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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / July 2005Antibiotics for ever
After three sinus surgeries my sinuses are very open. The scan shows clear and wide openings at the entrance of all sinuses. However, just five months after my last surgery the CT scan report shows: " Diffusely thickened mucosa lying in the residual ethmoid labyrinth bilaterally with less severe involvement of the sphenoid sinuses. There is thickened mucosa in the floor of the maxillary antra bilaterally ... and diffuse thickening of the mucosa within the nasal airway ". That is to say, thick mucus stuck in almost all my sinuses. The thick mucus even shows in the endoscope, big isolated balls in different places. It appears that I produce very thick mucus that does not drain. As a consequence, my ENT says that we have exhausted the surgical options and that long term drug treatment is the only option. I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some nasal steroid. If I stop the antibiotics an infection comes for sure in four to five days. I have tried many times already to stop the antibiotics. This is ugly because, so much infection has caused my lungs to become infected as well as soon as I stop the antibiotics. Once the antibiotics kick in, I have been feeling reasonably well up until recently, although not as well lately. Only once, from a sample during surgery, did they identify a bug in the cultures. I think I am already experiencing the diminishing benefits of the antibiotics. Let's hope the bacteria does not become resistant to the antibiotics, because without their effect I see that my body cannot cope. >After three sinus surgeries my sinuses are very open. The scan shows >clear and wide openings at the entrance of all sinuses. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >That is to say, thick mucus stuck in almost all my sinuses. Actually by thickened mucosa tehy mean that the linings of the sinus are thinkening due to allergy or infection or.... >The thick mucus even shows in the endoscope, big isolated balls in >different places. Hmm that could be fungal I think. I'm not saying it is definitely... >It appears that I produce very thick mucus that does not drain. Everyone does if their sinuses are infected or inflamed. I would get additional opinions. Go to Mayo if necessary since they know fungal well. Also check thyroid, white blood cell morphology, B12 vitamin level, immune status, diet for any possible sysntem problem. And try to identify and eliminate allergens! >As a consequence, my ENT says that we have exhausted the surgical >options and that long term drug treatment is the only option. > >I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some >asal steroid. ..... > After three sinus surgeries my sinuses are very open. The scan shows > clear and wide openings at the entrance of all sinuses. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > Let's hope the bacteria does not become resistant to the antibiotics, > because without their effect I see that my body cannot cope. Thickened mucus is very likely to be the result of allergy, certainly is in my case. Desensitization has been very helpful to me. Susan Hi, I had the same problem. This is only a suggestion that worked for me. It is a lot to do. Anyways. I keep the humidity at 30-35% I replaced my carpet. It holds dust and junk like a magnet. I have allergies, dustmites /mold/ect like most/many people. The low humidity kept this way down. I had 3 home inspector test. The first was very high mold/dustmites ect. The last was almost no dustmites no mold. Also No milk for 60 days and cut way down on dairy.( as in almost none) Take a multivitamin and calcium tab. daily.. No pop. No colas . Except clear ones. More water. Mattress covers (dustmite type) And pillow cases also. If you know your allergy sourse great if not try to find it.Its very hard to find out most of the times. But if you can it will help greatly as it could be more than one or two. I started this last year. Yes it took me a year to get it right. Now I am off all clariton, zertec, OTC sprays (the worst) and all steroid sprays. I was in very bad shape last year. and was lined up for surgery to remove polyps and septum oorrection and turbinates to a DR that needed money. Then the third Dr said it was only polyps. And they are shrinking. I used some alternative meds that help. But I dont spam so just do reading on them. I did over 200 hours of research and today I can smell and breath 60% compared to 20% Before. I was mouth breathing. So be careful. In the future I might get the polyps removed but as of now I wont. I also have 3 hepa filtrs. I buy wholesale but at least get one in your bedroom and get rid of the carpet and keep it spotless. It worked for me. But are you willing to do all this? I did. I was on 4 antibiotics. Felt very bad. Also if you drink wine ..STOP. Any questions let me know. This worked for me . Good luck >Hi, I had the same problem. This is only a suggestion that worked for >me. It is a lot to do. Anyways. I keep the humidity at 30-35% I replaced [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >drink wine ..STOP. Any questions let me know. This worked for me . Good >luck These are excellent tips and I have found also that things like this are the ultimate answer. Some people (not all) will still benefit from surgery first if they are in bad shape , but after surgery they still need to do the above or the process will just start all over again. It is hard because the methods you outline will not work well unless done to a very rigorous degree, so many people will give up after a limited effort that did nto seem promising. You must be a very disciplined individual to stick to it. I think that a lot of ENTsurgeons and allergists have learned