New Research Suggests that Bacteria May Cause Asthma Attacks in Children

Bacteria to Blame in Asthma Attacks in Children, Research Suggests

ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2010) — Doctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre (DPAC) at the University of Copenhagen and Gentofte Hospital have discovered that treatable bacterial infections can also cause asthma attacks. The discovery could revolutionize treatment.

"We found a significant relationship between bacterial infections and acute asthma attacks -- above and beyond the expected relationship between viral infections and attacks," says Hans Bisgaard, a professor of pediatrics at the DPAC.

The study examined 361 children between the ages of four weeks and three years to determine the presence of viral and bacterial infections during severe asthma attacks. The results conclude that the number of attacks was just as high in children with bacterial respiratory infections as in those with viral infections.

Using antibiotics to treat asthma attacks?

"This indicates that bacteria can exacerbate asthma symptoms even if they aren't infected with a virus," Professor Bisgaard says. "The findings open up an entirely new method for treating severe asthma attacks. We can't treat viral infections, but scientists will now look into whether treatment with antibiotics can help children when they have an asthma attack if they are also suffering from a bacterial infection."
"Being able to use antibiotics to treat asthma attacks in children would be revolutionary," Professor Bisgaard says.

The effects of antibiotics in treating asthma attacks will now be examined in large-scale, clinical study by the DPAC.
The research has been published in British Medical Journal on 4 October 20

Signs of a Pending Asthma Attack

Asthma Early Warning Signs

• A runny nose, headache, or itchy chin often precedes an asthma attack.
• Trouble sleeping and feeling tired are other typical signs.
• So are dark circles under the eyes and less tolerance for exercise.
• Frequently, people get moody before an asthma attack starts.

A Persistent Cough

Signs of an asthma attack vary from one attack to the next. One time there may be little or no coughing before an attack. The next time, there may be a persistent cough, especially at night.

The cough is typically dry and hacking. (Sometimes, however, the cough may be wet and productive.)
Avoid taking cough medicine. Cough medicine won’t help the asthma.

Chest and Neck Retractions
When it’s hard to breathe, the tissue in the chest and neck may sink in with each breath. This is called retraction.
Retractions indicate that not enough air is getting into the lungs, and are signs of a medical emergency. Call 911 or see a doctor immediately.
In children other signs of deterioration in breathing are:

• poor appetite
• fatigue
• decreased activity

Go to WebMD to learn about more signs of a pending asthma attack here: 
Signs of a Pending Asthma Attack

Parents often wait too long to treat children's asthma symptoms

Parents often wait too long to treat children's asthma symptoms

Radiologists Develop Asthma Imaging Method

January 1, 2009 — Radiologists developed a new method for viewing the lungs of asthma sufferers. The method uses a polarized helium-3 gas--making it visible during an MRI. The patient inhales the helium-3 and undergoes an MRI, where doctors can see how far the atoms in the gas can travel in the lungs. This gives an image of what airways are blocked and what parts of the lungs ventilate. The black areas of the image indicate portions of the lung where air does not reach--areas where the helium-3 atoms could not travel.

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Immune cells that prevent development of asthma identified

ScienceDaily (2009-11-30) --According to the great paradigms of immunology, asthma, an allergic disease of the respiratory system, should always develop upon exposure to airborne antigens that are constantly being inhaled. However, the fact that 94 % of the Western population does not develop the disease suggests that as yet undefined mechanisms protect the respiratory tract from developing an allergic response.

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New insights into allergy-related disorders in children

ScienceDaily (2010-01-31) -- Allergies and asthma are a continuing health problem in most developed countries, but just how do these ailments develop over the course of a childhood? In a population-based study designed to help answer this question, researchers in Norway found that 40 per cent -- or two of five -- of nearly 5,000 two-year-olds had at least one reported allergy-related disorder.

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The Use of Inhalers Might Make Asthma Worse

                                Discovery opens new avenues for treatment of poorly controlled asthma

                                (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study at the University of Leicester is probing why asthma relief inhalers might actually make asthma worse- and what can be done about it.