August 21, 2020

Play It Safe With Allergies, Asthma During Pandemic School Year

FRIDAY, Aug. 21, 2020 -- As parents deal with the uncertainty surrounding school this year, allergies and asthma may not be top of their minds.

But even during a pandemic, parents of children with allergies and asthma need to consider the added risks their children may face, one allergist says.

August 5, 2020

Brush With Common Cold Might Help Protect Against COVID-19

TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2020 -- Since the pandemic began, it's been known that the severity of coronavirus illness varies widely between people. Could the common cold be the reason why?

It's still just a theory, but researchers in California suspect that if you've recently had a cold -- many of which are also caused by coronaviruses -- your immune system's T-cells might recognize SARS-CoV-2 and help fight it.

July 17, 2020

Are Food Allergies Under-Diagnosed in Poor Families?

TUESDAY, June 2, 2020 -- Food allergies may be under-diagnosed among children covered by Medicaid, a new study suggests.

"We were surprised to find such a large discrepancy in estimates of food allergy prevalence in children on Medicaid compared to the general population," said senior study author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and food allergy researcher at Children's Hospital of Chicago.

July 9, 2020

Many Cases of 'Penicillin Allergy' Might Be Mistaken

WEDNESDAY, July 8, 2020 -- Penicillin allergy is often unconfirmed in hospital patients, meaning many unnecessarily receive other antibiotics that may be less effective and even harmful, a new study finds.

The researchers analyzed records of nearly 11,000 patients at 106 U.S. hospitals and found that 16% of those with a self-reported penicillin allergy were twice as likely to be prescribed alternative antibiotics.

June 29, 2020

How the Saharan Dust Plume Could Make Your Allergies Worse

THURSDAY, June 25, 2020 -- As the giant Saharan dust plume continues its 5,000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean, experts warn that people in its path can expect to have flare-ups of allergies and asthma.

The massive dust cloud is expected to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast this week.