Kids struggle with asthma as much at school as they do at home — possibly even more so, since it can be tough for them to access their medicine. So why aren’t all schools offering them asthma therapy? A new study says that school-based asthma therapy is effective in helping kids breathe easier while away from home. These school programs keep kids healthier, and can save millions in health care costs, researchers report in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global. “We help families get better adherence to kids’ asthma control medication regimens by having the school nurses give them their meds on the days that they go to school,” lead researcher Kimberly Arcoleo, a professor at the Michigan State University College of Nursing, said in a news release. For the study, researchers tracked a school-based asthma therapy program implemented in two Columbus, Ohio, school districts between 2013 and 2019, involving 633 kids ranging in age from 5 to 19. “Students get two inhalers with controller medication, one that goes to school and one that stays home so it doesn’t have to move back and forth,” Arcoleo said. “The school nurse administers the medication to the kids each school day according to their health care provider’s instructions. Some kids need it once a day, some need it twice a day.”…  read on >  read on >

Loneliness among seniors has been a huge concern among experts on aging as social isolation increases risk of dementia, health problems, psychological disorders and deaths. But a new study suggests that, at least in the U.S., that concern has been somewhat misplaced. Middle-aged people in the United States experience more loneliness than seniors, researchers reported today in the journal Aging and Mental Health. The Netherlands is the only other country where loneliness is more concentrated among the middle-aged than seniors, according to the study’s review of more than 64,000 people in 29 countries. “There is a general perception that people get lonelier as they age, but the opposite is actually true in the U.S. where middle-aged people are lonelier than older generations,” lead researcher Robin Richardson, a social and psychiatric epidemiologist and assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, said in a news release. “Advocacy and interventions to address the loneliness epidemic have historically focused on older adults and adolescents,” she added. “Middle-aged adults represent a critical population that is being overlooked.” For the study, researchers assessed data from surveys conducted in Europe, the Middle East and North America that included a three-question loneliness scale developed by UCLA. Results showed that loneliness generally increased with age, with the most substantial increases in the Eastern European countries Bulgaria and Latvia. Adults in Cyprus…  read on >  read on >

Loneliness among seniors has been a huge concern among experts on aging as social isolation increases risk of dementia, health problems, psychological disorders and deaths. But a new study suggests that, at least in the U.S., that concern has been somewhat misplaced. Middle-aged people in the United States experience more loneliness than seniors, researchers reported today in the journal Aging and Mental Health. The Netherlands is the only other country where loneliness is more concentrated among the middle-aged than seniors, according to the study’s review of more than 64,000 people in 29 countries. “There is a general perception that people get lonelier as they age, but the opposite is actually true in the U.S. where middle-aged people are lonelier than older generations,” lead researcher Robin Richardson, a social and psychiatric epidemiologist and assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, said in a news release. “Advocacy and interventions to address the loneliness epidemic have historically focused on older adults and adolescents,” she added. “Middle-aged adults represent a critical population that is being overlooked.” For the study, researchers assessed data from surveys conducted in Europe, the Middle East and North America that included a three-question loneliness scale developed by UCLA. Results showed that loneliness generally increased with age, with the most substantial increases in the Eastern European countries Bulgaria and Latvia. Adults in Cyprus…  read on >  read on >

Folks with asthma might better control their symptoms by precisely timing when they use their inhaler, a new study says. A single daily preventive dose of inhaled corticosteroid is best taken at mid-afternoon for effective asthma control, researchers reported April 15 in the journal Thorax. That timing will suppress the usual nighttime worsening of symptoms better than using an inhaler at other times of the day, researchers said. They said the perfect timing is 4 p.m., as the body is most responsive to inhaled steroids at that time. “Mid-afternoon dosing … better improved nocturnal lung function and inflammatory biomarkers compared with the alternative dosage timings,” concluded the research team led by Hannah Jane Durrington, a clinician scientist at the University of Manchester in the U.K.. For the study, researchers followed 25 people ages 18 to 65 with mild to moderate asthma, who were randomly assigned to one of three different dosing regimens. Some took a daily inhaler dose between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.; others a daily dose between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.; and the rest took two doses — one between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and the second between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Folks stayed on their assigned regimen for 28 days, then swapped to a different one after a two- to three-week gap. By the end, all participants had tried…  read on >  read on >

Folks with asthma might better control their symptoms by precisely timing when they use their inhaler, a new study says. A single daily preventive dose of inhaled corticosteroid is best taken at mid-afternoon for effective asthma control, researchers reported April 15 in the journal Thorax. That timing will suppress the usual nighttime worsening of symptoms better than using an inhaler at other times of the day, researchers said. They said the perfect timing is 4 p.m., as the body is most responsive to inhaled steroids at that time. “Mid-afternoon dosing … better improved nocturnal lung function and inflammatory biomarkers compared with the alternative dosage timings,” concluded the research team led by Hannah Jane Durrington, a clinician scientist at the University of Manchester in the U.K.. For the study, researchers followed 25 people ages 18 to 65 with mild to moderate asthma, who were randomly assigned to one of three different dosing regimens. Some took a daily inhaler dose between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.; others a daily dose between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.; and the rest took two doses — one between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and the second between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Folks stayed on their assigned regimen for 28 days, then swapped to a different one after a two- to three-week gap. By the end, all participants had tried…  read on >  read on >

Early symptoms of menopause will first appear when many women least expect them, a new Ohio State University poll reports. Hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia are all symptoms of the hormone changes related to menopause, researchers say. Sixty-one percent of women (3 in 5) think they will hit menopause and start experiencing these symptoms in their 40s, according to poll results from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But that just isn’t so, doctors say. In fact, most women won’t see their menopause start until their early 50s, while some will begin to experience symptoms as soon as their 30s,  “Perimenopause is when the menstrual cycle has started to change, and it is persistent,” Dr. Lauren Baker, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Wexner, said in a news release. “The formal definition is periods fluctuate by at least seven days for at least 10 months.” Women shouldn’t shrug off symptoms just because they think they’re too young for menopause, Baker said. Every woman’s menopause is different, and that’s why it’s important to bring any changes or concerns to a doctor’s attention. On the other hand, half of the women surveyed (52%) think diet and exercise can help treat menopause symptoms — and that’s spot on, experts say. “Having a diet that’s rich in calcium and vitamin D is really important…  read on >  read on >

Brain diseases like stroke, dementia and depression share common risk factors, and changing any can lower a person’s risk of all three conditions, a new study says. Addressing factors as varied as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, physical activity, sleep, stress, alcohol consumption and smoking can significantly reduce risk of the three age-related brain diseases, researchers reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. “Our study identified 17 modifiable risk factors shared between stroke, dementia, and/or late-life depression, emphasizing that there are many different steps individuals can take to lower their risks for these age-related brain diseases,” senior researcher Dr. Sanjula Singh, principal investigator at the Brain Care Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a news release. At least 60% of strokes, 40% of dementia cases, and 35% of late-life depression diagnoses are linked to lifestyle-related risk factors, researchers said in background notes. “Dementia, stroke, and late-life depression are connected and intertwined, so if you develop one of them, there’s a substantial chance you may develop another one in the future,” said lead researcher Dr. Jasper Senff, a postdoctoral fellow at the MGH Brain Care Labs. To hone in on what makes a difference, researchers pooled data from 59 previous studies of risk factors related to brain health. From these studies, researchers identified risk factors shared by at least two of…  read on >  read on >