What are the risks of asthma in boys?

This may be a lot of work at first, but it is important to be vigilant
 to what is triggering your son's asthma. For instance, if you suspect
 he has an allergy to peanuts, simply preventing him from being exposed
 to peanuts may cause his asthma to go into remission.

The following was originally published at answers.com by John Bottrell.

Risks of Asthma in Boys

Most evidence suggests boys are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than girls, and they are also more likely to die of an asthma attack.  Why is this, and what does it mean for parents?

What is the evidence? 

According to a September, 2012, report by the American Lung Association (ALA), 7.1 million children had asthma in 2011, with the highest prevalence being between the ages of 5-11. The report showed that boys were 16 percent more likely to develop asthma than girls.

The American and Allergy Foundation of America notes on its website a government survey of young people between 1980 and 1993 that revealed the following:

"Although asthma can occur in people of any age, even in infants, most children with the illness developed it by about age 5. Asthma seems to be more common in boys than in girls in early childhood. (The government survey) showed that in 1993, boys aged 0-4 were 1.4 times more likely than girls the same age to die from asthma. This increased risk remained in boys aged 5-14, who were 1.3 times more likely to die from asthma than girls in that age group. By the teen years, the risk seems to even out between girls and boys."

Why is asthma harder on boys?

Why asthma is harder on boys than girls remains a mystery, although one theory suggests that the lungs of boys are less fully developed, and their air passages smaller, than the lungs of girls.

Another theory suggests boys tend to be more into sports, or more likely to play in areas that are dirty, increasing their exposure to mold, dust, and other such asthma triggers.

What does this mean?

What this means is that it is highly probable that the lungs of boys are more sensitive than the lungs of girls.

It means that parents of boys must become well educated about asthma, and this can be accomplished through various websites like this, or by reading books and magazine articles.

It means that parents must create an environment for their asthmatic child that is conducive to good asthma control.

What action should be taken?

Asthmatic boys and their parents should create an asthma journal (a simple notebook will work), keeping track every day of asthma symptoms, peak flow values, and medicine usage.

This will you and your child's pediatrician recognize trends of worsening asthma, and patterns of when asthma is worse. For instance, perhaps you'll learn that his asthma is worse in the springtime when pollen counts are high, or his asthma is worse at night, or his asthma is worse when exercising.

The next task will be to improve asthma control.  This can be done by learning what is triggering asthma (dust mites, food allergies, cockroach urine, molds, dog and cat allergies) and getting these things under control.

If that doesn't work, a pediatrician may recommend the daily use of asthma controller medicines.  If this is necessary, parents will need to make sure the child is taking his medicine exactly as recommended.

These actions will usually result in better asthma control.  If patterns of worsening asthma continue to exist, these can be dealt with during subsequent doctor visits.  For example, if his asthma continues to get worse during the pollen season, his doctor may suggest stepping up treatment prior to the pollen season.  If his asthma continues to get worse while exercising, his doctor may suggest taking medicine just prior to exercise to prevent this from happening.

Conclusion:  While the statistics can be concerning, boys with asthma can still live a normal life without worrying too much about their disease.  This is because asthma is a disease that can be controlled.  It will take some effort on the part of the parents, but it can be done.

Why is asthma easier on men?

Most asthma experts now recommend that every asthmatic
work with her asthma doctor to develop an asthma action plan
personally tailored to her.  This is a plan that will help you
recognize an attack and what action to take.

The following was originally published at answers.com by John Bottrell.

Risks of Asthma Attacks in Men

While there's no evidence to suggest male asthma attacks are any less severe than those of women, there is evidence to suggest that men are less likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma, and less likely to die of asthma than women.  This evidence does not suggest, however, than male asthmatics need to be less concerned about their asthma than women.

What is the evidence?

According to a September, 2012, report by the American Lung Association (ALA), in 2011 men were 14 percent less likely to be diagnosed with asthma than women. For instance, in that year 5.1 million men were diagnosed with asthma compared with 8 million women, and this rate has been significant since 1999.

The report showed 10.8 million men had asthma compared with 15.2 million females. Men had a 35 percent less risk of developing asthma than women. Among adults over 18, men were 62 percent less likely to have asthma than women.

