Why women should watch out for COPD
Although generally little-known to the public, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the fourth biggest global cause of death in 2015, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), behind ischemic heart disease (nine million people), stroke (six million) and lower respiratory infections (just over 3.2 million).
The WHO points out that while in the past, men were more frequently diagnosed with COPD, women are now affected to essentially the same degree. Smoking between five and 10 cigarettes per day is a risk factor for COPD in women, as well as exposure to certain household products, according to recent research.
Warning signs include a chronic cough, coughing up mucus and shortness of breath, especially during physical activity. They appear progressively—sometimes without the patient really noticing—and get worse over time, especially when resting.
Read more at http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/why-women-should-watch-out-for-copd#gXIEGxCmRQgR6gjX.99
references: Read more at http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/why-women-should-watch-out-for-copd#gXIEGxCmRQgR6gjX.99
Asthma suffers given warning over bonfires and fireworks
Bonfires and fireworks could potentially cause fatal asthma attacks warns Asthma UK
Bonfires and fireworks could cause potentially fatal asthma attacks, a leading asthma charity has warned, issuing advice ahead of Bonfire Night on November 5.
The smoke fumes from burning wood and firework displays can linger in the air creating localised pollution, which could cause asthma attacks for the 5.4million people in the UK with the condition, says Asthma UK.
Asthma UK, who provide a nurse-staffed helpline for people with asthma, advice on its website and funds over 30 research projects, says three people die from asthma attacks every day.
Having an asthma attack can be incredibly frightening, and one occurs every 10 seconds in the UK. An attack happens when the airways start to tighten, which can leave people coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath. Some people with asthma describe having an asthma attack as feeling like someone is holding a pillow over their face.
Asthma UK has issued top tips for people with asthma on Bonfire Night:
- Take your preventer medicines as prescribed
- Carry your reliever inhaler (usually blue) with you at all times
- If you find that smoke is making you cough, stand well back and admire the fireworks from a distance
- Make sure your friends and family know what to do and when to get help if your asthma symptoms suddenly get worse
- If it’s cold, wrap a scarf over your nose and mouth; this will help to warm up the air before you breathe it in.
ref: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/asthma-suffers-given-warning-over-11454993
How to avoid catching a cold on public transport
We know all too well as commuters that there's always a chance of contracting a cold, whether it's via a shared handrail or a fellow passenger's sniffles. Furthermore, utilising public transportation—such as buses or trams—may increase one's risk of catching the common cold by up to six times, according to 2011 research from the University of Nottingham. This suggests that the fear is not unfounded.
According to data from the World Health Organisation, up to 15% of people are susceptible to the cold virus throughout the winter.
Here are some methods to assist you avoid getting colds and coughing when taking public transit this winter:
1. Be Aware of Your Positioning
It's safer to stand sideways to possible disease carriers rather than directly opposite them, considering how quickly coughs and sneezes can spread. Try to hold your breath for a short while if you are in the line of fire.
2. Watch Out for High-Touch Surfaces
Buttons, railings, and handles are common places for cold viruses to proliferate. Avoiding surfaces that a sick person has recently touched is advised, even though the risk of transmission varies depending on factors like the length of the viral presence and subsequent contact with the eyes and nose. And do not touch your face afterwards if contact cannot be avoided.
3. Increase Your Knowledge
Handrails on buses and trains aren't the only place where viruses and colds may spread. Pay attention to other high-touch places such as ticket machines, maps, and handrails on escalators.
4. Accept Hand Hygiene
After utilising public transportation, make alcohol-based antibacterial hand gel a part of your on-the-go regimen. Prioritise washing your hands with soap and water as soon as you get at your location because it's still the best practice, despite its effectiveness.
5. Strategic Seating
To reduce exposure to possibly sick people, choose less crowded areas, such the back of the bus or quieter train carriages.
6. Maximise Ventilation
To improve airflow and lower the chance of catching airborne viruses, open train windows wherever possible.
7. Remain at Home if Ill
Give rest and recuperation at home first priority if you're sick. By stopping the spread of germs at work, this will not only keep your fellow commuters safe but also win you gratitude from your co-workers.
By taking these preventative steps, you may protect your health and safety during the cold and flu season and travel by public transport with more confidence.
