Lungs & Respiration
Breastfeeding, Diarrhea, and Pneumonia
In the modern United Kingdom, about 12 percent of all normal, healthy, full-term babies are hospitalized at least once in their first 8 months of life. Many of these hospitalizations are for pneumonia…
A Gift from the EPA
The percentage of people with asthma has doubled in the last decade, and quadrupled since 1973. Asthma has become the most common chronic medical condition in children. To help those with asthma, alle…
Airplanes, Oxygen, and Children
In just a few hours, I will be boarding another airplane. Typically, commercial airplanes fly at an altitude of about 38,000 feet. The cabin is pressurized to make it safe and comfortable at that extr…
Crippling Our Children
What can take otherwise vibrant, healthy teens and permanently give them the lung capacities of 50-year-olds? Air pollution! Perhaps spare the air days should be called spare the children days. The ai…
Cough Season
We all want to help a coughing child. But a big difference looms between what should happen and what does happen when kids have bronchitis and other cough illnesses. Even though overall antibiotic use…
Asthma and SARS
There has never been a better time to be sure your asthma is under control. With a proper treatment plan, most asthma symptoms can be prevented or minimized. Uncontrolled, the linings of the airways i…
Disease – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Definition: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a serious form of pneumonia, resulting in acute respiratory distress and sometimes death. It is a dramatic example of how quickly world travel c…
Snoring!
Parents are quick to mention some things to their pediatrician: fevers, seizures, bleeding. Snoring is another important symptom that your child's doctor needs to know about, though it often goes unre…
Air Pollution, Asthma, and Lung Damage
We know that children who live in areas with excess air pollution have higher rates of asthma and other lung diseases. A study presented at the November 2001 annual meeting of the Radiological Society…
Pertussis Is Actually Still Alive and Well
I have spoken with several parents who believed that pertussis, or whooping cough, is a disease of the past. Nevertheless, it is a common cause of chronic cough illness in adults and older children. I…
Children with Asthma Miss Out
We know what to do, but we are not doing it! Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs. Inflammation can cause ongoing damage. Albuterol helps children breath better for the moment, but do…
Asthma and Cars
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta provided a unique opportunity for CDC researchers to study the link between automobile traffic, air quality, and asthma. To minimize Atlanta traffic, the city …
Does RSV Cause Asthma?
In the Northern Hemisphere it's the season for respiratory illnesses. Children with RSV bronchiolitis usually wheeze. Often these same children go on to develop asthma. My hunch has been that RSV does…
Fast Facts about Pertussis
Pertussis is commonly known as whooping cough. Pertussis is caused by bacteria that attach themselves to the cilia (little hairs) that line the respiratory tract. These bacteria produce a potent toxin…
Fast Facts about Meningitis
Bacterial meningitis can occur at any age, but 95 percent of cases are in children under 5 years old. Boys are more likely to get it than girls. (more…)…
Fast Facts about Ear Infections
Since ear infections are the most common diagnosis in pediatrics, it is worthwhile for a parent to learn to become a Sherlock Holmes -- able to notice the clues and suspect an ear infection before it …