Acetaminophen May Double Asthma Risk in Kids
(CBS) Acetaminophen use may double the asthma risks in kids.
A new study from the American Thoracic Society reports new evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma. Dr. Holly Phillips, of WCBS-TV in New York, appeared on “The Early Show” Friday with more on the study.
Researchers gathered information from more than 300,000 kids from 50 countries. They looked at 13 and 14 year olds. They found more than a double increased risk associated with frequent use, which is at least once a month. It also increased risks for eczema, which is basically itchy and scaly skin, and nasal congestion.
This study was not a causal study, but found an association — a link — with acetaminophen, which is commonly known as Tylenol, and asthma.
The same authors indicated a possible link between acetaminophen usage in infancy with subsequent increased risk in childhood asthma.
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Insufficient vitamin D tied to severe asthma attacks
(Reuters Health) – Asthmatic children with relatively low vitamin D levels in their blood may have a greater risk of suffering severe asthma attacks than those with higher levels of the vitamin, a new study suggests.
The study, which followed more than 1,000 children with asthma for four years, found those with vitamin-D “insufficiency” at the outset were more likely to have an asthma attack that required a trip to the hospital.
Over the four-year study, 38 percent of children with insufficient vitamin D levels went to the emergency room or were hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation. The same was true of 32 percent of children with sufficient levels of the vitamin.
When the researchers considered other factors — including the severity of the children’s asthma at the study’s start, their weight and their family income — vitamin D insufficiency itself was linked to a 50 percent increase in the risk of severe asthma attacks.
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Those with severe asthma offered radical treatment
WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s a new treatment option for people with severe asthma.
It’s called bronchial thermoplasty. It involves snaking a wire inside the lungs to melt off some of the tissue that squeezes airways shut.
The Alair system, rolling out this month, isn’t a cure, and it’s not without risk. But it’s the first method of physically altering spasm-prone airways.
A spokesman for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology calls it “a very novel, very innovative treatment,” but only for the right patient.
It’s meant for those who have severe disease and experience frequent attacks despite daily medication. Up to 15 percent of asthma patients fall into that category.
About 22 million Americans have asthma, and medications offer good control for many of them. But asthma kills about 4,000 people a year and hospitalizes at least half a million.
Asthmatx Inc. estimates its Alair system, which the Food and Drug Administration approved last week, could target up to 2 million adults.
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Merck Asthma Treatment Shows Positive Results In Study
Merck & Co. (MRK) investigational asthma treatment that combines two medications was more effective in staving off the need for emergency treatment and improving lung function in late-stage trials than either drug alone.
The data were presented Tuesday at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting.
The treatment, which combines the active ingredients of two inhaled medicines–Asmanex Twisthaler and Foradil Aerolizer–is being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has also been submitted to European regulators. Merck has been developing allergy and asthma drug candidates after the Whitehouse Station, N.J., pharmaceutical giant recently emerged from patent battles leaving its best-selling Singulair free of generic competition until 2012.
In the study of patients age 12 and older, the combined drug was found more effective at preventing severe attacks than the active ingredient in Foradil and Asmanex on their own.
Merck has experience in combining drugs to make new ones–Vytorin is a single-tablet combination of the drugs simvastatin and Zetia, which work by different mechanisms to lower bad cholesterol. Simvastatin is sold by Merck under the brand Zocor, which is available generically.
-By Tess Stynes, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2481; Tess.Stynes@dowjones.com;
Wall Street Journal