People with arthritis are nearly 50% more likely to develop COPD
People living with arthritis are at greater risk of a deadly lung disease, it has been warned.
The 400,000 people with rheumatoid arthritis in Britain, and 50 million in the US, are almost 50 per cent more likely to end up with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the results of a new study.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term illness in which the immune system causes the body to attack itself, causing painful, swollen and stiff joints.
But the extra problems come from the inflammation it causes in those joints.
The authors of the study, published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, say people with arthritis should be vigilant in looking for the first signs of COPD, which is the second most common lung disease after asthma in Britain.
The researchers followed 24,625 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 25,396 people who were free of the condition to record how many were hospitalised with COPD.
While it was once thought COPD was caused by inflammation in the lungs specifically, experts now think inflammation elsewhere in the body could also be a trigger.
Dr Lacaille added: 'Our results emphasize the need to control inflammation, and in fact to aim for complete eradication of inflammation through effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.'
50 years ago, a spacecraft discovered oxygen in moon rocks
Space scientists have been intrigued for years with the possibility of finding usable oxygen on the moon — not in the lunar atmosphere, since there essentially is none, but in the rocks. As long ago as 1962 … [NASA researchers] predicted vast lunar processing plants turning out 4,000 pounds of liquid oxygen per month, both for breathing and as an oxidizer for rocket fuel…. Now the Surveyor 5 spacecraft … reveals it is standing directly over just the kind of rock that would do the job. — Science News, October 14, 1967
Update
The moon is not yet dotted with lunar oxygen factories, but scientists are still devising ways to pull oxygen from moon rocks. One technique, proposed by NASA scientists in 2010, isolates oxygen by heating lunar rocks to over 1650° Celsius and exposing them to methane. Chemical reactions would produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which then react to create water. Passing an electric current through the water would separate oxygen from hydrogen, allowing the desired gas to be captured.
Excerpt from the October 14, 1967 issue of Science News
THE BEST supplements to boost your diet during dark winter months include vitamin D, which has now been found to protect against severe asthma attacks.
The best supplements to take during cold winter months include vitamin D due to the lack of sunshine.
However, a new study has found that topping up on the essential vitamin could also protect against severe asthma attacks too.
Asthma attacks can be more prevalent during winter because cold air in the airways can cause them to go into spasm, according to Asthma UK.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London discovered that people who took oral vitamin D supplements in addition to standard asthma medication could halve their risk of an asthma attack that required hospital attendance.
"On average, three people in the UK die from asthma attacks every day.
While getting vitamin D from sun exposure is the most efficient way to absorb it, people can struggle to get enough during the winter months and there is also the risk of skin cancer.
Reference: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/861375/best-supplements-vitamin-d-diet-asthma-attack-winter
12 signs of COPD
Short for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, the term refers to progressive lung disease that is characterised by increasing breathlessness.
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Increased feelings of breathlessness
- Frequent coughing
- Feeling short of breath, especially when engaged in physical activity
- Clearing your throat of excess mucus first thing in the morning
- A chronic cough that may produce clear, white, yellow or greenish mucus
- Blueness of the lips or fingernail beds
- Lacking in energy
- Having respiratory infections on a regular basis
- Swelling in the ankles, feet or legs
- Unintentional weight loss (as it progresses)
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/28/what-is-copd-12-signs-you-need-to-be-aware-of-6885110/#ixzz4sHkcozj5
Oxygen Found on the Moon Could Provide Answers About Ancient Earth
A Japanese spacecraft has discovered oxygen from Earth on the Moon. Scientists believe they may be able to find additional oxygen samples from billions of years ago, which could answer questions related to our planet's ancient atmosphere.
While researchers have known for years that oxygen can be found on the Moon, a Japanese spacecraft has detected lunar samples of the element with a very interesting origin: Earth.
Not only does the team believe the discovery could shed light on our planet’s creation billions of years ago, including the state of its early atmosphere, they also have a theory on how Earth’s oxygen made it to the Moon. The researchers believe oxygen ions slowly made their way from the Blue Planet to the Moon during this brief respite and became embedded in the Moon’s loose top layer of soil and rock.
