NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study of Japanese schoolchildren, vitamin D supplements taken during the winter and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks. The idea for the study, study chief Dr. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, told Reuters Health, came from an earlier study looking at whether vitamin D could help prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The researchers in ...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among children and teenagers with asthma, those who also have peanut allergies may have more or more-severe asthma attacks, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 160 5- to 18-year-olds with asthma seen at their center, the 46 with peanut allergies generally had more hospitalizations for asthma exacerbations than children without the food allergy. They ...

Most children who have trouble controlling their asthma with low-dose inhaled corticosteroids show improvement by increasing the dose or adding another medication, a new study finds. But the best option differs for each child. Asthma affects nearly 7 million children nationwide and is a leading cause of hospitalization and school absenteeism. Symptoms often include ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning individuals with asthma against using drugs in the class of long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) by themselves for treating children or adults. Manufacturers will be required to include this warning in the product labels of these drugs, along with taking other steps to reduce ...