Lung Disease & Respiratory Health Center

News and Features Related to Lung Disease & Respiratory Health

151. Drug May Ease Progressive Lung Disease
     

     Aug. 12, 2005 -- A drug available in Europe called roflumilast helps ease symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers report in The Lancet. COPD is an inflammatory airway disease with progressive decline in lung function and health-related quality of life. In an internation

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152. Do Popcorn Workers Face Lung Disease Risk?
     

     Aug. 8, 2005 -- Workers at popcorn production plants may be exposed to vapors that may cause lung disease, according to a study. Researchers, whose study appears in the August issue of Chest, say severe airway obstruction and irreversible damage to the lungs has been reported in microwave popcorn pr

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153. Viagra Ingredient OK'd for Lung Problem
     

     June 8, 2005 -- The FDA has approved Viagra's active ingredient to treat pulmonary hypertension, a rare, life-shortening lung disorder that causes high blood pressure in the lungs. Viagra's maker, Pfizer, a WebMD sponsor, announced the approval in a news release. Pfizer will repackage Viagra's key i

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154. Whooping Cough Shot Targets Youths, Adults
     

     June 2, 2005 -- A new booster shot for whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria, and tetanus appears to work in adolescents and adults, and it's as safe as older versions. The new shot, called Adacel, is not yet on the market. In early May, the FDA approved a similar combination booster shot, called B

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155. Bacteria in Hot Tub May Hurt Lungs
     

     May 24, 2005 (San Diego) -- Patients who suffer from cough and breathlessness may be victims of what doctors call hot tub lung, Minnesota researchers report at the American Thoracic Society international meeting. "Doctors often don't think to ask their patients if they have been using a hot tub," sa

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156. Pope Has Surgery to Help Him Breathe
     

     Feb. 24, 2005 -- Pope John Paul II has undergone surgery – called a tracheostomy -- to help him breathe easier, the Vatican reports. It's unclear exactly why the Pope needed this procedure. However, he was admitted to the hospital in early February with airway spasms arising from flu complications.

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157. New Tuberculosis Vaccine May Stop Disease
     

     Feb. 3, 2005 -- A new vaccine that uses gene therapy to boost the body's defenses against tuberculosis may help completely eliminate the bacteria from the body and prevent the disease from coming back. Researchers say current medications cannot completely rid the body of the bacteria that cause tube

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158. Air Pollution Tied to Heart Disease, Stroke
     

     Nov. 8, 2004 (New Orleans) -- Air pollution may raise your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to researchers from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The air pollution finding is based on data from two clinical trials with a total of almost 800 adults in the Los Angeles ar

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159. Tuberculosis Drug May Help Fear of Heights
     

     Nov. 8, 2004 -- A drug used to treat tuberculosis may help people overcome their fear of heights and other phobias. Researchers found adding the drug to behavioral therapy using virtual reality helped people with a fear of heights (acrophobia) overcome their phobia and anxiety faster and more effect

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160. Pollution Retards Lung Development in Kids
     

     Sept. 8, 2004 -- Children who live in areas with the poorest air quality are five times as likely to have lung development problems as those breathing cleaner air, according to findings from the largest and longest study ever published on the effect of air pollution on the health of kids and adolesc

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