Children's health
14 Apr 2008
Asthma deaths spike
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the Australian asthma death toll jumped in 2006, with an additional 84 deaths being recorded compared to 2005 data. The total number of deaths attributed to asthma in Australia in 2006 was 402. The greatest increase in deaths occurred in…
Children's health
06 Apr 2008
Smoking during pregnancy linked to low baby birthweight
Babies whose teenage mothers smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from low birthweight (LBW) than babies whose mothers did not smoke, according to a study in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. Associate Professor Elizabeth Sullivan and Denise Chan from the University of New South Wales studied the…
Children's health
02 Apr 2008
Lung transplants not dangerous for children with cystic fibrosis, after all
Responding to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that lung transplants were harmful for children with cystic fibrosis, articles published in the latest issue of Pediatric Transplantation refute the conclusions and argue that the highly influential research was severely flawed. According to two rebuttals…
Children's health
28 Mar 2008
Actual use of asthma medications contradicts guidelines
A study has found only 16% of the 352,082 Australians who filled a prescription for asthma preventer medications for the first time during the period July 2004 to June 2005, went on to use them regularly. Most (61%) ‘first time’ users did not fill another prescription in the next two…
Children's health
21 Mar 2008
FDA issues alert on tussionex, a long-acting prescription cough medicine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an alert today on the safe and correct use of Tussionex Pennkinetic Extended-Release Suspension in response to numerous reports of adverse events–including death–associated with the misuse and inappropriate use of this potent cough medication. Tussionex is a prescription cough medicine containing hydrocodone, a…
Children's health
21 Mar 2008
Skin prick tests identify asthma risk for toddlers with eczema
Toddlers with eczema who have a positive skin prick test for allergy have almost triple the risk of developing asthma than those with a negative test, says an Australian study. The study, led by the University of Melbourne, is the first to clearly demonstrate that skin prick tests can be…
Children's health
20 Mar 2008
Kicking the habit on national youth tobacco free day
Young people all around Australia are being asked to quit smoking today, on National Youth Tobacco Free Day. Smoking habits can start in the early teens, so refusing to take up the habit before it develops is the key. "Tobacco smoking is responsible for the premature death of about 19,000…
Children's health
20 Mar 2008
Treatment for mild asthma improves lung function
A study by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is the first to demonstrate that in patients with very mild or well-controlled asthma, regular treatment with low dose ICS leads to significantly better day–to-day lung function. The study published in this month’s edition of Primary Care Respiratory Journal…
Children's health
03 Mar 2008
Data show a decline in cystic fibrosis since introduction of prenatal carrier screening
A brief report in the February 28, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link…
