Dr. Bassett

 

As we are going through our summer rainy season in many areas of the country I thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss a little know asthma phenomenon.  After a rainstorm pollen grains can be washed away lowering pollen counts and giving some allergy sufferers temporary relief.  However, a number of pollen grains, in particular grass pollen levels, may actually increase as much as 50 fold! It is thought that in some cases, these higher amounts of allergy causing particles, when inhaled, may bring on an asthma attack.  This has been categorized as “thunderstorm associated asthma” and it is indeed a paradox. 

A recent study published in the journal Thorax looked at millions of ER visits during a decade in Atlanta.  The study found that following a thunderstorm there were many more individuals seeking ER care for worsening asthma.

Other theories have looked at air quality and pollution that may be affected by rain and thunderstorms.  The relationship between thunderstorms and an increase in the number of emergency room visits for asthma has been identified in many studies throughout the world; however most doctors and patients may not be aware of this phenomenon. 

So for the 20 million Americans with asthma according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the next time there is a thunderstorm, make it an opportunity to pay close attention to your symptoms and stay one step ahead for proper and timely asthma treatment.   This underscores the importance of having an “asthma action plan” for optimal asthma prevention and management.

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended as medical advice to any reader or intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

Dr. Bassett

Do fish oils protect against asthma?

One of the major components of asthma is airway inflammation (swelling of the lung passages).  It appears that supplementation with fish oils may provide a natural “anti-inflammatory” benefit in asthma.  EPA and DHA are some of the more important components of fish oils and they block some of chemicals responsible for chronic asthma. 

Studies out of Japan indicated fish oil supplements reduced asthma symptoms and severity in children.  Researchers from Australia also reported eating oily fish (i.e. Atlantic salmon, trout) was associated with lowering the risk of a child from developing asthma as well as a reduction in asthma severity. 

And now prenatal exposure to various fish oils may have a protective effect against asthma.   My colleague Dr. Roberta Lee, Medical Director of the Center for Health and Healing Director in New York City, stated “I have observed great clinical improvement using fish oil supplements as an adjunctive  therapy to standard allergy and asthma care.”  There is a huge need to further study this in preventing asthma and to complement standard treatment in larger controlled trials.  

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Dr. Bassett

Allergy season in many areas of the US has had a big impact on all of allergy sufferers, particularly on children.  As children often spend a larger amount of time outdoors during the summertime they may be more so affected by the onslaught of daytime seasonal pollens and mold spores.  

 If one parent has allergies there is at least a 25 to 33 percent chance of the child developing allergies and the risk goes up over 50 to 75 percent if both parents are allergic sufferers.  So family history is a key factor in whether or not your children will develop seasonal allergies, indoor allergies and/or asthma.

 Recent studies have looked at impaired sleep as a result of poor breathing due to congested nasal and sinus passages during the night.  This may have a direct impact on daytime behavior and performance in the classroom.  Fatigue and daytime drowsiness may also be a sign of sleep disturbances that occur due to poorly controlled allergies.

Some suggestions I typically discuss with the parents of children suffering from seasonal allergies are:

  * Change clothes after spending time in the park where pollens are plentiful

  * Washing hair and taking a bath later in the day after being outside on a “high pollen day

  * Pre-treat to prevent daily symptoms during peak seasonal pollen periods

  * Vacation at peak allergy times by a body of water such as a lake, river or by the beach, where pollen levels are typically lower

* Ask your pediatrician or allergist if your child should be on “anti-inflammatory” nasal sprays to reduce congestion from seasonal allergies that may assist in better quality sleep at night

Be proactive and develop a sensible allergy management program for your child to successfully combat seasonal allergy triggers!  Learn more at www.acaai.org and www.aaaai.org.

 Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Dr. Bassett

In the July issue of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine researchers found “consistent positive associations” between the amount of nuts eaten during pregnancy, including peanuts, and respiratory symptoms (i.e. shortness of breath, wheezing) in their children through the first 8 years of age. 

The study which took place at Utrecht University in the Netherlands interviewed over 4,000 pregnant women with and without a history of allergy and asthma.  Daily ingestion of nuts in these women increased the likelihood that their child would have “wheezing” and shortness of breath, compared to those mothers who rarely consumed nuts.  The researchers felt it was too soon to recommend a nut restricted diet during pregnancy, and agreed these results should be confirmed by future research. 

I have generally adopted the practice of recommending that women with a strong history of asthma and allergic conditions (i.e. hives, food allergy, seasonal allergies, eczema) should consider a nut restriction during pregnancy. 

