Mold allergy: Manage this common condition

If you have a mold allergy, your immune system overreacts when you breathe in mold spores. This reaction triggers a cascade of reactions that lead to allergy symptoms. Like other allergies, a mold allergy can make you cough, make your eyes itch and cause other symptoms that make you miserable. In some people, mold allergy is linked to asthma and exposure causes restricted breathing and other airway symptoms. If you have a mold allergy, the best defense is to reduce your exposure to the types of mold that cause your reaction. While it isn't always possible to avoid mold allergy triggers, medications can help keep mold allergy reactions under control. . read more.

Allergies and asthma: They often occur together

You may wonder what allergies and asthma have in common besides making you miserable. A lot, as it turns out. Allergies and asthma often occur together. The same substances that trigger your hay fever symptoms may also cause asthma signs and symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. This is called allergic asthma or allergy-induced asthma. Substances such as pollen, dust mites and pet dander are common triggers. In some people, skin or food allergies can cause asthma symptoms. . read more.

Smoking Ban Improves Asthma Rates in Children

In March 2006, Scotland banned smoking in enclosed public places, including restaurants and pubs. Investigators used a national database to tally all asthma hospital admissions for children younger than 15 years in Scotland between January 2000 and October 2009. Asthma hospital admission rates in children have dropped 18% per year since the smoking ban was instituted in 2006. . read more.

Do healthy children need flu shots?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu (influenza) vaccine for all children ages 6 months to 18 years — ideally given in September or as soon as the vaccine is available. The flu vaccine is available in two forms, flu shots which can be given to children age 6 months and older and a nasal spray (FluMist) which can be given to children age 2 years and older. Whether you choose a shot or nasal spray, keep in mind that children age 8 and younger who are receiving the flu vaccine for the first time or who didn't receive at least one dose of the 2009 H1N1 flu (swine flu) vaccine last year need two doses of this year's flu vaccine given at least four weeks apart. One dose is adequate for children age 9 and older and younger children who've been vaccinated before. . read more.

Allergy to Dogs (and Cats and Dust Mites) May Worsen Ragweed’s Impact

Ragweed allergy season can be even more miserable for those with dog, cat or dust mite allergies, according to new research. These year-round allergies appear to “pre-prime” the immune system so symptoms hit harder. Hay fever (known as seasonal allergic rhinitis) begins around the middle of August, when ragweed blooms. The typical symptoms – sneezing, itching, stuffy nose and watery eyes – can make sufferers miserable. Hay fever sufferers who also are allergic to cats, dogs or dust mites develop symptoms faster and (early on) more severely, the research suggests. Treating the cat, dog or dust mite allergy year round may help make the hay fever more manageable. “People with hay fever react differently when ragweed allergy season arrives. Some start sneezing right away, and others don’t, so we wanted to determine what makes certain people develop symptoms more quickly,” said the lead author of the study. . read more.

Why are my asthma symptoms worse when I have a cold?

In both children and adults, infections with cold viruses are the leading cause of worsening symptoms and loss of control of asthma. One particular cold virus, the Rhinovirus, is most frequently associated with increased asthma severity. Within the past few years, two studies reported the same unexpected finding: Rhinovirus infections with wheezing in infants and young children are associated with a significantly greater risk for developing childhood asthma, especially in children who are prone to allergic disease. These findings should help to identify events that initiate and worsen asthma and aid the development of therapies and perhaps even strategies for the prevention of asthma, which is the ultimate goal of asthma research. However, a more immediate question is how can these advances in knowledge be used today? . read more.

Products Act as a Screen To Protect Against Pollen

As if spring and summer weren't bad enough, fall brings with it yet another onslaught of misery to allergy sufferers. A growing category of natural therapies called pollen blockers work by stopping allergens from getting into your nose and lungs, say companies that sell them. A few well-designed studies have found pollen blockers effective, and allergists say they are likely to at least make a dent in a person's suffering. . read more.

Battling Pet Allergies

Almost 70% of U.S. households have domestic pets, equally divided between cats and dogs - that's 100 million pets! But almost 10 million pet owners -- including kids -- are allergic to their animals and must be extra careful around their furry friends. A pet's dander, skin flakes, saliva and urine can cause an allergic reaction in some people. . read more.

Asthma: The age at onset may lie in one's genes

Previous studies have focused on whether or not someone gets asthma rather than on whether genetic factors influence the age at onset of the disease. Using a large population of twins, researchers have shown that genetic makeup causes different individuals to develop asthma at different ages. The idea of a genetic component interacting with different environmental triggers at different ages opens the possibility of modifying the course of the disease through identification of these determinants. . read more.

FDA, Vaccine Manufacturers: No Worries of Salmonella From Flu Vaccines

This year’s flu vaccine has some consumers worried. While it might protect them against a potentially deadly virus, could they end up with salmonella instead? The answer is no, according to the Food and Drug Administration and vaccine manufacturers. Flu vaccine is manufactured by growing virus in chicken eggs, and eggs are the source of a salmonella outbreak this summer that has been linked to nearly 1,470 illnesses and prompted a nationwide recall of more than 550 million eggs. But the eggs used to make flu vaccine come from different farms than those sold to consumers as food. Considered an important part of the government’s arsenal against a flu pandemic, they’re also tested vigorously for pathogens, officials say. Eggs used for vaccines are also fertilized, while those sold for eating are not. A “seed virus” is injected into eggs, which grows in the egg white and is later harvested for use in vaccine. . read more.