Allergy/Asthma

Atopic dermatitis, one of the most common inflammatory skin conditions, begins in many patients by age 1 year, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Globally, an estimated one in five children is affected by the disease. The prevalence is higher among children in developed countries, including the United States, and it may be increasing, researchers suggest.

Researchers found a dose-dependent association between antibiotic use in infancy and the development of asthma in childhood, regardless of the type of antibiotic administered or the timing of the prescription, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers reported that the odds of future asthma diagnoses increased with each additional antibiotic prescription.

Circulating vitamin D levels affect the risk for respiratory symptoms related to indoor air pollution among children with obesity and asthma, findings from a recent study suggest.

The last few weeks of summer can be an exceptionally difficult time to find an epinephrine auto-injector in some parts of the country, an allergist told Healio Primary Care.

At least 1 million children and adults in the U.S. are likely affected by a current IgE-mediated sesame allergy, according to findings recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Policies designed to reduce air pollutants could result in a lower incidence of childhood asthma, researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Although subspecialization training encompassing two fellowships is almost unheard of, this experience is where I began my journey in infectious disease clinical practice. As a fourth-year medical student rotating on the pediatric infectious disease service, getting the opportunity to observe the breadth of disease in the category, gain a deeper understanding of “bugs and drugs” and hone my diagnostic skills from truly gifted physicians was awe-inspiring. What impressed me most was that all of the attendings I met were both excellent diagnosticians and had excellent general practitioner skills.

A smartphone app that records coughs can diagnose children with respiratory conditions, including asthma, pneumonia and bronchiolitis, with an accuracy comparable to a clinician, according to the results of a prospective, multicenter study.

Advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which are found in abundance in junk food, are likely associated with the significant increase of food allergies among children in recent years, according to study results presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

It was my first week of intern year, in the medical ICU. He presented in extremis and died within 90 minutes. He was reportedly bitten by his dog 3 days prior. I remember leaving the MICU in tears, overcome with emotion, feelings of guilt and helplessness, wishing I could have changed his outcome. When his admission blood cultures later grew Capnocytophaga canimorsus, I was intrigued. I was unfamiliar with the organism at the time and yearned to learn more. Henceforth, I was “hooked on ID,” forever.