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Vitamin D May Prevent Serious Respiratory Disease in Newborns
Posted 10 May 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 10 – Vitamin D supplements for pregnant women may help prevent a respiratory disease called RSV that can lead to pneumonia and other potentially life-threatening illnesses in newborns, Dutch researchers report. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of pneumonia and inflammation of the lower airways (bronchiolitis) in infants in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While most children recover, many are hospitalized and develop respiratory problems that persist well into childhood. "We have no treatment for RSV. The only thing we can do is try to prevent the disease," said lead researcher Dr. Louis Bont, from the department of pediatric infectious diseases at Wilhelmina Children's Hospital and University Medical Center in Utrecht. One way to prevent RSV is for pregnant women to take supplemental vitamin D, ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamin D, Vitamin D3, Cholecalciferol, Ergocalciferol, Drisdol, Delta D3, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Calciferol, D3-5, D 1000 IU, Calcidol, D3-50, D400
Respiratory Infections Major Cause of Childhood Deaths
Posted 17 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, April 16 – As many as 200,000 children under age 5 die worldwide each year because of acute lower-respiratory tract infections caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a new study finds. The researchers called for new prevention and treatment strategies to reduce this major cause of death in young children. The Scottish team analyzed available data and concluded that in 2005 there were 33.8 million new episodes of RSV-associated acute lower-respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) among children under age 5 (22 percent of all ALRI cases). At least 3.4 million of the cases among those children were severe and required hospital admission, and an estimated 66,000 to 199,000 of the children died, with 99 percent of the deaths occurring in developing countries. The case fatality ratio (the proportion of hospitalized children who die) among children in high-income countries was ... Read more
Related support groups: Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Discovery in Lungs May Lead to Treatment for Respiratory Virus
Posted 25 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Dec. 24 – A lipid found in the lungs appears to have the ability to prevent infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is a major cause of infection in babies and can also be dangerous for adults with chronic lung diseases and conditions such as HIV, researchers report. The lipid, known as POPG, seems to help the lungs do a better job of keeping irritants out, according to the new study. "Our findings demonstrate that POPG is a potent antiviral agent both as a prophylactic and after infection has occurred," said study co-author Dennis Voelker, a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver. "While these are still early studies, several characteristics of POPG make me believe that it has real potential as both an antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatment." POPG – palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol – is found in the fluid that lines the lungs' air ... Read more
Related support groups: Respiratory Syncytial Virus
RSV to Blame for 1 in 13 Pediatrician Visits
Posted 4 Feb 2009 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 4 – It's called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a childhood infection that's responsible for one of every 13 visits to a pediatrician, and one of every 38 emergency room trips, a new study found. What's more, the virus is to blame for inpatient hospital stays for one out of every 334 children. And, it's not just kids with underlying lung disease or immune system deficiencies – the virus strikes healthy children, too. "Although we've known for a long time that RSV is highly contagious and that RSV is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children, this study gives us an idea of how common RSV infections are in the various age groups," said the study's lead author, Dr. Caroline Hall, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. Hall said that the incidence of RSV, ... Read more
Related support groups: Respiratory Syncytial Virus
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