Allergy News

JAPAN - More than 300 cases of allergic reaction to food served in school lunches occur annually, according to the first nationwide survey conducted by Sagamihara National Hospital and the School Dietician Conference of Japan.

Though the survey found no fatal cases, 4.7 percent of students who suffered were hospitalized, with 59 percent of primary and middle school students who had allergic reactions treated in hospitals.

The results illustrate the importance of measures to prevent allergic reactions to food in school lunches, the national hospital organization in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the Tokyo-based conference said.

The dietitian conference also decided to make a pamphlet about points to remember when providing school lunch to students with food allergies in the next fiscal year.

Continue reading "Poll: School meals trigger allergies in some" »

DROUGHT, wind-blown dust and bushfire smoke have emerged as the latest problems for Melbourne's air quality.

Twenty years ago, photochemical smog cooked up from car emissions was the enemy. Now, with tighter emission controls and cleaner fuels, there is a new threat to fresh air.

"In terms of extreme pollution events, in the last few years it's been due to drought-related effects such as wind-blown dust and bushfire smoke," Environment Protection Authority Victoria regional services executive director Bruce Dawson said. "Everyone is on high alert as to this year being a potentially serious bushfire season — we'll make sure people understand there are possible air quality and environmental impacts associated with that."

Continue reading "Big dry means bad air days" »

Continue reading "Asthma myths need to be busted" »

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people with allergies to peanut or almond proteins not to consume certain Café Tasse Noir Praliné chocolate bars.

The agency warns some of the chocolate bars may contain peanut and almond proteins that are not declared on the label.

The importer is voluntarily recalling the affected product from stores, the agency said Friday.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the product, it added.

Continue reading "Allergy warning issued over chocolate bars" »

The work of researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center may shed new light on why some inhalers can worsen asthma.

Raymond Penn and Matt Loza, scientists in Wake Forest's School of Medicine, led a research team studying the effect of a class of drugs called beta agonists - often found in inhalers - on cells collected from healthy people.

They found that the drug increases a type of white-blood cell involved in immune-system defense. These Type 2 T-cells are thought to contribute to such health problems as asthma and even lupus. They're seeing similar results in preliminary research of cells collected from asthmatics.

Continue reading "Why some inhalers can make asthma worse?" »

ISLAMABAD - Children with asthma face quadruple the risk of an attack following stressful events in their lives, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Thorax.

Researchers from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, studied 60 children between the ages of 6 and 13, who had suffered from asthma for at least three years.

The children were asked to keep daily records over 18 months of acute attacks and their breath strength. Researchers regularly interviewed the children and their parents about stressful life events.

After the information was analyzed, the children were found to be four times as likely to experience a sudden worsening of symptoms with two days of a traumatic experience.

Continue reading "Stress Quadruples Risk of Asthma Attacks in Children" »

Continue reading "Undetected Infection Could Make Asthma Worse" »

2. Avoid serving nuts and using nut oils—sesame, peanut, etc.—while cooking because for children with severe nut allergies, oil traces left on countertops can set off a reaction, even without eating the food in question.

3. Know your ingredients. Be sure that you and whoever is serving food know the ingredients—all of them—of what's being served. They're not always obvious - milk can be hiding in veggie dogs and soy is contained in many prepared foods. if you're serving catered foods, be especially vigilant about ingredients.

Continue reading "Tips for Hosting an Allergic Child" »