from extensive experience that few patients will stick to rigid environmental control. The doctors do still offer the pamplets etc. but I can tell that they do not really expect that approach to be followed by most people well enough to work. Of course, they cannot actually say that...... How can you stand the noise of the portable HEPA filters? I never could. I did notice that they had an immediate effect if you are very close to them. The nose will open right up. Sigh - that's the way our noses were intended to be all the time - not practically closed up as our body makes a valiant attempt to keep out allergens and irritants..... I live in London, UK. My last (second) ENT, seems to be at the forefront of the discipline. He used image guided surgery with laser and did minimally invasive opening of the ostia, very little else. I had almost no bleeding afterwards and was home the same day. In my prior two surgeries, by a different ENT, the bleeding and recovery were horrendous (although there was plenty of polyps removed, turbinates scision, ethmoidectomy, etc.) During this last intervention, no fungal infection was found. E-coli infection was identified in the maxillary, even though I was on antibiotics at the time. The bug was sensitive to ciprofloxacin which I took for a while. No allegies have been identified. I have been tested for allegies a couple of times, with blood samples and with pricking of the skin through liquid dots on the arm. Is it still possible that I might be allergic to something? I do have plenty of carpets around me but they are not specially dusty. Although there was once a clear infection in one lobe of my right lung, about a year ago, recent x-rays and even an expensive and detailed scan reveal normal lungs. Only some whizzing. It seems to me that thick mucus get stuck to my trachea, I can feel it, and that causes the whizzing. If I let it rest for a few days it becomes infected. I mention the thick mucus because when I irrigate my sinuses I frequently produce large balls of thick mucus that I saw in the endoscopy lying around throught the sinuses. I will try a 60 day dairy free period. I have never done it. I will mention my GP about thyroid, white blood cell morphology, B12 vitamin level, immune status. Can you please explain what you mean about white blood cell morphology, B12 vitamin level and immune status. Many thanks, Antonio >I live in London, UK. My last (second) ENT, seems to be at the >forefront of the discipline. He used image guided surgery with laser >and did minimally invasive opening of the ostia, very little else. He may be forefront of the discipline but image-guided surgery does not imply that. It has its pluses and its minuses. > I >had almost no bleeding afterwards and was home the same day. In my [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >couple of times, with blood samples and with pricking of the skin >through liquid dots on the arm. Did any red blotches appear and if so to what? >Is it still possible that I might be allergic to something? I do have >plenty of carpets around me but they are not specially dusty. Yes you may be sensitive to dust without testing positive to it. >Although there was once a clear infection in one lobe of my right lung, >about a year ago, recent x-rays and even an expensive and detailed scan [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >frequently produce large balls of thick mucus that I saw in the >endoscopy lying around throught the sinuses. >I will try a 60 day dairy free period. I have never done it. There is no scientific evidence that dairy needs to be avoided unlss you are allergic to it. But by all means try it if you want.. It is a useless food anyway except for calcium. >I will mention my GP about thyroid, white blood cell morphology, B12 >vitamin level, immune [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > B12 vitamin level and immune >status. They are standard tests for different forms of anemia or immunodeficiency that shoudl be considered as a possible cause of sinusitis. > These are excellent tips and I have found also that things like this are the > ultimate answer. Some people (not all) will still benefit from surgery first > if they are in bad shape , but after surgery they still need to do the above > or the process will just start all over again. I've taken similar measures, though the house I moved into last year has all wood floors, so that part was easy. The only rugs are area rugs which can be completely cleaned on both sides. > It is hard because the methods you outline will not work well unless done to a > very rigorous degree, so many people will give up after a limited effort that > did nto seem promising. One has to keep after dust. My housecleaner and I routinely tear apart closets, dusting every item in them, and I vacuum the tops of clothes in the clothes closet. The backs of furniture and hanging art must be dusted, too. > You must be a very disciplined individual to stick to it. Or have a very cooperative housecleaner. > I think that a lot of ENTsurgeons and allergists have learned from extensive > experience that few patients will stick to rigid environmental control. The > doctors do still offer the pamplets etc. but I can tell that they do not really > expect that approach to be followed by most people well enough to work. Of > course, they cannot actually say that...... Some stuff is easy; encasements for mattress, foundation and pillows. Hot water washing of all bedding, including pads weekly. I mix a water, vinegar and alchohol spray to use after every shower to prevent mold before I step out of the bathroom. > How can you stand the noise of the portable HEPA filters? I never could. I > did notice that they had an immediate effect if you are very close to them. > The nose will open right up. Sigh - that's the