NEWS
By The Washington Post | October 15, 2009
WASHINGTON - -An analysis in 10 states of people hospitalized with the pandemic strain of H1N1 influenza shows that asthma is by far the most common underlying condition associated with severe cases of the disease. In children, other much rarer chronic conditions, such as sickle cell anemia, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, are also predisposing patients to life-threatening bouts of the virus, federal health officials said. Epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the experience of about 1,400 people older than 18, and 500 children, who had been hospitalized in 10 states since the new influenza strain emerged in April.
NEWS
By Meredith Cohn | April 6, 2009
Spring means the same two things every year for Brian Nehus: The grass grows, and his nose runs. The 27-year-old from Kingsville finally had enough and ended up at the Asthma Sinus Allergy Program at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. He learned after a battery of skin tests that he is indeed allergic to his lawn, as well as weeds and cats. "I need to cut the grass," said Nehus, as he studied his arm, which was full of red blotches, the result of the tests. "I have about an acre of land.
NEWS
By FROM SUN NEWS SERVICES | December 12, 2008
FDA advisers back limits on asthma drugs WASHINGTON: Government health advisers recommended restrictions yesterday on some long-acting asthma drugs, although not Advair, a top-selling medication. Outside experts advising the Food and Drug Administration said Foradil and Serevent no longer should be used for asthma. But they said the benefits of the more widely used Advair and Symbicort clearly outweigh the risks. Each contains an ingredient that relaxes muscles around stressed airways, which may mask symptoms that can trigger life-threatening asthma attacks.
NEWS
By Stephanie Desmon | November 3, 2008
Hundreds of thousands more children are taking medications for chronic diseases, with a huge spike over a four-year period in the number given drugs to treat conditions once seen primarily in adults and now linked to what has become an epidemic of childhood obesity. In a study appearing today in the journal Pediatrics, researchers saw surges in the number of U.S. children taking prescription medicines for diabetes and asthma, with smaller increases in those taking drugs for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
NEWS
By Katherine Dunn | September 20, 2008
Last week against No. 2 Severna Park, Fallston's field hockey team struggled on offense, but yesterday, the attack struck with precision as the No. 5 Cougars upset No. 1 Garrison Forest, 3-1, in an afternoon contest riddled with injury and illness for the host Grizzlies. Two Garrison Forest players were taken to the hospital by ambulance - Bayley Mullan, who was hit in the head with a ball, and Sarah Krolus, who suffered a severe asthma attack - and still another, Cody Magness, sat out late in the game struggling to catch her breath.
NEWS
By JOE AND TERESA GRAEDON | September 1, 2008
I was prescribed Advair for asthma. It worked well for my breathing problem, but my skin became thin, and I started bruising badly. Then I experienced horrible damage to my skin, with deep gashes from a slight bump. One day, I leaned on the bathroom counter, and several inches of the skin on my arm peeled off. My lung specialist insisted Advair was not responsible for thinning skin. My pharmacist said it could be from steroids. She checked my meds and told me Advair contains a steroid. My doctor still said it was not the medication.
NEWS
By Dennis O'Brien | June 11, 2008
A number of cribs and changing tables commonly sold at retail outlets contain unhealthy levels of formaldehyde, a consumer advocacy group reported yesterday. A lab tested the furniture in sealed chambers and found formaldehyde levels in four changing tables and two cribs in excess of air quality standards set by California this year, according to Johanna Neumann, director of the Maryland Public Interest Research Group. Six of 21 cribs and other nursery products gave off formaldehyde at levels that increase the risk of asthma and respiratory problems, the group reported.
NEWS
May 19, 2008
Police substation to close this month A police substation in a Hillendale shopping plaza will close at the end of the month, but county officials say they are searching for a new location for the service. The substation has been at the Hillendale Center since 1998. Towson-precinct officers who specialize in community outreach, state parole and probation officers, and neighborhood groups use the substation, said Bill Toohey, a county police spokesman. The lease expires May 31 and the owners of the shopping center do not want to renew it, according to county officials.
NEWS
May 8, 2008
Asthma Kids breathe easier around more trees Young children who live in neighborhoods with lots of trees have lower rates of asthma than children who reside in areas with fewer trees, a new study finds. Researchers looked at asthma rates among children ages 4 to 5 in New York City. Asthma rates decreased by almost one-quarter for every standard deviation increase in tree density, equivalent to 343 trees per square kilometer, the study found. The researchers said trees may help reduce asthma rates by encouraging children to play outdoors more or by improving air quality.
NEWS
By Frank D. Roylance | April 30, 2008
Eight-year-old Justus Brown has had allergy problems before, but nothing like he experienced Sunday on the way to church in Towson - an attack that his parents blame on last week's record pollen counts. "He told me on Sunday morning he made a `funny noise' when he breathed," recalled his mother, Kenya Brown, 37, of Owings Mills. Justus was wheezing, and he knew something was wrong. "I thought I was going to die," he said. "It felt horrible every time I walked. Every second I had to bend down and catch my breath."