Traffic pollution and cleaner homes mean HALF of us could have allergies by 2026

Within just a decade there could be up to half of the UK population suffering from hayfever, asthma, or another type of allergy, health experts are warning. The problems are mainly linked to an increasing amount of traffic pollution and much cleaner homes.

If current trends carry on at their current pace, millions more people will be reaching for their antihistamine or being prescribed asthma inhalers by the year 2026 to combat symptoms such as runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, sneezing (hayfever), and breathlessness (asthma).

Currently, around 1 in 4 people have at least 1 kind of allergy, with the number of people suffering going up by an additional 5% per year.

An estimated half of all sufferers are children. By 2025 asthma alone will likely become the most prevalent chronic childhood condition and have one of the largest healthcare costs.

A cleaner environment at home with less childhood infections, increasing traffic pollution and multiple types of pollen have been highlighted as factors behind the allergy rise.

Allergies of all kinds have soared in recent years. For example, in the last decade alone, cases of food allergies have doubled in number.

With regards to the most severe form of allergic reaction – anaphylaxis – there has been a massive 615% jump in hospital admissions between 1992 and 2012.

Sheena Cruickshank, senior lecturer in immunology at Manchester University, told the ESOF science forum: “Allergy is really common and it’s thought to be increasing.

“It’s not something we saw a hundred years ago and maybe in ten years’ time 50 per cent of us are going to be suffering from hay-fever, asthma, or food allergy.

“Basically we are looking at that kind of trend year on year. We are certainly seeing more young people affected by an allergy and we do see adults develop it in later life.

“Why is this happening? There are lots of theories, such as the fact we are very clean now so our immune system doesn’t get properly educated.

“Or the types of infection we get exposed to are very different, and again makes our immune system misfire.

“But of course the other thing is our atmosphere has very much changed.

“We are farming different crops and on a different scale so there are different pollens, and more of them. And there are the invisible pollutants we are exposed to.”

A new project known as Breathing Britain is attempting to determine the causes behind respiratory allergies by the use of a mobile phone app.

The app will pinpoint a person’s location, whilst analysing their symptoms, as well as pollen and pollution levels – particularly whilst at the time of an allergic attack.

Dr Cruickshank added: “The real issue in trying to understand the cause-and-effect is the lack of good quality data.

“If you think about the average person with hay-fever, the only time they will go a doctor or a hospital is when they are very unwell.

“We have no data whatsoever on the day-to-day symptoms people are living with. We don’t know when the symptoms are starting and when they are starting to have difficulties.

“The only way to get data is to work with the public, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Professor Gordon McFiggans, an atmospheric researcher, said: “Our work is all about finding the level of data needed to make good policy decisions.

“If we are going to tackle the issue of pollution, we need more integration between policy makers and scientists.

“And measurements of atmospheric pollutants on the ground and measurements of their impact on health is a hugely important part of that mix.”

It was 20 Years Ago Today – Pharmacy goes Beatle mania!

It was 20 years ago today that Medical Specialists® came to be. Not quite the phrase from the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album that was released in 1967, but one that shows that like the Beatles, Medical Specialists® are here to stay. Medical Specialists Company Limited is the owner of the well known Medical Specialists® Pharmacy, based in Bury, Greater Manchester, which is the first ‘One Stop Online Pharmacy and Doctors’ that deals with mainly sexual health medication.

Medical Specialists® have come a long way since the first early days of the internet, from being originally clinics, to becoming one of the leading online pharmacies in Europe. “Being a massive Beatles fan, as soon as I realised that we were 20 years old, that famous phrase (It was 20 years ago today!) took hold of me and made me realise how some of the fab four’s songs could be related to many of the treatments we offer. For instance, we offer treatments for erectile dysfunction and immediately I thought of ‘A Hard Days Night’ and ‘Any Time At All’ and even ‘8 days A Week’.
 We also offer a range of treatments for premature ejaculation, and so the songs ‘I’ll Keep You Satisfied’ and ‘Come Together’ sprung to mind”, said Managing Director David Bailey.

Since the early internet days, they have steadily increased their range of medication available via online consultation or private prescription, and now include a range of treatments for Acne (‘It’s Getting Better All The Time’ said David), to treatments for STI’s (‘I Feel Fine’ said David).

“Treatments for obesity are now very popular, as people don’t want to ‘Carry the Weight’ and usually respond better with ‘A Little Help from My Friends’. I could go on and on with many of the Beatles songs relating to treatments we offer such as asthma and allergies, stomach and  bowel, alcohol dependence (new medication), migraine, and holiday and travel medications (malaria), and many other conditions that are embarrassing” said David.

Recent additions to their ever-increasing repertoire of treatments include Selincro for alcohol dependency and Vitaros cream for erectile dysfunction. Selincro works to reduce the urge to drink so that hopefully people will never again have to wake up following the night-before and think ‘I’m a Loser’ or ‘I Should Have Known Better’! “This new medication is in large demand especially from women who obviously realise they are now drinking too much on a regular basis” said David.
Vitaros cream is a topical treatment for erectile dysfunction, ideal for those who just cannot, or struggle, to take oral tablets for whatever reason. However, these people do not need to live in ‘Misery’ anymore with the introduction of this fantastic cream that can help men with male impotence that cannot take other treatments or find them ineffective.

In fact, Medical Specialists® are always at the forefront of providing the latest medication to ‘Help!’ satisfy the thousands of requests they receive from new and existing patients. With The Department of Health recently issuing an information leaflet called “Guidance on the use of emergency salbutamol inhalers in schools”, this led to Medical Specialists® being inundated with requests from schools wanting asthma inhalers and spacer masks for their first aid kits. The schools may have previously been confused as to what to do (‘If I Needed Someone’), but many certainly know where to go now – the number one pharmacy choice for thousands across the country.

