Australian scientists who spent nearly 40 years on a research program say asthma in adults can be the result of maternal smoking.
Professor Haydn Walters of the University of Tasmania told a symposium on asthma in Hobart the results of research that began in 1968 holds worldwide significance.
"We knew from earlier studies that maternal smoking can trigger childhood asthma but now we find it is actually important in people who get asthma later on," Walters was quoted saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"Among adults, about half of them developed asthma only after reaching adulthood and they did not suffer from it as children," he said.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Heavy breathing -- an obscure link in asthma and obesity
There is a strong link between obesity and asthma and as the prevalence of both conditions has been increasing steadily, epidemiologists have speculated that there is an underlying condition that connects the two. But one long-suspected link, the systemic inflammation associated with obesity, has been ruled out by a recent New Zealand study that found no evidence of its involvement.
Infection blocks lung's protective response against tobacco smoke
An infection that often goes undetected can block the lung's natural protective response against tobacco smoke, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. The findings, recently published online and scheduled to appear in the October issue of
Infection and Immunity, suggest one mechanism that may cause smokers to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Asthma costs Californians 3.9 million days of work or school a year
California's children missed 1.9 million days of school and the state's adult workers missed 2 million days of work due to asthma, according to new research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Guidelines for care of elderly patients ignored
Guidelines for the treatment of older patients with respiratory conditions are routinely ignored. Research published today in the open access journal
BMC Health Services Research shows that recommended treatments are given to only a small minority of eligible patients.
Smoking out the mediators of airway damage caused by pollutants
New insight into how pollution and cigarette smoke damage airways has been provided by Pierangelo Geppetti and colleagues, at the University of Florence, Italy, who studied the effects of such chemicals on guinea pig airways. As discussed, in an accompanying commentary, by Sidney Simon and Wolfgang Liedtke, at Duke University Medical Center, it is hoped that this information will help in the development of therapeutics to combat the effects of pollutants and perhaps help individuals with smoke-related diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic asthma.
Mother's prenatal stress predisposes their babies to asthma and allergy
Women who are stressed during pregnancy may pass some of that frazzlement to their fetuses in the form of increased sensitivity to allergen exposure and possibly future asthma risk, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School who presented their findings at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Sunday.
Researchers light up lungs to help diagnose disease
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed innovative technology which illuminates a person’s lungs and helps clinicians identify if they are functioning correctly. The new technology could result in earlier diagnosis of emphysema and smoking related damage, as well as other lung conditions and diseases.
Some moms quit cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol during pregnancy, but dads don't
Despite public health campaigns, a surprising number of women continue to use substances such as tobacco, marijuana and alcohol during pregnancy and their usage rebounds to pre-pregnancy levels within two years of having a baby, according to a new University of Washington study.