Lungs & Respiration Related Articles & Blog Posts

Related concepts: Upper respiratory tract infection, URI, Nasopharyngitis, Viral rhinosinusitis. Introduction to a common cold: It’s called the “common cold” for a reason. Your child will probably have more colds than any other type of illness. Most kids have had eight to ten colds by their second birthdays and they continue throughout childhood (and their [...]

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 unreported. Snoring can be the sign of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), where there is prolonged partial blocking, or intermittent blocking, of breathing during sleep.

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 of North America’s suggests that some children who appear in perfect health have measurable lung damage from exposure to air pollution.

I have spoken with several parents who believed that pertussis was a disease of the past. Nevertheless, pertussis is a common cause of chronic cough illness in adults and older children.

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 does nothing to treat the inflammation.

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 added 1000 buses for round-the-clock public transportation, closed downtown streets to private cars, and encouraged telecommuting or alternate-hour commuting during the games. Peak morning [...]

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 not cause asthma, but that children born with a tendency to wheeze are more susceptible to both.

What is pertussis?

Dr. Greene, I was wondering if you could be so kind to answer my question regarding whooping cough. I am a mother of 5-year-old twins. The twins were born 2 months premature. At a few months old they had…

Do I need to worry about my older kids getting pertussis if they were vaccinated as babies?