Like the Beatles, Medical Specialists® have constantly evolved and improved, and now offer their service to NHS patients via ‘Electronic Prescription’ or ‘EPS2’ which is the new way that Doctors send their prescriptions electronically to the required pharmacy (a ‘Revolution’ said David). You can nominate Medical Specialists® Pharmacy as your pharmacy by going to their web site
(www.medical-specialists.co.uk) and clicking on the ‘NHS Prescriptions’ tab to find out more.

And finally, when asked when he would retire, David said with a smile…‘When I’m 64!’

Asthma patients are missing vital annual reviews

A new review of GP data conducted by Asthma UK makes for an alarming reading, showing that over a million people suffering with the lung condition are not having vital annual check-ups – important in assessing if asthma medicine is being used in the correct way, to see if lung function has got better or worse, and to check if patient’s asthma inhalers are the most appropriate ones for them.

The new research conducted by Asthma UK discovered that 31% of asthma patients had not received an essential annual review to look at the suitability of their prescribed asthma medicine.

The charity analysed GP statistics from 2012/13 and found that 3,359,612 people in England were scheduled for an asthma review, however 1,025,539 patients had not attended.

Guidance published by the NHS advises all asthma patients to attend their yearly checks as well as keep an asthma action plan and have their inhaler technique looked at. For instance, GPs and asthma nurses need to see if the patient ‘test’ the device first, if the patient shakes the inhaler before using, is breathing out normally, holding the inhaler upright with lips sealed around it, using one actuation only per inhalation, and if the patient is holding their breath for 10 seconds (if possible).

Patients who aren’t using their inhaler correctly may find they are overusing the blue reliever inhaler because they are not sufficiently ingesting the drug to start with. Others find they may be using their relievers far more frequently than previously, and more often than not, these people are not bothering to use the brown preventer inhalers which are massively important in building a long-term improvement.

For example, it can take between 7 to 14 days for the brown preventer to build up its effect, or sometimes as much as six weeks, and will not give immediate relief of symptoms like the blue inhaler offers. The benefits of the brown inhaler build up over time and will decrease the chance of an asthma attack/symptoms occurring by slowly building resistance to triggers.

A recently conducted UK-wide National Review of Asthma Deaths found prescribing mistakes in almost half (47%) of asthma deaths and the quality of care could have been improved in a staggering 83% of the deaths.

The National Review also discovered that only 57% of these patients had received an annual asthma review in the last year of their life. From the other 43% that did have a review, many of these had not even included key components.

Dr Samantha Walker, Deputy Chief Executive of Asthma UK, was speaking on the finding that a quarter of people with asthma in the North of England had not had a review of their condition.

She said: “The fact that over a quarter of people with asthma in the North of England are not getting their medicines checked at their annual review is no doubt contributing to the rising NHS spend on asthma and putting people’s lives at risk. With the worrying scale of prescribing errors identified by the National Review of Asthma Deaths, it’s vital that doctors and nurses do everything they can to follow up with patients to review their medicines, especially as asthma can vary hugely over the year. We’re keen to understand where further improvements can be made to asthma care in the North of England so urge people with asthma to complete our survey www.asthma.org.uk/compareyourcare to find out how their care compares to national standards”.

Salford schoolboy dies from an asthma attack

Tributes have been paid to a football-mad Salford schoolboy after he tragically died from an asthma attack. Ben O’Neill, 12, played for local team Bar Hill JFC in Irlams o’th’ Height and was a huge Manchester United supporter.

The 12-year-old Buile Hill High School pupil suffered a sudden asthma attack at his home in Salford last week.

Ben’s mother, Nicola Newns 35, said: “It was not expected at all. Ben woke up at 2am coughing, which is the usual sign that he was having an attack. I ran to get his inhaler, but he had stopped breathing within seconds.”

She added: “We live just across the road from Salford Royal Hospital and the paramedics were here within a minute even though it felt like an hour. They worked on him for 48 minutes but there was nothing they could do. Ben’s brother, Jacob, has brittle asthma too, and he has been in hospital four times on a ventilator in intensive care. Ben has never had as severe attacks as Jacob, and I always feared something might happen to Jacob, but not Ben.”

Asthma is a health problem that afflicts around 5.4 million people in the UK; approximately 1 in every 12 adults and 1 in every 11 children has asthma. Although the cause of asthma is open to debate and not yet fully understood, the lung problem is known to run in families, as demonstrated with Ben and his brother, and more needs to be done to raise asthma awareness – a view shared by Ben’s mother.

She says: “He was loved by everyone that knew him – he was full of energy and a clown, he made you laugh. He had played football for a season with Barr Hill. His brothers played for them and he wanted to be like them too. I think people need to be educated about asthma. I would hate this to happen to another family. People think that asthma is just a bit of a wheeze which can be sorted out with an inhaler, but the type Ben had isn’t.”

A one minute’s silence was held in his memory prior to all matches at the weekend in the Salford league Ben played in and 50 people have donated over £500 so far as part of an appeal fund to cover Ben’s funeral costs. The funeral will take place this Friday at St James and All Souls Church near Salford Precinct. “Not one person who met him wouldn’t smile at his memory”, says his mother.

Kay Boycott, chief executive of Asthma UK, spoke on Ben’s tragic death, commenting: “It’s always distressing to hear that a child has died due to asthma, and our thoughts go out to Ben’s family and friends and this very sad time. Sadly many people don’t realise how serious asthma is because it’s so common. One in every eleven children are receiving treatment for asthma, yet every year it kills enough children to fill a classroom.”

How losing weight helped one woman’s asthma symptoms

Sally, 45, a hairdresser from Aldington in Kent, was horrified when the nurse at her asthma clinic requested that she step onto the scales.

Like many other women, Sally had decided to avoid all scales out of fear, but stepping onto them gave her a startling shock – she could be officially classed as ‘obese’ weighing 11st at only 5 ft 2in tall.

“They saw on my notes that I suffered from asthma, but this was the first time anyone in the medical profession had weighed me”, she says.

“The problem was that I didn’t feel fat because the weight had crept on so gradually during and after my pregnancies. Then when the children left things on their plates, I’d pick at the leftovers.”

