BBC News - Home: Stores to sell asthma inhalers

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Stores to sell asthma inhalers Jul 21st 2012, 02:06 Asthma inhalers will go on sale in supermarkets for the first time, allowing sufferers to get the medicine without seeing their doctor.

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CBS New York » News: Allergy Shots Could Help Take The Sting Out Of Bee And Wasp Attacks

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Allergy Shots Could Help Take The Sting Out Of Bee And Wasp Attacks Aug 9th 2013, 23:24, by mjmontone NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) — A deadly type of allergic reaction is on the rise and more than 1 million Americans may be at risk. Bee and wasp stings could be more than a nuisance for many people who love the outdoors, CBS 2′s Vinita Nair reported Friday. A decade ago Carolyn Taylor was rock climbing with her husband when something almost killed her, but it wasn’t a tumble down a cliff face. “Someone’s dog stirred up a hornets nest and I got three or four stings. I had hives everywhere and my blood pressure really dropped,” she said. At the time, Carolyn was completely unaware that she was allergic to wasps. After the incident Taylor found out that she is one of a growing number of people allergic to insect stings. According to a new report in “Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology,” 5 percent of Americans are now affected by allergies to stings and bites. “They can have a very devastating reaction where their throat can actually close up,” explained Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Beth Eve Corn. “One can have difficulty breathing, lose consciousness, and in the worst case scenario die.” A series of blood and skin tests revealed that Carolyn is allergic to yellow jackets and yellow and white hornets. Doctors recommended a treatment known as venom immunotherapy, commonly referred to as allergy shots, to reduce her chances of another serious reaction. The shots contain protein from the insect that help the person to build up a tolerance to the insects. “It increases every week until you get up to a maintenance dose, and once you are up to maintenance dose you come in once a month for about three to five years,” Dr. Eve Corn explained. Less than 2 percent of allergic people experience life-threatening reactions after receiving immunotherapy, according to the report. Carolyn was stung again after receiving the treatment. The shots appear to have worked. “I had absolutely no reaction. Just a little bit and it really felt good to know I wasn’t going to die from this little bug,” she said. Knowing that she is protected has allowed Carolyn to enjoy the outdoors. Some patients may require more than three to five years of allergy shots, according to some research. You May Also Be Interested In These Stories Allergy Shots Could Help Take The Sting Out Of Bee And Wasp Attacks Booker Foes Attack Newark Mayor For Not Spending Time In Newark For 16 Ocean County, N.J. Workers, Winning Powerball Ticket May Be Worth $ 3.6 Million Each L.I. School Bus Driver Arrested For DWI Says He Was Sick, Not Drunk Filed under: Health, Heard On 1010 WINS, WCBS, WFAN, Lifestyle, Local, News, Seen On CBS 2HD, Syndicated Local, Syndication, Watch, Watch + Listen Tagged: Allergies, allergy shots, bug bites, bugs, Carolyn Taylor, Hornets, Immunology, Immunotherapy, Insects, Shots, treatments, Vinita Nair, WASPS Media files: bees.jpg?w=300

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Research Activities, November 2009: Agency News and Notes: Heart conditions, cancer, trauma-related disorders, mental disorders, and asthma were the five most costly conditions in 1996 and 2006

Agency News and Notes
Heart conditions, cancer, trauma-related disorders, mental disorders, and asthma were the five most costly conditions in 1996 and 2006

The number of Americans under care for depression and other mental illnesses nearly doubled between 1996 and 2006, and the overall cost of treating them jumped by nearly two-thirds, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The Agency’s recent data analysis revealed that the number of patients treated for mental disorders, including depression and bipolar disease, increased from 19 million to 36 million. The overall treatment costs for mental disorders rose from $ 35 billion (in 2006 dollars) to nearly $ 58 billion, making it the costliest medical condition between 1996 and 2006. In addition, the study concluded that:

Heart disease, cancer, trauma-related disorders, and asthma joined mental disorders to comprise the five most costly conditions in both 1996 and 2006.
Overall spending for heart disease treatment increased the least, from $ 72 billion in 1996 to $ 78 billion in 2006.
Spending for cancer treatment went from $ 47 billion to $ 58 billion; asthma costs rose from $ 36 billion to $ 51 billion; and the cost to treat trauma-related disorders climbed from $ 46 billion to $ 68 billion.
In terms of average per-patient cost, cancer accounted for the highest, up slightly from $ 5,067 to $ 5,178, but treatment costs for trauma and asthma rose more steeply, increasing from $ 1,220 to $ 1,953 and from $ 863 to $ 1,059, respectively. In contrast, average per-patient spending for heart conditions and mental disorders fell from $ 4,333 to $ 3,964 and $ 1,825 to $ 1,591, respectively.
These findings were based on analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, how often they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid. For more information, go to The Five Most Costly Conditions, 1996 and 2006: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitionalized Population, at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/Pub_ProdResults_Details.jsp?pt=Statistical%20Brief&opt=2&id=910.

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Research Activities, November 2009: Agency News and Notes: Heart conditions, cancer, trauma-related disorders, mental disorders, and asthma were the five most costly conditions in 1996 and 2006

Research Activities, December 2011: Agency News and Notes: Children"s use of asthma controller drugs doubles

Children’s use of asthma controller drugs doubles
The proportion of children who used a prescribed controller drug to treat their asthma doubled from 29 percent in 1997–1998 to 58 percent in 2007–2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Asthma controller drugs, such as corticosteroids, control inflammation, thereby reducing the likelihood of airway spasms; asthma reliever drugs, such as short-acting beta-2-agonists, open up the airways to make breathing easier; and leukotrienes help prevent asthma symptoms from occurring.  

AHRQ also found that during the 1997–1998 and 2007–2008 timeframes:
•Use of inhaled corticosteroids, a type of controller drug, increased from 15.5 percent to 40 percent. Use of other controller drugs also increased: beta agonists (from 3 percent to 13 percent) and leukotrienes (from 3 percent to 34 percent).
•Use of reliever and oral corticosteroid drugs declined from 44 percent to 30 percent and from 17 percent to 9 percent, respectively.
•Average annual total spending for all asthma drugs more than quadrupled from $ 527 million to $ 2.5 billion.  Specifically, spending for controller drugs grew from $ 280 million to $ 2.1 billion and for reliever drugs, the increase was $ 222 million to $ 352 million (all in 2008 dollars).
•Spending for oral corticosteroids fell from $ 25 million to $ 8 million (2008 dollars).

The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid. For more information, view Statistical Brief #341: Changes in Children’s Use and Expenditures for Asthma Medications, United States, 1997-1998 to 2007-2008. 

For more information, contact Bob Isquith at bob.isquith@ahrq.hhs.gov or call (301) 427-1539.

Research Activities, December 2011: Agency News and Notes: Children’s use of asthma controller drugs doubles