When Sinus Problems Won’t Go Away

The humble sinuses, those hollow cavities hidden in the bones around the nose, usually draw little appreciation. But nothing makes one yearn for clear sinuses like sinusitis, a condition that can make the head feel as if it were filled with cement and can render every breath a struggle. For millions of people, sinusitis can drag on for months or years, unresolved by medical interventions. The focus used to be on antibiotic treatments to purge infections that most experts believed were causing chronic sinusitis. Yet many patients relapsed, leading researchers and clinicians to question their assumptions. . read more.

Cockroach Allergens in Homes Associated With Prevalence of Childhood Asthma in Some Neighborhoods

In New York City, the prevalence of asthma among children entering school varies by neighborhood anywhere from 3% to 19%, and children growing up within walking distance of each other can have 2-3 fold differences in risk for having asthma. In the first comprehensive effort to understand what drives these localized differences, researchers compared the household presence of cockroach, mouse, cat, dust mite and other allergens in neighborhoods with a high prevalence of asthma to that in low-prevalence neighborhoods. They found that cockroach, mouse and cat allergens were significantly higher in homes located in neighborhoods where asthma is more common and that children in these higher-exposure homes were more likely to be sensitized to cockroach antigens. . read more.

Risks: Allergic to Peanuts, Even in Transfused Blood

Doctors in the Netherlands said that a 6-year-old boy with an allergy to peanuts went into anaphylactic shock after receiving a blood transfusion from donors who had been snacking on them. The episode occurred last year as the boy was being treated for leukemia. While receiving a transfusion of blood platelets, he broke out in a rash, his blood pressure dropped and he had difficulty breathing. He recovered after treatment, but doctors were mystified by his reaction. . read more.

Eating Local Honey Cures Allergies. Really?

Among allergy sufferers, there is a widespread belief that locally produced honey can alleviate symptoms — the idea being that the honey acts like a vaccine. Bees that jump from one flower to the next end up covered in pollen spores, which are then transferred to their honey. Eating that honey — just a spoonful a day — can build up immunity through gradual exposure to the local allergens that can make life so miserable for allergy sufferers. Or at least that’s the thinking behind it. . read more.

Does air pollution make outdoor exercise risky? What if you have asthma or another health problem?

While aerobic activity is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, air pollution and exercise can be an unhealthy combination. This is especially true if you have asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, or lower respiratory disease. Even when you're not exercising, exposure to air pollution can cause health problems. . read more.

Asthma Rates Climb for Children, Adults

Some 24.6 million Americans had asthma in 2009, up from 20.3 million at the beginning of the decade, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, affected 8.2% of all U.S. residents in 2009, up from 7.3% in 2001, an increase of 12.3%, the CDC said. Children were more prone than adults to have asthma, and women more than men. African-Americans were affected at higher rates than other ethnic groups. About half of persons with asthma reported having an asthma attack in the preceding 12 months, the CDC said. The cause of asthma isn't clear, and federal health officials said they aren't sure why the rates increased over the last decade. The condition is characterized by episodic and reversible attacks of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. . read more.