As her weight increased, Sally was finding it more difficult to control her asthma symptoms, meaning even doing basic things such as walking  up the stairs and looking after  her children, Maizie, now 12, and Merrin, nine, left her breathless.

What Sally didn’t realise is that weight loss is the key for an overall improvement in health for those overweight or obese, but especially so for asthmatics. Studies have shown that people with asthma who are also overweight or obese could see an improvement in their symptoms if they lose weight and this should be included in any asthma management program.

The asthma clinic nurse that Sally spoke to then recommended she should lose weight and would no doubt see an improvement to her asthma symptoms.

Sally says: “It was a real wake-up call. I knew that I had to do something about it or my asthma would just get worse because I would become more immobile and reluctant to exercise.”

Deborah Waddell, clinical lead nurse at the charity Asthma UK, explains: “Obese people find their asthma much harder to control.”

Asthma began for Sally following a severe episode of flu at the age of 19 – Upper respiratory infections are typically caused by cold and flu viruses and are a one of a number of triggers for asthma.

Her asthma gradually got worse. “Getting up the stairs was very scary because the wheezing was so loud.  And it stayed at the same level in my 30s and into my 40s. I couldn’t run after the children at the park.”

Sally now uses a brown preventer inhaler every morning for protection and a quick-acting blue reliever Ventolin inhaler when symptoms start to arise. Sally’s symptoms worsen during the winter, when feeling stressed, or when coming into contact with pet hair.

Despite the fact many people with asthma tend to avoid all exercise on fear of it triggering an attack, Sally began an exercise regime, which has actually been a huge benefit as asthma can boost the lung capacity in asthmatics.

She now goes running three times a week for four miles, attends a weekly spinning class and cycles for journeys where the car is not a necessity.

“I lost a stone-and-a-half in eight months and it made a huge difference,” says Sally. “It really brought the asthma under control and made the attacks less frequent and less severe – I have just one a month instead of three a week. When I was 11st, my body was struggling to  cope with the weight, especially climbing stairs, but the fitter you are, the stronger your  lungs become.”

Eating more fibre could ease asthma symptoms

The results from animal studies suggest that asthma treatment may bizzarely come in the form a diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

Tests on mice, as reported in the journal Nature Medicine, has found that a high-fibre diet can impact the balance of microbes in the gut and make airways either more or less susceptible to the inflammation involved in allergic airway conditions such as asthma.

Asthma is a long-term respiratory disorder, where the air passages within the lungs unexpectedly become inflamed, narrowed, and swollen. This then prevents airflow into and out of the lungs. Attacks often occur in response to an allergen, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress. It is these triggers which create an inflammatory cascade in the bronchial tree.

The last three decades have witnessed a surge in rates of allergy-triggered asthma, in particularly in the more developed nations. Many health experts have attributed this to changes in dietary habits, such as a decrease in our fibre intake.

The reported stated: “In recent decades, there has been a well-documented increase in the incidence of allergic asthma in developed countries and coincident with this increase have been changes in diet, including reduced consumption of fibre.”

Therefore, Dr Benjamin Marsland of the University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland and colleagues, decided to study the variations in the immune and inflammatory responses of mice when the amount of fibre in their diet changed.

They discovered that those mice on a low-fibre diet experienced more lung inflammation after coming into contact with dust mites. In comparison, mice given food enriched with pectin – found in cell walls of plants – suffered with less allergic airway problems.

It was established that this boost in soluble fibre – most often contained in fruit and vegetables – was converted into short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids increase resistance to irritation in the immune system.

For those who may struggle to adapt their diet to include more fibre, the researchers say that a fatty acid supplement may be instead taken to ease asthma symptoms.

Dr Marsland, spoke to BBC News, saying: “There’s a very high probability it works in humans, the basic principle of fibre being converted to short-chain fatty acids is known. But we don’t know what amount of fibre would be needed and the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids required might be different. It is early days, but the implications could be far reaching…Moreover, these data can be interpreted within the context of epidemiological studies showing as fibre content in the diet has decreased, the incidence of allergies has increased. Taken together, our findings support the concept intervention strategies targeting diet are a valuable approach for not only intestinal diseases but also respiratory inflammatory diseases.”

It would be foolish though to suggest asthma sufferers should disregard their blue reliever and brown preventer asthma inhalers just yet and merely rely on consuming more fibre. A diet rich in fibre may well be beneficial for asthmatics but it is generally recommended for everybody as it can to help to lower cholesterol, decrease the risk of heart disease and lessen the risk of some types of cancer.

Scientists discover gene that could lead to targeted asthma treatment

Young children with asthma may benefit from targeted treatment in the near future after US scientists discovered a ‘rogue’ gene – CDHR3 – which could be the cause of severe asthma in youngsters.

CDHR3 has been found to be particularly active within epithelial cells that line the inner surfaces of the airways. A faulty version of the gene can result in environmental triggers inducing allergic responses, the scientists found. CDHR3 is one of four genes that has been linked to the development of asthma; but the other three were already known as being associated with asthma.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Genetics involved a thorough comparison of the genetic codes, or genomes, of 3,695 Danish children and adults who have asthma. This comprised of a number of children younger than the age of six.

Data extracted children of both European and non-European ancestry was then used to replicate the findings, which are consistent with previous research suggesting other genes associated with the onset of childhood asthma are responsible for over-sensitive immune reactions.

Lead researcher Dr Hakon Hakonarson, from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Chop) in the US, said: “Because asthma is a complex disease, with multiple interacting causes, we concentrated on a specific phenotype – severe, recurrent asthma occurring between ages two and six. Identifying a risk-susceptibility gene linked to this phenotype may lead to more effective, targeted treatments for this type of childhood asthma.”