Our Future with the Moon
Geologic activity on Earth has erased evidence of our ancient atmosphere. However, these oxygen ions on the Moon could remain embedded for billions of years. Therefore, collecting samples of this displaced oxygen could help researchers understand how Earth’s atmosphere has changed over time and how much of an influence these changes had on the evolution of various forms of life.
In addition to helping us understand the Earth’s past, such research could also help us in efforts to colonize space. We do need oxygen to breath, after all, and the Moon seems to be the most likely colonization destination based on the number of plans in the works: Japan aims to put another astronaut on the Moon by 2030, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos believes it’s time for us to permanently settle there, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has its own plans for a Moon colony.
New Smartphone App Could Help COPD Patients
Enter a new smartphone app that aims to use technology to help COPD sufferers to recognize emergencies, and avoid unnecessary doctors’ or ER visits.
Ted Smith is the CEO of Revon Systems, a tech company based in East Louisville, and the developer of the “Smart COPD” app. The app is designed on a simple premise: that some of those emergency room visits could have been prevented if people were able to track their symptoms.
“The focus of the app is helping you keep track of whether your systems are starting to deteriorate so that you don’t have to get to a point where you have to go to the hospital for emergency care” Smith said.
When you open the app, it poses a series of questions: “Shortness of breath?” “Cough?” and “Running nose or feeling like you have a cold?” It also asks for temperature, and for users to punch in the readings from a separate device that measures oxygen saturation and heart rate.
Finally, the app evaluates the information and tells the user whether they need to head to the ER, call their doctor, check back in a few days or that no medical attention is needed.
It’s simple, and requires only a cell phone and a cheap finger oxygen and heart rate monitor.
“People have telephones, they’re our life line. So putting a self-management tool on a cell phone is just a genius idea,” Montague said.
He sees that as a possible opportunity for Smart COPD to reach more people with low-incomes.
“If there’s one thing I wish for, it’s that we take advantage of something we’re already paying for as a society and turn it into health care,” Smith said.
Interested? Search for ‘Revon Systems’ in your App store and look for the “Smart COPD” app.
Reference: http://wfpl.org/local-entrepreneur-creates-copd-app-shows-hope-for-louisvillians/
Thunderstorm Asthma on the Rise
For seasonal allergy sufferers, rain is usually thought of as a friend—it washes the pollen out of the air. However, there are circumstances in which a particular type of wet weather event can make things much worse: thunderstorms. Asthma epidemics have occurred under such circumstances and have affected patients who have never exhibited asthmatic symptoms before. The most recent severe episode occurred in Melbourne, Australia, in 2016, with 8500 emergency asthma visits and nine deaths.[1]
Recently in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Dr Gennaro D'Amato and colleagues[1] explored the nature of this phenomenon and implications for the future. The authors point out that although rare, these events are expected to occur more often with anticipated climate change. According to the authors, the evidence for this so far is limited to pollen and outdoor mold seasons—but even in the northeastern United States, that is about three quarters of the year.
Who Is at Risk?
Certainly, people who are sensitized to the relevant allergens are at risk. Beyond that, we can presume that patients who already have poorly controlled asthma or more bronchial hyperresponsiveness would be at risk, as would patients who have other concurrent risk factors for allergic asthma (such as rhinovirus infection[5]).
What differentiates people who died of asthma from those who did not? Did they have bronchodilating asthma inhalers? Were these fatalities akin to fatal food anaphylaxis in patients who did not have treatment with injectable epinephrine? Many questions remain.
Thunderstorm asthma is an uncommon event that can overwhelm healthcare systems and kill patients. It is yet another reason to screen atopic patients for asthma. Those who are sensitized to pollens or outdoor molds and also wheeze with colds are prime candidates for additional evaluation for undiagnosed asthma. Likewise, patients with exercise-induced asthma (who perhaps have more than just this condition) should probably have spirometry to assess for baseline airway hyperreactivity and perhaps exhaled nitric oxide as well. Perhaps for milder asthmatics who are deemed at higher risk, instead of a bronchodilator alone, we should prescribe a combination inhaler with a corticosteroid and a long-acting fast-onset bronchodilator.
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this article: Thunderstorm Asthma on the Rise - Medscape - Aug 11, 2017.
