Blog
-
World Asthma Day 2021: Reflective on a Year of Challenge and Resilience
For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended everyone’s lives. From the millions of lives lost to the growing economic inequities to the massive changes in our experiences with school, work, and community, the impacts of COVID-19 are vast and ongoing. For World Asthma Day 2021, we reflect on how the pandemic has affected…
-
The Role of Airborne Transmission of COVID-19 and Mitigation Measures
Back in October, 2020, we shared a link to a document of FAQs on Protecting Yourself from COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission, developed collaboratively by scientists and engineers with many years of collective research experience related to indoor air quality, aerosol science, aerosol disease transmission, and engineered control systems for aerosols. While the authors continue to update…
-
Inhaled Budesonide Shows Promise as a Treatment of Early COVID-19
As shared in RAMP’s previous updates on emerging research related to COVID-19 and asthma, multiple early reports of patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 showed that people with asthma and other chronic respiratory disease were significantly under-represented. Some researchers have suggested that asthma might provide some protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes. On April 9,…
-
Freight Automation: Dangers, Threats, and Opportunities for Health and Equity
Freight Automation: Dangers, Threats, and Opportunities for Health and Equity takes a deep dive into how automation in the freight transportation system affects the health of workers, communities, and the environment — and also how these effects will be inequitably felt by people with low incomes and communities of color. Background The freight transportation system in…
-
Study Highlights Associations Between Environmental Chemicals and Asthma
In the February edition of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health contains an article examining the connections between environmental chemicals and asthma. The study reports “environmental chemicals, prioritized for investigation in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative… which are associated or possible associated with asthma.” The researchers note “exposures to polyaromatic hydrocarbons and…
-
Researchers Examine Environmental and Lifestyle Determinants of Asthma Using Exposome Approach
The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’s January 2021 edition features an article examining asthma using the exposome approach, looking at all exposures of an individual and how they relate to health. The researchers review recent studies “linking multiple families of exposures to asthma-related outcomes.” While they note studies “showed differences in terms…
-
California Department of Public Health’s “Mold in the Home Webinar” Available Online
The California Department of Public Health has released its “Mold in the Home Webinar: Community Health, Indoor Air Quality, and Tenants’ Rights” online for viewing. The webinar features several experts addressing common questions surrounding mold in the home. To view the webinar, click here. The questions and answers from the session can be viewed here.…
-
“Solutions for Supporting Healthy Children: Managing In-Home Environmental Asthma Triggers During the Pandemic” Available Online
The Environmental Protection Agency hosted a webinar titled “Solutions for Supporting Healthy Children: Managing In-Home Environmental Asthma Triggers During the Pandemic” on January 26th, 2021. The recording is now available online. The webinar focuses on best practices and lessons learned during the pandemic, featuring how to deliver effective in-home asthma care and environmental intervention. It…
-
“The Connection between Asthma and Toxic Stress” Webinar Available from Center for Youth Wellness
There is a heavy body of growing research that indicates an association between asthma and toxic stress. Currently, there are no standard asthma management guidelines that account for the impact of asthma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress on asthma. In May 2020, the National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress (NCATS), a partnership…
-
Admissions to US Hospitals Decreased in 2020 Across an Array of Pediatric Conditions, Including Asthma
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network – Open looked at over 5 million admissions at 49 hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information Systems database, comparing 2020 data to prior years. They found a significant reduction (up to 45.4%) in admissions across numerous health issues. The following graph shows pediatric hospital admissions…
-
Webinar recording: Comparing the Focused EPR-3 Updates and the Global Initiatives for Asthma Guidelines
In late 2020, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) released Focused Updates to its Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3). Since then, there have been several opportunities for asthma stakeholders to learn about the updated recommendations and to consider how they may be incorporated into work with patients with asthma.…
-
Medical Groups Declare Asthma Is Not a Risk Factor for Severe COVID Outcomes
Many states have entered the stage of COVID-19 vaccine distribution that prioritizes people with certain health conditions that put them at high risk for extreme complications from COVID-19. This has led many health care professionals serving patients with asthma to ask, “is asthma a risk factor for severe disease?” The American Academy of Allergy Asthma…