Dr Hakonarson added: “Asthma researchers have been increasingly interested in the role of the airway epithelium in the development of asthma. Abnormalities in the epithelial cells may increase a patient’s risk to environmental triggers by exaggerating immune responses and making the airway overreact. Because the CDHR3 gene is related to a family of proteins involved in cell adhesion and cell-to-cell interaction, it is plausible that variations in this gene may disrupt normal functioning in these airway cells, and make a child vulnerable to asthma.”

The researchers now hope their findings will lead to a more targeted treatment a condition which affects a staggering 5.4 million Britons; many of whom will probably be struggling in the coming months due to the fact that cold winter weather can exacerbate asthma symptoms.

Even a basic cold virus can trigger a serious asthma attack and worsen symptoms for around 90% of people with asthma and According to Asthma UK, three quarters of people with asthma blame cold for triggering their symptoms. Common symptoms are: coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in your chest and difficulty speaking in full sentences.

Asthma UK have five important pieces of advice that are vital in controlling your asthma symptoms during the cold weather:

1. Keep taking your regular preventer medicines as prescribed by your doctor.

2. If you know that cold air triggers your asthma, take one or two puffs of your reliever inhaler before going outside.

3. Keep your blue reliever inhaler with you at all times.

4. Wrap up well and wear a scarf over your nose and mouth – this will help to warm up the air before you breathe it in.

5. Take extra care when exercising in cold weather. Warm up for 10–15 minutes and take one or two puffs of your reliever inhaler before you start.

This Morning presenter Matt Johnson hasn’t let asthma beat him

Welsh Daytime TV presenter Matt Johnson has highlighted the seriousness of asthma and the importance of using asthma medicine after speaking to Wales Online, describing how he almost collapsed ‘in the middle of nowhere’ whilst out running.

“I had to stop because my chest was so, so tight,” Matt revealed. “I was halfway through my run, in the middle of nowhere and I really panicked. The more I panicked, the more it got worse. In the end I managed to calm down a bit and eventually it got better.”

However, it is not only physical exertion that triggers the 30-year-olds asthma symptoms; the handsome presenter from Caerphilly even admits that he sometimes struggles when on screen to millions around the UK.

Recently, a comical comment from fellow presenter Eamonn Holmes particularly left the Welshman gasping for air. Matt commented: “Weirdly, when I laugh really hard I get a very tight chest. The other day Eamonn Holmes made me laugh on the This Morning set because I tried to get him to join a nudist beach club and he gave me a very good reason why he shouldn’t. I laughed out loud and my chest got very tight.”

Interestingly, and a subject Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously touched upon, Matt used to be almost embarrassed to get out his inhalers to use and says the condition was ‘uncool’ in school. His experience whilst out running and without his medication has left him taking his condition a lot more seriously however.

He says: “I can happily take my inhaler anywhere in front of anyone and always have a puff before a live broadcast just in case. I keep on top of my asthma now because the thought of having a severe attack is terrifying.”

Asthma is a long-term respiratory disorder, where the air passages within the lungs unexpectedly become inflamed, narrowed, and swollen. This then prevents airflow into and out of the lungs. Attacks occur often in response to an allergen, cold air, exercise, or emotional stress.

It is thought that there are 5.4 million people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma. This equates to 8.8% of the total population (62 million estimated in 2010). In addition, it affects a staggering 300 million people worldwide.

From this total, there are a huge number of celebrity figures who have asthma and in recent times, many have spoken out about their experiences battling the condition in order to raise awareness.  In February, Olympic hero Laura Trott gave a detailed account on her asthma and there are many other celebrities with asthma such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Paula Radcliffe, Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Adlington. All of these famous faces did not let asthma overcome them, and with proper management of their symptoms and making sure to use their inhalers, all achieved their goals without letting asthma hold them back.

You don’t need to take our word for it though, Matt continued: “When I grew up asthma always seemed like something that was a geeky, uncool thing to have. So if me running around the place shows people that I’ve got asthma but life goes on, then that’s wonderful. I remember at school people thought it was an uncool thing to have. Some kids suffer with it really badly but it’s not much fun to have it made into a joke. Some people are so disabled by their asthma, physically but mentally. Many people think, oh I can’t take part in exercise – I’ve got asthma. But you only have to look at someone like Bradley Wiggins or Laura Trott who have asthma but went onto win Olympic gold medals at London 2012. When you think of people with asthma like me from daytime TV, world class athletes and someone like One Direction’s Harry Styles , who was seen taking his pump at the side of the stage and then carrying on with a huge concert, then surely that’s inspirational enough.”

The presenter is due to host charity Asthma UK’s ‘Breathtaking Ball’ in London on Friday to raise awareness and funds for asthma.

Hull man dies from asthma attack triggered by cold weather

A man from Hull has tragically lost his life following a severe asthma attack, thought to have been induced by severe cold weather.

Steven Metcalfe, 38, had been hospitalised on a number of occasions because of his asthma, and recent temperatures in the UK that plunged in minus figures, had only worsened his breathing difficulties.

His father Tony, 58, and also an asthma sufferer, spoke on Wednesday describing how he had immediately flown home from his job on a North Sea oil rig after receiving the devastating news that his son had died at home on April 5.

Mr Metcalfe said: “Asthma can strike you down – people need to take it a lot more seriously. It has knocked us for six. No one expected it.”

Steven was employed as a welder and shared a home with his girlfriend of two years Debbie Brennan, 39, on the Longhill estate, East Hull.

Steven’s father added: “Steven had been in and out of Castle Hill Hospital twice in the past few months. In particular, Steven had been having a lot of trouble with his circulation. The cold usually makes asthma worse. Over the past few weeks especially, he always seemed out of breath,” adding that his son had died in bed as a result of both heart failure and asthma.
“When you have asthma, your heart has to work that much harder,” said Mr Metcalfe, employed with rig company Wood Group along with his other son Lee, 31.

He continued: “Lee and I were on different rigs but a helicopter collected us and flew us back to Aberdeen. We were then flown to Humberside Airport. Unfortunately, Steven had already died.”
Mr Metcalfe says like himself and the majority of other asthma sufferers, Steven had to use two inhalers and always made sure to take his medication.