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Pack your bags and leaving your allergies behind!

Its vacation time and thoughts of relaxation and anticipation may be first on your mind. Remember if you or a household member has allergies and/or asthma it is important to prepare ahead. 

Certainly the following strategies are helpful to many vacation-goers:

    ** Bring an adequate supply of daily medications and go onto the National Allergy Bureau at www.aaaai.org/nab to check out the pollen levels at your desired destination

   ** Plan your outdoor activities wisely, especially when pollen levels rise and consider doing the “indoor thing” if you are particularly affected by air pollutants such as ozone

   ** Take a vacation by the sea (i.e., by the beach, lake or shore) where pollen counts are lower

   ** Take the sunglasses (the bigger the better) to block pollens from entering into the eyes and lids

   ** Learn if the hotel you will be visiting has “green rooms” that are more environmentally and allergy friendly

   ** Take your dust-proof allergy covers for pillows and mattresses to provide top notch indoor protection from pesky (but invisible) dust mites

   ** Don’t let the bugs bite! Avoid excess fragranced products, creams, hair care products and colognes which attract stinging insects especially if you have a history of reactions to them (bright colors may also attract them)

   ** Get a pre-trip check-up with your allergist and take the opportunity to get your allergy “tune up” and review your “go to” allergy medications before leaving home

   ** If you suffer from pet allergies request an animal-free room as well as talking to your host when visiting friends

   ** Be a label detective when eating out of the home if you have food allergies (bring safe snacks for those affected)

    ** Bring along some moisturizing nasal saline spray, especially for prolonged air travel (cabin air is dry and may irritate nasal passages)

   ** Make sure your favorite sunscreen is “kind” to your skin before using it on yourself and children 

Be safe and be prepared!

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

FDA Advisory to switch to HFA propelled quick-relief (bronchodilator) asthma inhalers

Just a brief note to remind all individuals and/or family members with asthma that the US FDA requires that CFC based quick relief bronchodilator inhalers be removed from the US market by year end.  If you are currently using a CFC inhaler you will need to transition prior to the ban to more environmentally friendly HFA quick relief inhalers.  Bottom line: the asthma medication, a rescue bronchodilator, is exactly the same and is not changing, only the propellant that pushes the medication out of the canister inhaler when you inhale will be different.

Many of my patients, in fact, probably almost all of them have already made the switch to HFA.  Go to www.fda.gov/cder/mdi/albuterol.htm for more detailed information about this.

Make it an opportunity to review a day to day asthma action plan with your provider or asthma specialist.

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

The ozone layer shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

A 9-year-old girl is battling an array of illnesses while her parents are fighting the family’s deportation, worried that the child wouldn’t receive good medical care outside the United States.

Lil Mejia was born in 1998 in the Dominican Republic following a difficult pregnancy. She stopped breathing shortly after birth, and seizures and pneumonia followed. She weighed less than 15 pounds on her first birthday.

Six years later, after many medical complications, her parents obtained temporary visas and brought Lil to Grand Rapids, where doctors at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital stabilized her condition: a rare combination of severe asthma, allergies, chronic lung disease and hormone deficiencies.

Now that their visas have expired, deportation proceedings could force the Mejia family to leave the country. They were relieved when a hearing set for this month in Detroit was postponed, giving them more time to build their case.

“I don’t have words to say how much my daughter means to me,” Giselle Mejia, 33, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Wednesday. “We gave up everything for her.”

The anguish of Hurricane Katrina should have ended for Gina Bouffanie and her daughter when they left their FEMA trailer. But with each hospital visit and each labored breath her child takes, the young mother fears it has just begun.

“It’s just the sickness. I can’t get rid of it. It just keeps coming back,” said Bouffanie, 27, who was pregnant with her now 15-month-old daughter, Lexi, while living in the trailer. “I’m just like, `Oh God, I wish like this would stop.’ If I had known it would get her sick, I wouldn’t have stayed in the trailer for so long.”

The girl, diagnosed with severe asthma, must inhale medicine from a breathing device. (Continue)

 A little girl born almost 19 months ago after just 22 weeks gestation and weighing less than 10 ounces is well on her way to her terrible two’s, her mother told the Daily Mail.Amillia Sonja Taylor is the first known baby to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks. She was just 9 1/2 inches long when she was born Oct. 24, 2006. Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks.

Amillia left Baptist Children’s Hospital in Miami with her parents on February 21, 2007, 11 days before her actual due date and weighing just 4 pounds. She was still on oxygen at the time and needed asthma medication for her fragile lungs, the report said.