Men were also less likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma.  For instance, in 2011 163,000 men were admitted for asthma compared with 278,000 women.  Between 1988 and 2010, asthma hospital admissions decreased 30 percent in males and only 19 percent in women.

In 2009, men were 50 percent less likely to die of an asthma attack than women. In 2009, for instance, 3,388 people died of asthma, and 36% of those deaths were men.

National Jewish Health (nationaljewish.org) notes that boys are more likely to have asthma than girls, although this trend begins to reverse at puberty.  By the age of 40, men are 50% less likely to have asthma than women.

The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI.org) suggests that asthma is more likely to go into remission after puberty in boys than girls, and studies have confirmed this.

All of these statistics lead to an overall decline in adult male asthmatics compared to adult female asthmatics.

Why is asthma easier on men?

It's actually a mystery why asthma is easier on men than women, according to Partners Asthma Center (asthma.partners.org)  However, there are a a couple theories worth considering.

First, male air passages start to become more fully developed starting with puberty.  So while girl lungs may be more fully developed than boy lungs, adult male lungs may be more fully developed than adult female lungs.

A second theory suggests that men don't have to deal with a menstrual cycle, menopause, or pregnancy. Therefore, men do not have to deal with high levels of estrogen and progesterone, which may narrow air passages.

A third theory suggests men spend more time away from the home, and therefore have less exposure to dust and viral infections, two very common asthma triggers.

What does this mean?

So asthma seems to be easier on men than women.  Does this mean that male asthmatics have it easier than female asthmatics?  Well, not really.

The truth is, there is no evidence that, even though male asthma attacks seem to occur less frequently, that they are any less severe.

Asthma, whether occurring in a man or a woman, should always be taken seriously.

What action should be taken?

The rules for what to do when you have asthma are the same regardless of whether you are male or female.  You'll need to see an asthma doctor and see him regularly. You'll need to work with him to determine the best asthma medicine regime.  You'll need to work with him to learn your asthma triggers and how to avoid them. You'll need to work with him to learn your asthma symptoms and how to recognize them early.  And you'll need to work with him to create an asthma action plan to help you recognize an attack is impending, and what action to take.

Conclusion:  It's true male asthmatics have fewer asthma attacks than women, yet that does not mean men should take their asthma any less seriously than women. By working with your doctor and being compliant with your asthma treatment, all men should be able to live a normal life with asthma.

Is asthma worse in women?

The following was originally published at Answers.com by me.

Asthma Attacks in Women

Studies show that while boys are more likely to have asthma than girls, women are more likely to have it than men.  Likewise, the older women become, the greater risk of developing asthma.  Studies also show  women are more likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma, and more likely to die of an asthma attack.

What is the evidence?

According to a September, 2012, report by the American Lung Association (ALA), in 2011,women were 14 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than men.  For instance, 11.8 million women were diagnosed with asthma compared with 5.1 million men, and this rate has been significant since 1999.

The report showed that 15.2 million females had asthma, while 10.8 million men had it. Women had a 35 percent greater risk of developing asthma than men.

Among adults over 18, women were 62 percent more likely to have asthma than men. Women were also more likely to be admitted to the hospital for asthma.  For instance,in 2011, 278,000 women were admitted for asthma, compared with 163,000 men.

Between 1988 and 2010, asthma hospital admissions decreased 19 percent in females and 30 percent in men.  In 2009, women were 50 percent more likely to die of an asthma attack than men. In 2009, for instance, 3,388 people died of asthma, and 64% of those deaths were women.

National Jewish Health (nationaljewish.org) said that boys are more likely to have asthma than girls, although this trend begins to reversed at puberty.  By the age of 40, women are 50% more likely to have asthma than men.

About 30-40 percent of women experience increased asthma symptoms at specific times during the menstrual cycle, most commonly 4-5 days before the onset of menstruation.

Studies have suggested that, during pregnancy, about a third of women observe an increase in symptoms, a third observe no increase in symptoms, and a third observe fewer symptoms.

Why is asthma harder on women?

Why asthma affects more women than men remains a mystery. According to Partners Asthma Center (asthma.partners.org) and National Jewish Health, there are some theories worth considering.

The first theory is that asthma may become more severe in women because of the way their lungs develop.  The idea is that their lungs are smaller and air passages narrower than male lungs.