“The blue inhaler is used in case of an attack and the brown one each morning and night to prevent attacks,” he said.

Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at the charity Asthma UK, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Steven Metcalfe and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time. Asthma can be an extremely serious and potentially fatal condition with more than 1,100 people in the UK dying from asthma each year. We are working hard to develop ways of stopping people getting asthma and helping those who have it to stay fit and healthy. Our dedicated asthma nurses can offer expert advice and support through the Asthma UK Adviceline, on 08001 216244.”

Cold weather however is only one of many triggers and others include:

. Tobacco smoke.  This can irritate the lungs and it is imperative that you stop smoking immediately if you smoke and have asthma, or avoid coming into contact with secondhand smoke.
. Pollen from certain trees, grasses and flowers. Pollen is linked to problems for both asthma and hay fever sufferers. Many health experts believe the two are connected and that asthma suffers also benefit from taking an anti-histamine such as Loratadine on a regular basis, to act as a precaution to allergic and asthmatic reactions.
. Air pollutants such as car exhaust fumes and the already mentioned tobacco smoke can release gases and particles that affect the airways. Evidence actually suggests a higher risk of asthma developing in people living nearby to roads with heavy traffic.
. Many asthmatics are sensitive to the droppings of house dust mites; tiny creatures that inhabit carpets, beddings and soft furnishings.
. Changes in air temperature. For instance, leaving a warm room and going outside into colder air can sometimes trigger an attack.
. Some asthmatics find that exercise triggers an asthma attack and may need to use their reliever inhaler such as Ventolin Evohaler.

Fungi found in the lungs could offer clues about asthma

Welsh scientists could have made an important breakthrough in the development of affective asthma treatment after discovering hundreds of varying fungal particles within the lungs of both asthma sufferers, and healthy individuals who did not have the lung condition.

Previously, many would have assumed that our lungs were absent of life, so the new discovery that the lungs are host to organisms may now prove massively beneficial for the 5.4 million people across the UK who have asthma.

The large study, which is the first of its kind, has been published in the journal BMC Infectious Disease. It shows how the team from Cardiff University’s School of Medicine have managed to detect high numbers of fungi existing in healthy lungs, whilst also finding other differing kinds of fungi in asthma patients.

“Historically, the lungs were thought to be sterile”, says Hugo van Woerden from Cardiff University’s Institute of Primary Care and Public Health, who led the research.

He continued: “Our analysis found that there are large numbers of fungi present in healthy human lungs. The study also demonstrates that asthma patients have a large number of fungi in their lungs and that the species of fungi are quite different to those present in the lungs of healthy individuals.”

Van Woerden and his colleagues analysed the mucus or sputum from a large collection of patients both with and without asthma and subsequently unearthed some 136 different fungal species from the induced sputum samples. Of this total, 90 fungal species more prevalent within the lungs of asthma patients and 46 were more common within the lungs of patients who did not suffer from asthma.

“Establishing the presence of fungi in the lungs of patients with asthma could potentially open up a new field of research which brings together molecular techniques for detecting fungi and developing treatments for asthma. In the future it is conceivable that individual patients may have their sputum tested for fungi and their treatment adjusted accordingly”, added van Woerden.

Cardiff researchers have previously established a link between fungi and asthma however and they have said in the past that by eradicating fungi from people’s homes, this could dramatically help life for those who suffer with asthma.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is able to help you if you are suffering from asthma. We can provide any new or existing asthma patient with a wide range of medications. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. You can undergo a quick and easy confidential online consultation with one of our GMC-registered Doctors and if suitable, they will write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house RPSGB–registered Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. We have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe.

Wrinkle-busting Botox may be used to combat hay fever

Almost precisely a month ago we delivered some exciting news for 10 million hay fever sufferers in the UK and millions more around the globe when we reported how a new vaccine was in development that could directly hit the immune system, providing effective relief. This is on top of already currently available treatments such as Loratadine tablets, Nasonex nasal spray, Prevalin and Alomide allergy eye drops.

Now it seems that hay fever sufferers could be offered even more options to treat their symptoms, which occur when the immune system (the body’s defence system) overreacts to allergens, which in turn results in the release of histamine which in turn causes inflammation, itchy reddening or itchy eyes and sneezing. Although hay fever sufferers are worse hit during the spring and summer period, those who have allergic reactions to cats and dogs can find themselves in misery throughout the year when they come into contact with these animals.

The new treatment option bizarrely comes in the form of a Botox nasal gel remarkably, and now Australian scientists are currently preparing to carry out the first trial of its kind. Botox is mostly associated with celebrities who are willing to fork out thousands of pounds in their effort to beat the aging process. As well as a wrinkle-fighter, Botox may also be useful as a weapon against the inconvenient and troublesome symptoms of hay fever.

The Botox gel will be applied to the skin on your nose with the help of a cotton bud, where it will work by penetrating the skin to reach the nasal cavity. According to Philip Bardin, a professor at the Monash Medical Centre, the botulinum toxin could offer relief for hay fever sufferers by blocking nerve endings in the nasal passage, decreasing inflammation and preventing the onset of symptoms.

For the forthcoming study, Professor Bardin is optimistic about recruiting around 70 patients with hay fever and what is a common practice in these experiments; half of the subjects will receive the tested treatment (i.e. the Botox) and the other half will be given a placebo. The study is being initiated after preliminary trial earlier this year showed that the therapy does indeed provide relief from symptoms.

Here is what Professor Bardin had to say on the promising new treatment: “Botox works for three months and then its effects are broken down and the nerves regenerate. So if this works, maybe it’s gel into the nose every three months – or once a year for people who have seasonal allergic rhinitis – and, hopefully, no more sneezing.”

Dr Stephen Till from King’s College London, acknowledged the exciting breakthrough, saying: “This new vaccine is potentially applicable to far larger numbers than the existing one.”

