Exposure and allergic sensitization to cockroach was associated with a significantly greater risk of asthma hospitalization and greater healthcare utilization among 476 children aged 4 to 9 years who participated in the National Cooperative Inner-City Asthma Study. Allergic sensitization to the mold Alternaria has been identified as a significant allergen in terms of increasing airway hyperresponsiveness and was associated with a nearly 200-fold increased risk of respiratory arrest due to asthma, emphasizing the importance of determining underlying allergic sensitivities in patients with asthma and providing patients with accurate and practical advice on allergen avoidance techniques. (more…)

The genetic basis of asthma heritability has been extensively studied and the studies are yielding some understanding. There is, as yet, no set genetic pattern that predicts presence of asthma or defines it severity. There are usually reasons or risk of asthma factors that makes someone susceptible to asthma and respiratory allergy problems. Asthma doesn’t just happen randomly to anyone without asthma gene factors risk factors.

Let’s consider some asthma risk factors and see how they increase the chance that a individual will have the asthma signs or symptoms of cough, wheezing, as well as shortness of breathing associated with the disease. After determining your personal risk factors for asthma, decide on the ones you can control as well as try to make some lifestyle changes. Avoidance of the risk factors you can control is important in preventing asthma symptoms. While you cannot change your own gender to family history, you can avoid smoking with asthma, breathing polluted air, and obesity. Take control of your asthma by controlling the asthma risk factors. By understanding all of the risk factors, you are able to prevent to control your asthma.

Genetic factors cannot explain the rise in asthma prevalence, morbidity, or mortality. However, a small change in the prevalence of relevant environmental exposures could explain a significant rise in disease prevalence among genetically susceptible individuals. Gene-environment interaction, defined as the co-participation of genetic and environmental factors, is particularly relevant to the etiology of asthma morbidity, especially in individuals who experience a disproportionate burden of environmental exposures. Relevant exposures include smoking, stress, nutritional factors, infections, allergens, and occupational asthma exposures. In addition, racial/ethnic variability in the distribution of genetic polymorphisms can potentially modify the response to pharmacotherapeutic agents, such as the ß 2 -adrenergic receptor. A genetic polymorphism in the ß 2 -adrenergic receptor gene has been associated with asthma severity, as well as with the susceptibility to develop asthma among individuals who smoked.

Childhood asthma happens more frequently in boys than in girls. It is still not known precisely why this occurs even though some experts find a young male’s airway size is small compared to the female’s airway, that may contribute to increased risk of wheezing after a cold or perhaps other viral infection. Around age 20, the ratio of asthma between people is the same. At age 40, more females than men have adult asthma.

The inherited genetic makeup predisposes you to having asthma. In fact, it’s thought that three-fifths of all asthma cases are hereditary. Based on CDC report, if a person has a parent with asthma, there is 3 to 6 times more probably to develop asthma than someone who does definitely not have a parent with asthma.

Allergen avoidance has been recommended in the management of allergic asthma children. Very few studies have assessed the effect of pet removal on pet allergic asthma. The authors examined the effect of pet removal from homes on pulmonary function testing, bronchial
hyper-responsiveness and medication use. This was a prospective, controlled but non-randomized and open study. Subjects included 20 symptomatic patients with newly diagnosed pet allergic asthma who were keeping domestic animals, including hamsters, cats, dogs and ferrets, and were sensitized to these animals. (more…)

Allergen exposure plays a role in the development of asthma bronchial hyper-responsiveness and in the acute inflammatory response seen in asthmatic patients. Reduction of house dust mite allergens might lead to better lung function and reduction of asthma symptoms. (more…)

Exposure to allergens plays a role in the development of BHR and in the chronic inflammatory response seen in asthmatic patients. Reduction of HDM allergens might lead to better lung function and reduction of asthma symptoms. In this RCT, the effect of HDM-impermeable covers on HDM allergen levels, peak flow values and asthma symptoms were measured. Fifty-two allergic asthmatic patients were randomly allocated to use the HDM-impermeable or placebo covers. During the study period, daily peak flow and asthma symptom scores were recorded. Dust samples were taken from the mattresses.

There was a significant reduction in HDM allergen levels on the mattresses after encasing them with HDM-impermeable covers (reduction of 87% in Der p1 in µg/g of dust; P <0.001). Baseline symptoms were so low that no improvement could be established. However, morning peak expiratory flow was significantly higher in the intervention group compared with that seen in the placebo group during the study period (ß = 20.2; P <0.01). The authors concluded that HDM-impermeable covers significantly decreased the level of HDM allergens with a consequent increase in morning peak flow. This study indicates that HDM allergen avoidance measures might have beneficial effects on allergen reduction and asthma outcome.

Inhalation of HDM allergen causes airway inflammation and BHR. Presuming that most exposure to HDM allergen occurs in bed during sleep, mite-impermeable covers are widely recommended for HDM-allergic asthmatic patients as an established environment control measure. However, RCTs have produced conflicting results. The studies have consistently shown that exposure to HDM allergen is reduced with the application of mite-impermeable mattress, bedding and pillow covers. However, this reduction does not seem to translate easily into clinically meaningful improvements in the symptoms of asthmatic patients, lung function or BHR. This study showed no improvement in the patients’ symptoms, which the authors regarded as due to low levels of baseline symptoms, and thus further reduction was not easily achievable. However, other reasons might be the low level of sensitization to HDM of the study subjects and the small sample size, which may have produced false-negative results. The average morning peak flow was improved in the intervention group over the 9 weeks but repeated measures analysis failed to show an overall effect. This study was reported as showing a protective effect. However, as there was no effect on symptoms, evening peak flow or overall peak flow variability, lung function or medication use, it is difficult to accept that HDM avoidance measures led to a clinically meaningful improvement.

Two factors thought to influence the risk factor asthma are the promoting effect of sensitization to house dust mites and the preventive effect of increased omega-3 fatty acids. Although the avoidance of house dust mites allergen has been used as a preventive strategy in several trials, the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in the primary prevention of asthma and allergic disease is not known. (more…)

Avoidance of any one of the individual risk factors associated with childhood asthma has not been successful in preventing its development. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention programme for the primary prevention of asthma in high-risk infants at 7 years of age. Five hundred and forty-five high-risk infants with an immediate family history of asthma and allergies were prospectively randomized into intervention and control groups pre-natally. (more…)

Diagnosis of food hypersensitivity is a clinical challenge and the only current definitive test is the Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Food Challenges. Although the Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Food Challenges is the current gold standard, it is difficult to perform and is very time-consuming. Hence, researchers are continually evaluating new tests and assessing the value of the available serum tests. (more…)

Over the last 5 years some studies have suggested that the atopy patch test (APT) may be a useful test in atopic dermatitis children who have suspected food hypersensitivity and may even obviate the need for oral challenges. An alternative test to oral allergy challenges with high sensitivity and specificity would be helpful in the diagnosis of food hypersensitivity. (more…)

The food eating challenges materials used at different centers vary considerably. Some centers use freeze-dried foods, some use concentrated foods masked in other foods or capsules, and some use freshly prepared foods. This study aimed to develop and validate a number of recipes for Double Blind Placebo Control Food Challenges in Children. Common allergenic foods, cow’s milk, egg, soy, peanut, hazelnut and wheat were used where possible in their usual edible form. (more…)