To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - ACCP: Urban Living Linked To Asthma In Doctors URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1E7D96.htm Doctor's Guide October 24, 2000
By Ed Susman Special to DG News
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- October 24, 2000 -- Urban areas are known as centers of high incidence of asthma among children - and now a new study indicates that living in cities apparently increases the risk of asthma among doctors as well.
Researchers said at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, New York, tested 51 pediatric residents who had been at the hospital for more than a year and found that 18 of them had asthma-including 11 doctors who had no previous indications of the disease.
Even among the seven doctors who had asthma previously, the fact that they were living in The Bronx resulted in worsening symptoms, said Dr. Scott Schroeder, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Montefiore.
"I don't think the development of asthma is related to treating patients with the disease," Dr. Schroeder said at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in San Francisco, California, "but has to do with living in The Bronx."
Dr. Schroeder said one in three children who live in certain neighborhoods in The Bronx have asthma. "This is a disease of industrialization," he said, noting that the condition is found often less in agricultural or rural areas than in urban areas.
Dr. Schroeder began looking into the incidence of asthma among the pediatric staff, he said, when several staff members mentioned they were having asthma-like symptoms-coughs, breathlessness and colds-that seemed to last longer than usual.
About 80 percent of the doctors with new asthma symptoms had family history of allergic reactions, Dr. Schroeder said, indicating that whatever is causing the asthma in inner cities may be triggering reactions in people who are genetically predisposed to the lung condition.
"It is possible that environment may have a greater influence on the development of asthma than we have previously suspected," he said.
Exactly what may be triggering the reactions is not known, but Dr. Schroeder suspects that more than one trigger may be required.
Dr. Stephanie Levine, MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, agreed. "I think there are a variety of factors. Certainly, there is a link to the cockroach triggering allergic and asthmatic reactions. Even though doctors may live in better housing than many of the patients, the New York City cockroach is ubiquitous and can be found in even the best housing areas in cities."
Dr. Schroeder said that when residents left The Bronx for less populated areas, their conditions improved. He said four of the residents in his study have moved to such areas and reported a decrease in symptoms. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.