Category: Respiratory Diseases

Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Bisexual People Have Over Twice the Rates of Lung Diseases

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

A new national study found that bisexual Americans had over two times the rates of lung diseases including asthma as heterosexual adults.

The study, published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, analysed data from 12 209 adults in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Overall, 29% of bisexual adults reported experiencing lung disease compared to 14% of heterosexual adults. There is consistent evidence that bisexual individuals are at increased risk for negative health outcomes (such as mental health, substance use, and sexual health problems) compared to monosexual (heterosexual and gay/lesbian) individuals.

“Higher levels of discrimination experienced by bisexual people could lead to more stress and lead to inflammation or stress hormones which would worsen asthma,” said lead author, Jason Nagata, MD, assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “Bisexual adults have been shown to have worse health outcomes across a number of physical and mental health domains, and we add to this literature by showing disparities in asthma and other lung diseases.”

Even people who identified as ‘mostly’ heterosexual had higher rates of asthma than those who identified as exclusively heterosexual. Mostly heterosexual individuals may also face discrimination but may not be ‘out’, with access to the social support and communities ‘out’ LGBTQ+ people have available.

“Medical professionals, social workers, and clinicians need to be aware of these sexual orientation disparities in health outcomes,” said co-author Kyle T Ganson, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “Providing appropriate and tailored care is needed to address these disparities.”

“Some sexual minorities may be less likely to seek care due to barriers to accessing health care or experiences of discrimination at a clinician’s office. Doctors should offer materials on LGBTQ health, publicise nondiscrimination statements and have inclusive forms for sexual minorities,” Prof Nagata added, “so that they’re not discouraged from seeking care.”

Source: EurekAlert!

Categories : Respiratory DiseasesTags :

CT Scans Reveal Lung Destruction in Asthmatics

On By ModernMedia
Source: Pixabay CC0

A new study using CT scans have revealed significant changes indicating lung destruction in some asthmatics.

Clinicians have long thought that some people with asthma experience declines in their lung function, called fixed airflow obstruction (FAO), due to changes to their airways. In this study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers have found that this issue could extend to the surrounding lung tissue.

Respirologist Kaoruko Shimizu at Hokkaido University said, “Bronchial asthma is considered to be mainly due to inflammation and remodeling of the larger respiratory airways. But not all asthmatics improve with the typical treatments prescribed to alleviate this condition. We wanted to know if changes to the surrounding lung tissue induced a decline in pulmonary function over time in this subgroup of patients.”

Shimizu and her colleagues applied a novel computer tomography (CT)-based approach to detect changes in lung tissue. In this approach, the scientists examined CT scans employing an index called “exponent D” for areas of reduced lung density with increasing coalescence of neighbouring airspaces, which indicates emphysema, or the destruction of air sacs. Airway obstruction was measured by testing the ability of people with asthma to forcefully exhale air in one second. This ability is reduced when the airways are narrower.

The tests examined around 200 smokers and non-smokers with varying degrees of asthma, who were then followed up annually for five years.

People with asthma who experienced persistent airflow limitation, regardless of the severity of their asthma or their smoking status, exhibited constricted airways and also showed signs of lung tissue destruction, the researchers found.

The observed changes to lung tissue in this subgroup of asthmatic patients were not associated with the typical inflammatory markers linked to bronchial asthma. This is important, because it could explain why conventional anti-inflammatory treatments are not as successful in this group.

Future studies should investigate lung destruction in asthma, enabling more personalised management, said Shimizu.

Source: Hokkaido University

Categories : Hospitals Paediatrics Respiratory DiseasesTags :

80% of Childhood Asthma Hospital Presentations are Preventable

On By ModernMedia
Image by Bob Williams from Pixabay
Image by Bob Williams from Pixabay

Based on a comprehensive Australian survey, approximately 80 percent of asthma-related hospital presentations in school-aged children are potentially avoidable through a standardised comprehensive care pathway for children with asthma.

These preventative measures include using evidence-based clinical guidelines, ensuring that there is an asthma action plan in place; regular follow-up with GP; provision of asthma education to parents/carers; and establishing a community-based approach for continuity of care.

Senior author Dr Nusrat Homaira, respiratory epidemiologist at UNSW Sydney said, “During our research, we surveyed 236 nurses and 266 doctors across 37 hospitals in all 15 local health districts (LHDs) across New South Wales (NSW) to identify the existing care pathway following discharge from hospital for children with asthma.”

