treatment for children called Pulmicort Respules was left off, meaning doctors who wanted to prescribe it would have to get prior approval.
Can you imagine if Pulmicort wasn't covered? I swear, we would have been on welfare if we'd had to pay for that every month!
Steroid use for asthma no more effective than placebo, study finds (So be sure to switch your child to sugar-based inhalers to test for yourself.)
Toxic chemicals in the home cause asthma in children, says study (So make sure you use vinegar and lemon oil only to clean and disenfect your home..._
Asthma inhalers actually worsen asthma; cow's milk and chronic dehyration are the root cause (And we're back to the sugar inhalers.)
But one happy story:
World Asthma Day organizers hope to save lives through education
Damn -- this site's a GOLDMINE!
Now, children, there are 17 million children in America, probably more because the numbers rise every year, who have asthma, and the reason is, at the same time, children have been consuming more and more sodas. Three year olds to five year olds have been consuming three times as much soda in the last ten years than in the ten years before that. So these people are getting dehydrated, they are consuming more sodas, which doesn't function in the same way as water, and that is why they get asthma. Now, give these children water, and their asthma will disappear very quickly, in a matter of a few hours, completely the breathing becomes normal. The need for these inhalers will disappear.
Mike: I'd like you to elaborate a little more on asthma, and the idea that the body is managing its water supply deliberately in a way that produces symptoms that are called asthma.
Dr. B: Yes, well you see, drought management means that you have to clog the holes where water is lost from the body. Water is the most precious commodity in the interior of your body, and when not enough is coming in and more is being lost, this is a no-no situation for your body. The intelligence behind the design of the body has it such that a drought management program will kick in, and then allergies are a sign of dehydration because the system that regulates water balance of the body suppresses the immune system, because it's an energy-consuming situation. Then you get asthma.
Stridor is the audible symptom produced by the rapid, turbulent flow of air
through a narrowed segment of the respiratory tract, more specifically, the
large airways. It is often the most prominent symptom of airway obstruction
in the pediatric patient. Proper management is possible only after a precise
diagnosis has been established.
Stridor is a symptom and not a diagnosis. It cannot be managed appropriately on
the basis of a presumptive or inferential diagnosis.
Stridor is most often inspiratory. It typically originates from the
larynx, upper trachea, or hypopharynx. The term stertor has been
used to describe the low-pitched inspiratory snoring sound typically
produced by nasal or nasopharyngeal obstruction.
Oh, and they're GORGEOUS, too.What is an Econest?
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Child Asthma Rates Quadruple
(12/1/04) Asthma rates among children have quadrupled since the 1970s,
according to a major new survey.
More than 2,700 children from schools across south Wales were involved in
the 30-year research project carried out by experts at Cardiff University.
The findings are being published at a meeting of the British Thoracic
Society (BTS) in London on Wednesday.
Dr Michael Burr, who led the survey, said more than 1.4m children across the UK suffered from asthma.
The first study, which was carried out in 1973, diagnosed asthma in 5.5% of the children.
Read the whole article.
Wales 'has highest asthma rate'
Asthma causes almost 30% more hospital cases in Wales than anywhere else in
the UK, a new report claims.
Asthma UK Cymru said one in 10 children and one in 12 adults in Wales are being treated for a condition - one of the highest rates in the world.
SUNDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Adding the drug Xolair to an asthma
patient's medication regimen helps cut emergency medical visits, new research
confirms.
The research, a pooled analysis of seven prior studies, was
presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma and Immunology in San Antonio.
The fact that the pool analysis
contained more than 4,300 patients, about half of whom were on Xolair, does give
these conclusions more credibility than any single study, said study co-author
Dr. Phillip Korenblat, a professor of clinical medicine at Washington University
School of Medicine in St. Louis.
SIDE EFFECTS: Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, changes in taste, and headache may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects...Oh my God! What am I doing to my baby?
TUESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDayNews) -- Specific asthma characteristics in children may help doctors determine the most effective treatment for each child, according to researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network.
"Much to our surprise and consternation, we also demonstrated that a high
maternal intake of vitamin C was associated with increased wheeze in the second
year of life," said researcher Dr. Graham Devereux, a consultant respiratory
physician at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For children who need to go to the ER because of a severe asthma attack, giving them an intravenous infusion of magnesium sulphate along with conventional medications provides an additional benefit, Hong Kong doctors report. (Click here to read the whole article)
A protein believed to cause lung problems may actually help protect the lungs
against damage caused by asthma and other chronic respiratory diseases, says
a University of Texas Medical School at Houston study.
This from HealthDay. Read it for yourself.
I often wonder how many of these symptoms are in my head, but two weeks of mispronouncing "n" and "m" are indisputable.
So...it's off to the pulmonologist. I'll feel better (or, possibly, terrified) when I see his pulse-ox numbers. Admittedly, I may also feel incredibly foolish (and elated) if she listens to his chest and hears nothing.
Life will be just *that* much easier when he's old enough to use a peak flow meter. For now, I sure wish I could get one of those little pulse-ox finger meters!