The second theory suggests hormones (such as estrogen and progesterone) associated with the reproductive cycle may narrow air passages. Studies have linked estrogen with increased airway inflammation.

A third theory suggests women spend more time at home and with children, and therefore have greater exposure to dust and viral infections, two very common asthma triggers.

A fourth theory suggested by National Jewish points the finger at the difference in genetic makeup between female and male asthmatics.  The authors of the site explain: "Several specific genes are associated with asthma in females, but not in males.  There may also be sex specific differences in the regulation and expression of genes that could increase asthma prevalence and severity among women."

A fifth theory suggests that asthma may become worse during pregnancy, then going back to normal after the baby is born.

A sixth theory suggests that beginning with puberty, women are more likely to be obese, with estrogen being the likely culprit.  Increased inflammatory markers caused by fat cells are thought to contribute to worsening asthma.

What does this mean? 

What this means is that if you are a woman with asthma your lungs are probably more sensitive than male asthmatic lungs.  Likewise, while going through menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, women are at an increased risk for worsening asthma.

Most asthma experts suggests women may require a more aggressive asthma management program compared with men.

Some physicians fear increasing asthma medicine during pregnancy.  However, most physicians now believe that the consequences of poorly controlled asthma (such as lack of oxygen to the baby) are worse than poor asthma control.

Most asthma doctors now say the benefits of good asthma control with asthma controller medicine far outweigh the potential risks of asthma medicine.

What action should be taken?

Most asthma experts now recommend that every asthmatic
work with her asthma doctor to develop an asthma action plan
personally tailored to her.  This is a plan that will help you
recognize an attack and what action to take.

The experts at National Jewish recommend female asthmatics keep an asthma journal, keeping track every day of asthma symptoms, peak flow values, and medicine usage.  This will help determine if there is a trend of worsening asthma associated with menstruation, menopause, or with pregnancy.

Another important step is to make an extra effort is to maintain a good relationship with a physician, and to establish an asthma action plan and stick with it.

If a pattern of worsening asthma continues, a physician may recommend stepping up treatment prior to menstruation or during pregnancy.

Conclusion: The neat thing about asthma is that it can be controlled, and asthma attacks prevented. It may take a little extra effort on your part, but it can be done. By working with your doctor, and being compliant with your asthma medicine regime and asthma action plan, there is no reason you can't live a normal life with asthma.

Why is there still no cure for asthma?

The following article was originally published at answers.com

Five reasons why there is still no cure for asthma

Asthma, or asthma-like symptoms, were described as early as 5,000 B.C., and the term asthma was first introduced into medical nomenclature by Hippocrates as early as 400 B.C. So why has asthma not been cured yet?

To be fair, however, we have to give physicians and scientists a ton of credit for all the advances in asthma wisdom that have been made in the past 100 years. This has resulted in better approaches to treating this disease, and better and safer medicines.

Yet still, through it all, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI.org), asthma continues to affect over 300 million people worldwide, with over 250,000 asthmatics dying each year.

Why, then, does asthma still plague mankind?

It was illegal to inspect a dead body

Ancient physicians who followed the military easily observed the wounds of young gladiators and warriors. They probably observed minor wounds during practice and training, and serious wounds during battle. These would have been the first known disorders of the human body that physicians learned how to fix.

Internal diseases weren't so obvious, and learning about them was nearly impossible. Surely they could see the symptoms of disease, but they didn't understand why they happened. Why do people get short of breath? Why do people get asthma?

Hippocrates studied his asthma patients and came up with his own answers, which he called theories. He thought asthma was caused by too much phlegm.

The only way to learn the truth about asthma was to see inside an asthmatic's chest, but this was impossible. One reason was because there were no x-rays, and another was because it was considered sacrosanct to touch a corpse except to prepare it for burial or cremation. It was also illegal. The penalty if caught was death.
This was how it was until the 18th century. So you can see why little was learned about asthma during this time.

While curiosities started to spike as early as the 16th century, the 18th century was a key century in the evolution of asthma. It was during this 100 year period that those in power lightened up on the regulations, and physicians were finally able to perform autopsies.

While not a lot was learned about asthma during this era, these physicians paved a path for later physicians to follow.

