Asthma rates increasing in U.S., despite less smoking and decreased air pollution

May 3, 2011

now let me think - how could this

be? Oh vaccines..............suppression of eczema with

steroids.........to name 2 reasons

Asthma rates increasing in U.S., despite less smoking and decreased air

pollution

Sheri

By H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times

May 3, 2011

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-asthma-rates-increasing-05032011,0,866950.story

About one in 12 people in the United States now has asthma, a total of

24.6 million people and an increase of 4.3 million since 2001, the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. The costs of

medical care for these patients increased by about 6% between 2002 and

2007, totaling $56 billion in the latter year, according to information

in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The increases come,

surprisingly, despite improved air quality throughout most of the country

and widespread decreases in smoking. " We don't know exactly why the

rate is going up, " Ileana Arias, principal deputy director of the

CDC, said in a news conference....

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MMWR:

Vital Signs: Asthma Prevalence, Disease Characteristics, and

Self-Management Education United States, 2001–2009

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recent:

Outdoor Air

Pollution and Asthma in Children.

Tzivian L.

J Asthma. 2011 Apr 13.

We reviewed studies published between 2006 and 2009 examining the effect

of outdoor air pollution on asthma in children. In total, we evaluated 25

articles; of these, 9 were published in 2006, 3 in 2007, 8 in 2008, and 5

in 2009. Of these 25 studies, 1 was a clinical trial, 6 were

cross-sectional, 4 were case-control (2 with a case-crossover design), 12

were cohort prospective, and 2 were cohort retrospective studies with

varied follow-up times ranging from 10 days to 7 years. The ages of

children also differed, ranging from birth to 18 years of age.

Conclusions. All studies reviewed in this work indicate that outdoor air

pollution affects the appearance and exacerbation of asthma in

children.

Environmental

pollution and lung effects in children.

Searing DA, Rabinovitch N.

Curr Opin Pediatr. 2011 Apr 5

SUMMARY: Ambient pollution levels may be associated with both asthma

incidence and severity. Susceptibility to air pollution may be higher in

children with genetic polymorphisms related to the 'oxidant stress

pathways'. Potential interventions for susceptible children at risk for

asthma development and/or severity include decreased exposure on high air

pollution days, especially in the summer months, and antioxidant

supplementation. On the population level, changes in school and home

zoning to increase distance from busy roadways may help reduce both

asthma incidence and severity.

Indoor particulate

matter increases asthma morbidity in children with non-atopic and atopic

asthma.

McCormack MC, Breysse PN, Matsui EC, Hansel NN, Peng RD, Curtin-Brosnan

J, DL, Wills-Karp M, Diette GB; Center for Childhood Asthma in

the Urban Environment.

Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2011 Apr;106(4):308-15.

CONCLUSIONS: In-home particles similarly cause increased symptoms of

asthma in non-atopic and atopic children. Environmental control

strategies that reduce particle concentrations may prove to be an

effective means of improving asthma outcomes, especially for non-atopic

asthma, for which there are few environmental control practice

recommendations.

May 3, 2011