CPAPs can help people with asthma

A study looks into how CPAP machines can help people with asthma
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More than 25 million Americans suffer from asthma. They use steroids, inhalers, and pills to help control symptoms. But soon there may be a new way: it’s not a drug but a device used for sleep disorders.

Professor Kurt Stoecker spends many late nights grading papers, but some nights his asthma gets the best of him.

"You can't sleep, that kind of thing. It's a tightness in your chest, and then you cough," Stoecker said.

He was diagnosed with asthma at age 16. He's used steroids and inhalers, but now he's trying something new.

As part of a clinical trial, doctors are testing whether treatment with a CPAP machine can improve symptoms in asthma patients by making their airways less reactive.

"At nighttime, their muscles that are around their windpipes are not being allowed to relax. In essence, they're working almost 24 hours a day," Mario Castro, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine said.

The CPAP pushes gentle air down the windpipe, forcing the muscles to relax. It's typically used for patients with sleep apnea, but doctors say it could be the first drug-free option for asthma.

In the 12-week study, patients used the device for at least four hours a day with no serious side effects.

"The most exciting thing is that it's not a drug. This is a device," Dr. Castro said.

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Sleep Loss Often Disruptive for City Kids With Asthma

Sleep Loss Often Disruptive for 

City Kids With Asthma

Study linked combination to missed school days, ER visits and less sports participation

SUNDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep loss is common among children with asthma who live in cities, and it is a major reason for missed school days, emergency room visits and lower levels of involvement in sports, according to new research.

This is especially true for Hispanic children, according to the study, which included the parents of nearly 150 children with asthma treated at the Bradley Hasbro Research Center at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I.

"Children with asthma from urban backgrounds are at increased risk of disrupted sleep, which can greatly impact their daytime functioning," study lead author Lauren Daniel said in an American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology news release.

"It is important for parents and health care providers to routinely monitor sleep in children with asthma to minimize sleep disruptions and ensure proper asthma control," she added.

Asthma accounts for 10.5 million missed school days each year in the United States, according to the ACAAI.

Children with high levels of anxiety and general worries had trouble getting back to sleep after being awakened during the night by asthma symptoms. The study also found that parents said their quality of life was considerably lower when their child's asthma was not well controlled.

The findings were published in the July issue of the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

SOURCE: American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, July 11, 2012