Link: Asthma
A research review found children with asthma tend to exercise less than peers without the condition, despite the benefits of physical activity in these patients. The researchers found many parents and teachers restricted the activities of youths with asthma out of concern for their ability to participate or a lack of information.
Link: Asthma
Children of Asian and African descent might be misdiagnosed with asthma because of higher levels of nitric oxide that occur naturally in their breath, according to a new study.
Link: Asthma
A French study revealed that lactating mice exposed to ovalbumin -- an asthma allergen -- can transmit it to their newborns through their milk, allowing the newborns to develop an immunological tolerance to the allergen. Researchers said the work could lead to the development of new ways to fight allergies.
Link: Toy allergens
The weekend after Thanksgiving has traditionally signaled the start of the Christmas shopping season, but as Santa Claus checks his list of who's been naughty or nice, he may also have to make special arrangements for children with allergies or asthma.
Prevalence rates for both diseases have doubled in the past 20 years, and many common household items, including toys, can trigger asthma and allergy attacks.
"Stuffed toys are notorious for carrying dust mites and other substances that can be a major problem for children who take plush toys everywhere they go, including to bed," Dr. Sheryl Lucas, a allergist in Washington, D.C., said in a prepared statement.
Link: Children and antibiotics
Children during their first year of life are prescribed antibiotics for many reasons, primarily ear infections and respiratory infections. Many of these illnesses turn out to be viral in nature, and so the antibiotics are unnecessary. Now there may be another reason to avoid antibiotics.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia examined studies of data from more than 12,000 children and 1,800 asthma cases and found that children who took at least once course of antibiotics when they were under one year old were more than twice as likely to develop asthma as children who never took antibiotics.