However, the good news doesn’t end there. It seems even asthma sufferers could find themselves better off after a therapy of Botox. Professor Bardin has also released preliminary details of an experiment where a group of asthma patients with severe symptoms were injected with Botox into their larynx in an effort to alleviate muscle spasms. He claims that 80% of the asthma patients responded to the treatment and showed improve symptoms. The next step will be similar to the hay fever trial, involving a much bigger selection of patients, with both a Botox and placebo therapy being tested.

Of course, nobody knows for sure when or if Botox will be given the go-ahead for certified hay fever or asthma treatment as any potential health risks will have to be assessed first. In the meantime, Medical Specialists Pharmacy provides a huge range of products and medications to help both hay fever asthma sufferers, all at great prices. We have all of the previously mentioned hay fever treatments (Loratadine, Nasonex, Prevalin and Alomide), in addition to a huge range of asthma inhalers.

If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms.   After undergoing a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors, if you are suitable they will then write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. This is all done discretely and within just 24 hours. We have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe.

Chemicals in fragrances could trigger asthma and skin problems

Next time you overdo it and shower yourself in perfume or aftershave, spray deodorant on, spray air freshener around the home, use scented candles or even scented toilet roll – think about what all these things could be doing to your health.

We warn this as a leading health expert has spoke on the different ways, highlighting that part of the problem could be down to a ‘contact allergy’ that roughly one in 20 of us suffer from, and this number may be increasing. The contact allergy is in reference to when perfumes and other scented products cause eczema outbreaks as well as dermatitis when they touch the skin, and many more problems other than this can arise.

It is believed that molecules in the fragrances trigger an immune response and result in the sufferer experiencing scaly, cracked, dry and itchy skin.

Dr Susannah Baron, consultant dermatologist at Kent & Canterbury hospital, and BMI Chaucer Hospital, warns that more of the population may start to suffer from such problems in the future. She commented, “Allergies are on the increase, and the amount of perfumed products is also on the rise. Fragrance allergy can show up as contact dermatitis in the site a perfumed product is applied, or as a flare-up of existing eczema. It can be a real problem.”

Dr Baron’s comments follow-on from July of this year when the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety requested that perfume manufacturers should state any possible allergens in their product after reports emerged regarding the risks of skin conditions flaring up after usage.

Dr Baron further warns people to be careful regarding over-using fragranced products as it may not be fully obvious you have developed an intolerance or allergy. She continued, “You don’t react immediately; the body notes that it does not like the chemical and develops ‘memory cells’, which cause inflammation when the body is next exposed to this chemical. Gradually, as you are exposed more and more, the body ramps up its reaction, until it becomes more noticeable to you.”

Even those without existing problems or allergies may be at risk of building up to eventually have a fragrance allergy. Dr Baron says, “You can become suddenly allergic to perfumes and personal care products that you have been using for years. You can also have problems with unexpected products such as scented toilet roll and scented wipes which can cause irritation.”

However, it gets worse. People with skin and scalp conditions are not the only people who could suffer. Those who battle with regular migraines could see a more regular occurrence of severe headaches and experts further warn that products like plug-in deodorisers and mild air fresheners have chemicals in them that could induce an asthma attack. The charity Asthma UK claims that perfumes can affect the airways in asthma sufferers and result in breathing difficulties.

Asthma UK are not the only ones to warn about the dangers though. Over in America, Dr Stanley Fineman, of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic in the U.S., says he has conducted research that shows a clear alteration to lung function when the lungs come into contact with particular chemical fragrances.

So what can be done then to avoid or manage all these potential problems? Firstly, if you do suffer with eczema, you should always try to only use non-fragranced emollient to wash your hands and body. Migraine sufferers would be advised to keep a diary that documents what particular products trigger a migraine and this will enable them to keep their exposure to an absolute minimum. Dermatitis is another issue that we touched upon earlier, and this can be treated with therapeutic medicated shampoo such as T/Gel which costs just £4.95 from Medical Specialists Pharmacy. In addition, if you have suffering with allergies and/or asthma then we are at hand to help. We have a vast range of medications to help both asthma and allergy sufferers, all at great prices. If you are suffering from asthma-like symptoms, you should see your doctor immediately for a diagnosis.

Your doctor is able to prescribe medication if he feels you have asthma. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler or have lost your inhaler or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. For suitable patients we have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe.

If you suffer from hay fever or allergies we have many options for you including Alomide allergy eye drops , Loratadine tablets, Nasonex spray, Prevalin allergy nasal spray and Prevalin allergy kids nasal spray.

Volvo battle against hay fever with radical new cars

Car manufacturer Volvo, already have a well-established reputation for quality cars and the company has witnessed a massive growth in the past decade especially. The Swedish company were once more known for safety above aesthetics and style, but in recent years, the manufacturers have carved themselves a fabulous reputation for good-looking, affordable cars. Now they have turned more of their attentions to the medical aspects of the vehicles.

In a bid to help the estimated 10 million people suffering from hay fever in the UK, Volvo have made the applaudable decision to include either an Air Quality System (AQS) or Pollen Filter, as standard in any model of its cars.

An AQS operates by examining the levels of particles from incoming air, via the use of an interior air quality sensor. If it detects that levels of air inside the vehicle may become hazardous to the driver (i.e. the car in front giving off toxic carbon monoxide), it can immediately shut off the air intake. This happens without the driver having to do anything whatsoever.

This revolutionary idea, combined with the pollen filters that will be equipped in the ventilation system, always guarantee the driver will be enjoying much cleaner air at all times inside his or her car in comparison to that outside the car.

Nick Connor, managing director of Volvo Car UK, spoke out on how the new technology with be advantageous to hay fever sufferers on the road and said, “Now that some warmer weather has arrived, albeit a few months late, it’s worth reminding drivers that a Volvo has been designed from the outset to keep the causes of hay fever at bay whilst in the car. As well as the health aspects of not breathing in pollen, ozone and hydrocarbons, the safety benefits associated with a driver avoiding long bouts of sneezing, whilst driving at speed on a motorway shouldn’t be underestimated. Hay fever suffering company car drivers should find particular solace in driving a Volvo.”