Regardless, once Hippocrates introduced asthma to physicians, it took over 1,100 years just to start studying it.

Asthma leaves behind no visible scars

Even in the primitive world it was easy to see external scars, such as inflamed skin due to poison ivy. Yet it was impossible to see internal scars, such as inflamed asthmatic air passages.

In fact, when a few, anonymous brave physicians did inspect the insides of those who died, they easily saw inflammation caused by pneumonia, and scars caused by tuberculosis. But they saw no scars in asthmatic lungs.

In the ancient world, and even as recently as the 20th century, diseases that left no scars were thought to be psychological in nature. So asthma was thought to be a disease similar to hypochondria and hysteria.
Surely there was chronic inflammation in the lungs of all asthmatics that ever lived, but this fact wasn't discovered until the 1980s. Perhaps one of the reasons was because physicians thought asthma was nervous, and searched for answers in the head instead of the lungs.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hippocrates speculated asthma was caused by spasms in the air passages of the lungs, long before asthma was thought to be nervous. Over 2,200 years later he was proven right by 19th century physicians.

Asthma was mistaken as a nervous disorder

Since the paradigm that asthma was a nervous disorder was formed early on in our history, asthma experts were convinced it was true.

In the 16th century Dr.Jan Baptista van Helmont and Dr. Thomas Willis described asthma as nervous. In the 18th century, Dr. William Cullen believed the nerve was a continuation of a muscle. He figured since asthma occurred when bronchial muscles spasm and squeeze asthmatic air passages, this was caused by signals from the brain.
During the 19th century Dr. Henry Hyde Salter wrote a book called "On Asthma: It's Pathology and Treatment." In this book he claimed to have proved asthma was nervous. He said that asthmatics feel fine as soon as they enter his office. He said laughter and excitement can bring on a fit of asthma. He said remedies that fix nervous problems also fix asthma. He said this proved asthma was definitely nervous.

Dr. Salter was the most well respected asthma expert in the world at the time, so his opinion had a significant impact on the medical community. His idea that asthma was nervous was believed even into the 1980s. But it was disproved in the 1950s.

Today doctors know that emotions can trigger an asthma attack, but they do not cause asthma.

Few people died from asthma

Eighteenth century asthma expert Dr. William Withering said, "The disease does not cut short the usual period of life." Dr. Salter said, "Asthma never kills; at least I have never seen a case in which a paroxysm proved fatal." In 1900, Dr. William Osler said "the asthmatic pants into old age."

By these quotes, and by similar ones not mentioned, it appears asthma was not thought to be fatal. Surely it was a disease "of the direst suffering, as Dr. Salter said. But over time an asthma attack will end, and the asthma will go into remission.

Perhaps this was one of the main reasons the medical community placed asthma on the back burner while it concentrated its efforts on curing other, more deadly diseases that plagued mankind.

Other diseases were deemed more important

Surely asthma caused grief for those who suffered from it, but the disease affected so few, and killed so few (or so it was thought), that learning about it was not a top priority for physicians.

On the other hand, plagues killed entire families and, in some cases, entire villages and towns. Physicians in the ancient world were more concerned with deadly plagues than they were about a disease like asthma.

Through most of history, diseases that gained the eye of the public were pneumonia, tuberculosis, smallpox, influenza, measles, syphilis and leprosy. These overwhelmed the medical community. It only made sense that if any disease demanded immediate attention, it was one of these. Asthma would simply have to wait until all, or most, of these deadly diseases were cured, or at least controlled.

Finally, however, during the first half of the 20th century, physicians would gain control of most of these diseases. We owe this to inventions and discoveries like antiseptics, antibiotics and vaccines.

This had a significant impact on asthma, as beginning in 1900 physicians started to focus in on what causes it, and what fixes it. Thanks to all the discoveries since that time, asthma experts of today are getting closer and closer every day to a cure.

Today, there are many physicians, researchers, scientists and pharmacologists working hard to find a cure for asthma. Every day new discoveries are made, each one taking these experts one step closer to the ultimate cure.

In the meantime, the quest has resulted in some wonderful new treatments for controlling, preventing, and treating asthma. So even while there's no cure, most asthmatics who see their doctor regularly, and are compliant with their asthma treatment regime, can live a normal life free of asthma symptoms.

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