This study by researchers at UNSW Sydney identified major variations in the existing asthma care pathway, including:

Use of asthma clinical guidelines and Asthma Action Plan: Although clinical guidelines and Asthma Action Plans (AAPs) were used across all hospitals, on average, there were four to six different types of documents used in each (LHD), between hospitals in the same LHD and within departments in the same hospital. Such variations can be confusing for clinicians, as noted by a survey participant: “Conflicting advice given to asthma patients between general practitioners, emergency departments and sometimes paediatricians; patients are then confused about what to do in exacerbation of symptoms.”

GP follow-up: In most LHDs (75 percent) parents/carers were advised to have their child followed up with their GP within two to three days after hospital discharge, but in some areas, follow-up appointments could be recommended for over six days post-hospitalisation. Parents/carers were reportedly responsible for organising follow-up with their GP with no system to ensure they in fact attended.

Asthma education for parents/carers of asthmatic children: Formal asthma education (27 percent of respondents) were seldom provided to parents/carers during hospital stays; limited to asthma device techniques and rarely involved key topics such as basic knowledge of asthma, asthma control and the importance of regular medical review.

Communication with schools/childcare services: When children with asthma were discharged from hospitals, only four percent of the surveyed staff reported that schools or childcare services were notified of the child’s recent hospital presentation.

Community services integration: The majority of participants (55 percent) were unaware of any community services for children with asthma in their local areas.

The survey identified marked variations in asthma care and management for children within different health districts, different hospitals in the same district and different departments within the same hospital in. The findings highlight opportunities to improve the health outcomes in children with asthma and reduce unnecessary burden on health systems from preventable asthma hospital presentations.

Source: EurekAlert!

Journal information: Chan, M., et al. (2021) Assessment of Variation in Care Following Hospital Discharge for Children with Acute Asthma. Journal of Asthma and Allergy. doi.org/10.2147/JAA.S311721.

Categories : Allergies Respiratory DiseasesTags :

Smoking Risks for Allergic and Asthmatic Cannabis Users

On By ModernMedia

A survey in the US has shown that cannabis users are often asthmatic, and some have allergies from cannabis smoking or its second-hand smoke.

Cannabis allergies can potentially cause respiratory symptoms, contact urticaria, angioedema, and uncommonly anaphylaxis. Inhalation of cannabis may also manifest in allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, wheezing, and throat oedema. Given the widespread legal use of cannabis, more information is needed on the effects of cannabis use, particularly smoking, on individuals with asthma and allergies.

The anonymous survey, conducted in concert with the Allergy & Asthma Network, consisted of 489 participants, 18% of whom reported cannabis use. A surprising 60% were asthmatic, and 40% had uncontrolled asthma. 

Inhalation routes were the most popular way of taking cannabis. About half of users smoked cannabis, while a third vaped it. Only 40% reported being asked by their physician about cannabis use, and about the same proportion of participants were willing to talk to a physician about their cannabis use, said study co-author and cannabis allergy expert, William Silvers, MD.

“In order to more completely manage their allergy/asthma patients, allergists should increase their knowledge about cannabis and inquire about cannabis use including types of cannabinoid, route of use, reasons for use, and adverse effects,” said Dr Silvers. “As with cigarette smoking, efforts should be made to reduce smoking of cannabis, and recommend other potentially safer routes such as edibles and sublingual tinctures.”

Reported positive effects of cannabis use (eg, reduced pain, calm, improved sleep) were more frequent than adverse effects (eg, cough, increased appetite, anxiety). Approximately 20% of survey respondents reported coughing from cannabis, which was associated with smoking cannabis; this was cause for concern as it may indicate smoking risks for cannabis users.

“It surprised me that over half of the cannabis users in this study who have asthma were smoking it,” said principal investigator Joanna Zeiger, PhD. “And further, of those with uncontrolled asthma, half reported smoking cannabis. We also found that people with asthma are not routinely being asked or advised by their physician about cannabis and how they are consuming it.”

The researchers commented that further research into the relationship of cannabis and allergies is warranted.
“We look forward to future studies of larger, more diverse cohorts to better explore more deeply the effect of cannabis use on asthma and other allergic disorders,” said Dr Zeiger.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Zeiger, J. S., et al. (2021) Cannabis attitudes and patterns of use among followers of the Allergy & Asthma Network. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2021.01.014.