The good news comes at a time when the NHS Direct have recently stated they have experienced a 20% surge in extra telephone calls from those suffering with hay fever. NHS Direct also warn drivers that being on the road between 5am and 10am is the most dangerous period of the day for aggravating their hay fever symptoms due to more pollen being released from trees and grass in those five hours compared to the rest of the day.

Volvo’s pioneering move will now hopefully prove effective in increasing the safety for those drivers with hay fever, and other people on the roads. There are obvious major benefits to be seen when drivers can avoid sneezing at the wheel from the result of hay fever. Imagine if somebody had a sneezing fit from unhealthy air entering their car and triggering symptoms. It is not unthinkable to suggest that this momentary lapse in concentration may prove fatal.

What exactly is hay fever though you may ask? Well, hay fever is caused by an allergy to pollen. Usual characteristics include a runny, itchy and/or blocked nose, frequent sneezing and itchy/red/watery eyes. Whilst the symptoms of hay fever may be mild, unfortunately they can interfere with your school or work life, and effect your day to do activities, including your ability to drive. Even worse – if you have asthma, the asthma symptoms you experience may get worse when you have hay fever. Sometimes, asthma symptoms only come to prominence when you have hay fever. The best method of combating both conditions is to speak to a health professional that can help you to formulate an action plan.  This will help manage your symptoms, and avoid potential triggers.
Moreover, you should always make sure you have more than an adequate supply of important hay fever medications such as Nasonex nasal spray, Loratadine and Alomide eye drops, and for asthma – vital preventer and reliever inhalers.

Statins could be beneficial for asthma patients

Do the wonders of cholesterol-lowering statins and their potential benefits ever seem to end? It would seem not according to yet another study to analyse their capabilities.

In just 2012 alone, Medical Specialists Pharmacy has reported countless stories regarding how statin medications such as Crestor and Lipitor, have been linked to the improvement in various health conditions for a much wider group of people than those merely with high cholesterol. For instance, in regards to statin therapy, these are some of the things we have learnt this year:

. They can lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

. Some doctors have argued that there should be ‘statins for all’ outlook.

. They can reduce the risk of a heart attack even in healthy individuals.
. Statins can lower risk of cancer in heart transplant patients.

. They have been shown to particularly be effective in decreasing the chance of a stroke in males.
The latest in a long line of studies into statins has come from researchers from the University of Mississippi in the US, and this time it is asthma patients who were investigated with statin therapy.
In total there were 479 asthma patients analysed who were taking both statins and using an inhaled corticosteroid such as Qvar Beclometasone, compared against 958 who were using just the corticosteroid.

It was deduced that a higher number of asthma patients required hospital treatment in the second group, who were not taking any statin medication. Researchers noted that 3.79% of the first group had required a hospital visit due to their asthma, whilst the figure was 6.47% for those not taking statins.

In addition, those who were on statins were found to be a lot less likely to end up at Accident and Emergency (A & E) at hospital. Just 4.18% of the first group had needed to go to A & E compared to 9.08% in the second group.

Consultant physician Dr Shahid Hamid from the Princess Royal University Hospital in Kent, was not directly involved in the study but he gave his views on it, saying, “We know statins have uses beyond the treatment of heart conditions. They have anti-inflammatory properties, which mean they have other – as yet mostly unexplored – purposes. Asthma is an inflammatory condition so clearly there is a link.”

Dr Hamid continued and suggested that more research needs to be done to understand more about the possible side effects of taking statins for asthma, and added, “It is still too soon to start prescribing statins as a matter of course. If you are on statins and have asthma, you must report any change in your condition.”

New drug Tudorza Pressair is given FDA backing for the treatment of COPD

This week has seen yet another new drug been given a clearance by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following the recent seal of approval for two new weight loss medications, Qsymia and Belviq, as we reported last week.

On this occasion, the drug to be given an authorisation for public use is a twice-daily inhaled medication named ‘Tudorza Pressair’, which is used to help treat symptoms of bronchospasm. This is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), aka ‘smoker’s cough’.

COPD is a term used for numerous conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and is similar in certain characteristics to asthma. Bronchitis and emphysema are commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed, thus making it difficult for air to get in or out of the lungs.  Obvious symptoms can include chronic cough, tightness in the chest, and excessive phlegm.

Asthma and COPD can exist in the same person. However, in contrast to asthma, the inflammation of the lungs with COPD is not triggered by allergies and does not respond well to anti-inflammatory medication. In 2005, there were over 3 million deaths worldwide linked to COPD, with the main cause being the damaging effects of cigarette smoking.

On Tuesday, Spain’s biggest pharmaceutical company Almirall, and US drugmaker Forest Laboratories, confirmed they had been given the coveted FDA green light for Tudorza Pressair. This followed a slight hiccup back in March when the FDA demanded that it wanted a three-month extended time period to analyse the review data supporting the New Drug Application for aclidinium bromide (the powder ingredient within Tudorza Pressair).

Despite entering into an already competitive market where highly popular effective medications such as Ventolin can alleviate COPD symptoms, analysts at Sanford Bernstein say that sales of the Forest/Almirall drug could hit $164 million by 2015.

A spokesperson at Forest commented saying, “As the first long-acting inhaled anticholinergic agent approved in over 8 years for COPD, Tudorza will be an important treatment option.”
Curtis Rosebraugh, MD, Office of Drug Evaluation II, FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Rockville, Maryland, said, “COPD is a serious disease that gets worse over time. The availability of long-term maintenance drugs for COPD provides additional treatment options for the millions of people who suffer with this debilitating disease.”

However, the FDA have also warned that the drug may cause some serious side effects such as paradoxical bronchospasm, new or worsened urinary retention, or new or worsened pressure in the eyes (known as acute narrow-angle glaucoma). The FDA also says the medication is not fit to be used as a rescue therapy to help aid sudden breathing difficulties such as acute bronchospasm.

