asthma

It has been suggested for nearly twenty years that nasal sprays containing corticosteroids might improve asthma outcomes in people suffering from both asthma and rhinitis. Intranasal corticosteroids had few side effects in people with mild asthma, but the improvements in symptoms scores and lung function could have arisen by chance. Intranasal corticosteroids ...

It is possible that early exposure to allergens (substances which cause allergy) may lead to development of asthma in high risk children. This review asks whether the risk of developing asthma, which is a disease caused by many factors, can be decreased by reducing single allergen levels in children with genetic susceptibility, or whether the reduction ...

Asthma is a disease affecting people of all races ages and gender. People with asthma experience recurrent episodes of cough, chest tightness or shortness of breath, which may limit daily activities. In the past few decades, research has shown that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to have asthma as well as have severe symptoms. This ...

Selenium is a trace mineral, and it is thought that deficiency of selenium may play some role in the development of asthma. Some studies suggest that selenium supplementation for people with chronic asthma may help to improve symptoms. This review found some evidence from only one small trial that selenium supplementation might help reduce symptoms ...

Asthma is a common condition, affecting an estimated 300 million people worldwide. Its symptoms include cough, breathlessness, wheeze and associated limitation in activity. Increases in the prevalence of long-term conditions such as asthma are presenting considerable challenges to health services internationally and traditional models of healthcare ...

Speleotherapy (staying in underground environments) is believed to be of some benefit to people with asthma. People spend short periods in specifically designated caves or mines, sometimes doing particular physical or breathing exercises. There are some wards for longer stays. Benefits are believed to come from air quality, underground climate, air ...

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, cola drinks and cocoa. Caffeine is a drug that is very similar to theophylline. Theophylline is a bronchodilator drug that is taken to open up the airways in the lungs and therefore relieve the symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing, coughing and breathlessness. Scientists are interested in finding out whether caffeine ...

A review of the current literature suggests that reduction in the amount of dietary sodium consumed has no significant effect on the symptoms of asthma but may be associated with improvements in some lung function measurements in exercise-induced asthma.

People with asthma also often have gastro-oesophageal reflux (where acid from the stomach comes back up the gullet (esophagus)). Reflux is very common in people with asthma. It may be a trigger for asthma, or alternatively, asthma may trigger reflux. Treatments that can help reflux include antacids and drugs to suppress stomach acids or empty the stomach. ...

Asthma is a common illness causing wheezing, coughing and difficulty with breathing in adults and children. Asthma is becoming increasingly common worldwide and this is especially true in higher income countries. There has been a move towards delivery of asthma care via primary care based asthma clinics in such countries. Such clinics comprise organised ...