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Low-dose Aspirin reduces the risk of asthma

In a large, randomized, placebo-controlled study of 22,071 healthy male physicians, taking a low-dose of Aspirin every other day lowered the risk of receiving an initial asthma diagnosis by 22 percent. These findings, based on data from the double-blind Physicians' Health Study, are published i...
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Cough and phlegm cause fourfold increase in COPD incidence

Young adults ( ages 20 to 44 ) with normal lung function who later develop chronic cough and phlegm have a fourfold higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ). The results of this 10-year respiratory study appear in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Ca...
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Reducing fine particulate air pollution cuts mortality risk

Researchers who extended the Harvard Six Cities fine particulate air pollution study by eight years found that reduced levels of tiny particle pollution during this period lowered mortality risk for participants. The results are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care ...
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Cystic fibrosis: stopping inhaled corticosteroid use causes no problems

In comparison to cystic fibrosis patients who regularly use inhaled corticosteroid, those who did not use these drugs for six months exhibited no positive or negative effects in terms of major disease factors. Such factors include amount of lung function decline, number of antibiotics prescribed, ti...
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Healthy preterm infants show reduced lung function

Tests of healthy preterm infants younger than 12 weeks of age showed prematurity to be independently associated with reduced lung function. Predictors of this reduced expiratory flow during the first months of life include male sex, low gestational age and increased weight gain . The results ap...
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Heart failure: Acetazolamide cuts sleep apnea

Since sleep apnea is associated with heart failure, patients who take a single dose of Acetazolamide, a mild diuretic and respiratory stimulant, before going to bed exhibit less sleep apnea, improved blood oxygen levels and fewer daytime symptoms of sleepiness. The results of the double-blind, p...
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Hydrocortisone supplementation improves ventilator weaning

Intensive care unit physicians can increase the success of mechanical ventilation weaning and shorten the weaning period by identifying critically ill patients who have adrenal insufficiency and treating them with the hormone hydrocortisone ( Cortisol ). The study results are published in the Am...
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A meaty, salty, starchy diet may increase risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A study found that eating mostly meat, refined starches, and sodium may increase the likelihood of developing chronic respiratory symptoms, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ). Researchers found that individuals whose diets are rich in meat, refined starches and sodium are 1.4...
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Fish oil prevents potentially deadly decline in heart rate variability

A two-gram fish oil supplement given daily to elderly persons prevented a decline in heart rate variability caused by tiny, dangerous airborne pollutant particles. Heart rate variability, a measure of the autonomic nervous system's regulation of the heart, is an independent risk factor for cardia...
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Lung scarring diseases linked to genes and smoking

A research has shown that idiopathic interstitial pneumonia ( IIP ), a group of potentially fatal disorders that affects the lungs, may be caused by an interaction between a specific genetic background and cigarette smoking. In a study of 111 families that had at least two relatives with idiopath...
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