Category Archives: Allergies & Asthma

Is less than six hours of sleep a night increasing your risk of heart disease? A recent study investigated whether sleep could be a potential tool to help fight heart disease. According the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally. In 2016, it was estimated 31% of global…

A recent Australian study looked at type 1 diabetes rates before and after the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease, a type of illness that causes the immune system to react against the body itself. Beta cells of the pancreas produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the absorption…

Asthma is a complex chronic disease with environmental and genetic factors influencing prevalence. A recent study examined epigenetic data from children to determine the importance of epigenetics in childhood asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and swelling of the airways which can lead to wheezing and shortness of breath. In 2009, it…

A phase II trial of Tazepelumab – an asthma medication developed by pharmaceutical companies MedImmune and Amgen – yielded exciting results for many patients with uncontrolled asthma. Over 315 million people across the globe are affected by asthma – a long-term inflammatory disease of the lungs. Most cases can be controlled by using glucocorticoids administered…

Researchers investigate the differences in asthma management and severity between different ethnic groups in Britain, in order to improve services to all groups. One million children receive treatment for asthma in the United Kingdom. Healthcare practitioners have noticed a difference in asthma management between children of different ethnicities. Children of South Asian heritage were experiencing…

The skin prick test has several flaws, prompting researchers to investigate into alternative molecular allergy diagnostic tests. Skin prick tests involve pricking an extract of a suspected allergen onto the surface of the skin. Redness and swelling at the test site indicate a Type I allergy, which is caused by the antibody IgE. This is…

A recent study investigates whether consumers are subjected to frequent exposure to fragrance contact allergens through cosmetic products and if these products are infrequently labelled with the allergens most commonly involved in contact allergies. Fragrance chemicals are primary contributors to the incidence of contact allergies in European adults, with 120 types inducing skin sensitization. Twenty-six…

A study examined if the new lung function algorithm, aimed at improving asthma diagnosis in children, should be implemented and recommended. Asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases; an estimated 1.1 million children receive asthma treatment in the United Kingdom alone. Clinical asthma diagnosis is typically based on a pattern of signs…

For individuals with uncontrolled asthma, the risk of asthma attacks or exacerbations is a constant concern. A recent clinical trial reported a significant reduction in the rate of asthma exacerbation in patients treated with azithromycin. It is estimated that over 50 million people around the world suffer from moderate to severe uncontrolled asthma. Chronic airway…

A chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, asthma affects approximately 315 million people worldwide. With 5 – 10% (≈15 – 31.5 million) of these people suffering from severe asthma, research into treatments for the disease is ongoing. A study recently looked at an alternative treatment to help manage severe asthma in patients relying upon oral…