When Medical Specialists Pharmacy know more about this and other medications that are being approved by the FDA to help with asthma or COPD, we will update our patients immediately. In the meantime, Medical Specialists Pharmacy provides a huge range of medications to help asthma sufferers, all at great prices. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms.   After undergoing a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors, if you are suitable they will then write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. This is all done discretely and within just 24 hours. We offer both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone, Qvar Easi-Breathe, and Pulvinal Beclomethasone.

Asthma inhaler sensor given clearance by FDA

Asthma sufferers all around the world may soon have a revolutionary device in their possession after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted a 510(k) clearance on Tuesday to a Madison based company to start rolling out its asthma inhaler sensor. This kind of clearance means it can be marketed based on the fact there is an existing comparable product in the market already.

Asthmapolis have announced they received the federal clearance required to start offering the sensors to the public, together with mobile and web application software. The sensors are named ‘the Spiroscout’, and will only be available on prescription.

The sensor can be attached to most reliever inhalers such as the widely used Ventolin, and preventive inhalers such as Qvar’s Beclometasone and Easi-Breathe inhalers. It works by transmitting data to the person’s smartphone upon each discharge of their inhaler and satellites can then pinpoint the user’s location and pass all information back to the company’s server.

Asthmapolis boast that their new device is ‘small and lightweight’ and ‘easy to mount securely on the end of most inhalers’. Some advantages to asthmatics will be the generation of weekly reports, providing information on how many times they have used their inhalers, locations of asthma attacks, and they can even receive text messages that remind them to use their asthma medications.
The chances are that not every single person who suffers from asthma or chronic pulmonary obstructive disease will also own a smartphone, so the makers have devised a plan to cater for this. Users can connect their sensor to an access point called ‘2net Hub’, created by the wireless health network company Qualcomm Life.

Inger Couture, Chief Regulatory Officer of Asthmapolis, commented on the new device via a written statement and said, “We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone to support our mission of providing tools to help patients and their healthcare providers better understand and control their asthma symptoms. Despite all we know about asthma and how to treat it, the majority of patients still do not have the disease under control, and traditional approaches to self-management have been time-consuming and complicated. The Asthmapolis technology makes it much easier to track symptoms and use of metered dose inhalers, allowing patients, their families and their doctors to gain a valuable new perspective on the disease.”

The proportion of asthmatic individuals in the United States increased by nearly 15% from 2001 to 2010, at which point it was thought there were 25.7 million people were affected. So clearly the device will benefit many people. Also in the UK there are approximately 5.4 million people currently receiving treatment for asthma. The lung condition is a worldwide problem, and can be deadly if you are not keeping track of your symptoms and attacks through the use of an asthma diary, or do not have sufficient supplies of your asthma inhalers.

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we offer a wide range of medications to help asthma sufferers, all at great prices. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms.   After undergoing a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors, if you are suitable they will then write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. This is all done discretely and within just 24 hours. We offer both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone, Qvar Easi-Breathe, and Pulvinal Beclomethasone.

Hereford teen dies from suspected asthma attack

An 18-year old beauty student from Hereford has tragically passed away after speaking to her mother on the phone and complaining she was short of breath. Bianca Hart was enjoying a socialising drink with friends in Hereford on 27 June to celebrate the end of her exams at Hereford College of Beauty before her asthma symptoms began to develop. After phoning her mother to say ‘I can’t breathe’, she was immediately rushed to the County Hospital in the early hours of Thursday 28 June.

Bianca lost consciousness inside the hospital after suffering a huge asthma attack and whilst awaiting an assessment from doctors. Paramedics then tried their best to save her but unfortunately she died a few hours later. Police have spoken to immediately dispel any notion that her drink may have been spiked. Bianca’s sister released a statement and paid tribute to her sister, saying, “Bianca lived life to the full, loved to be around her friends and socialising around the town. She was a very caring person, trustworthy, lively, beautiful, angelic by nature, fashionable and a confident person.”

Bianca is the third person to die from a suspected asthma attack in Herefordshire in the last two months, following the death of a 14-year old Ross-on-Wye schoolgirl Lauren Hughes and 48-year old Linda Robinson.

These deaths have stressed just how serious asthma can be if not properly treated and managed. Attacks can occur at any time but certain things can trigger an attack such as:

. Smoke from cigarettes. We would advise you stop smoking immediately if you smoke and have asthma, or avoid inhaling the smoke from those around you.
. Pollen from trees and grass.
. Paint fumes.
. House dust mites.
. Changes in air temperature. For example going from a warm room into cold air outside can sometimes trigger an attack.
. Some asthmatics experience an asthma attack during exercise and may need to use their reliever inhaler such as Ventolin prior to beginning the exercise. You can obtain this from Medical Specialists Pharmacy cheaper than on the NHS.

The problems of Asthma are a global issue that Medical Specialists are determined to do something about by offering patients a wide range of asthma reliever and preventer inhalers to best suit your needs. Indeed across the Atlantic, North America is currently experiencing soaring temperatures in the grip of a torturing heat wave. The heat will affect everybody, but those with asthma a lot more.

Lafayette asthma and allergy physician Dr. Ketan Sheth spoke last month about how the heat will have impact on asthmatics and said, “Hot weather increases a lot of pollution that is outside so air pollution is going to cause people with asthma to have trouble and just the heat and the humidity itself is really going to trigger problems.” Americans suffering from asthma have been warned to take the following precautions to stay safe during the heat wave:

. Stay indoors with the windows close. This can help to avoid smoke, dirt and other things that could trigger an attack.
. Keep hydrated.
. Keep up to date with the weather forecast.
. Limit outdoor activity if possible.
. Be careful using fans – These can blow allergens around the air.
. Finally, plan what action to take in case of an attack. Use your asthma medications often and always have rescue medication in your possession.