way our noses were intended to > be all the time - not practically closed up as our body makes a valiant attempt > to keep out allergens and irritants..... I bought one known for a silent setting, and it virtually is, but I find the very soft white noise of the medium setting less annoying than the hum of the ultra quiet setting. I bought a cleaner larger than needed for my BR and it makes a hyooge difference when it's on. Susan >.... >I bought one known for a silent setting, and it virtually is, but I find >the very soft white noise of the medium setting less annoying than the >hum of the ultra quiet setting. I bought a cleaner larger than needed >for my BR and it makes a hyooge difference when it's on. Maybe I will try some more of them. I am very sensitive to noise and cannot sleep with anyh of the ones I have tried so far running..... >>.... >>I bought one known for a silent setting, and it virtually is, but I find [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I am very sensitive to noise and cannot sleep with anyh of the ones I have > tried so far running..... I'm sensitive to noise, too, which is why the "silent" setting bugged me so much. It makes an annoyingly present very low hummmmm. But the medium setting is very soft and steady. Negligible, even pleasant. I bought a BlueAir 601 for my BR, which is why I can set it so low. If I had to do it over again, I'd buy the much more economical Austin Health Mate and use it on low. Susan >>Hi, I had the same problem. This is only a suggestion that worked for >>me. It is a lot to do. Anyways. I keep the humidity at 30-35% I replaced [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >>multivitamin and calcium tab. daily.. No pop. No colas . Except clear >>ones. More water. Mattress covers (dustmite type) And pillow cases also. > These are excellent tips and I have found also that things like this are the > ultimate answer. Not for everyone, unfortunately. I was tested three times by three different allergists and the allergy tests were all negative. If I'm allergic to something, it's not one of the things they test for. Nor did I ever have any allergy symptoms in my entire life prior to developing chronic sinusitis. I never needed to take antihistamines, etc. Thus for me to engage in a program of rigid environmental control would be expensive and tedious with no real assurance it would result in any improvement. As I've posted here before, I developed chronic sinusitis almost immediately after taking a flu shot in September 1993. That suggests I had a bad allergic reaction to it. That may be permanent.  SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. Hi, Don, The hepa filters are loud. I have 3. One in my living room on medium speed. Which has a programable timer, so i keep it off if im reading ect. And on high at night which I can not hear.The one in the other bedroom is always on high. Thie air in your house will move around from heat or a/c or just normal air movemen curent (even if it is slow) The third is in my bedroom. I bought a super quiet model that I keep on high when Im gone and low when I sleep. It actually makes me sleep goo because its a very slow quiet sound. But please try the 60 day no milk (cows) and low diary products. I drank 2 glasses a day in the last week and my sinuses are clogging a little. I will now stop again. I had to see if this was a small part of the problem. And for me it is. Live and learn. There are alternative meds also that can help. I used Bi Pian and it can help open you up a little. There are many companies that make this. Some dont work and some do. Do a search. They helped me a lot in the beginning but seem to taper off. But I think its cause I dont stick with it. As you said in your other letter. Keep the humidity at 30-35%. I can tell you it keeps everything in check. No bugs, mold, dustmites ect. Dont do it for 2-3 days. Try it for 2 months. Then plesae let me know. Thank you. Cando Idea is also good. It worked 2 times for me at 10/1 ratio of peroxide. But I would do 12/1 ratio or 15/1 ratio. It helped when I was at my worst. And I used it in a irragator also. A bit stinky and glogged me for a day but it got much better for 3-4 days. There is something there that someone should fogus on cause it has a great possibilty. But then it made is very bad. So I had to stop.But it did help getting through the infectin stage. So use at your own risk. And if you drink wine. Stop. Switch to beer or whatever. Againn 30-60 days. Been there done that. Good luck >Hi, Don, The hepa filters are loud. I have 3. One in my living room on >medium speed. Which has a programable timer, so i keep it off if im >reading ect. And on high at night which I can not hear Oh that's an ineteresting idea... >.The one in the >other bedroom is always on high. Thie air in your house will move around [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >because its a very slow quiet sound. But please try the 60 day no milk >(cows) and low diary products. I myself am vegetarian and do use any dairy pruducts anyway. > I drank 2 glasses a day in the last week >and my sinuses are clogging a little. I will now stop again. I had to [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >And if you drink wine. Stop. Switch to beer or whatever. Againn 30-60 >days. Been there done that. Good luck Yes, it is hard to stick with this. If you cant do it all at once then do a few. You must find the cause of the problem instead of masking it with drugs. My first suggestions: NO MILK, NO WINE, DEHUMIDIFIER at 30-35% Get them dam rugs out or replace. They are just dust magnets. I have some rugs but they are dry. Just try it for a monh or 2. Spend the money on the dehumidifier and the electricity and try it. It was very hard for me to spend over 200 hours reading and learning. You just have to find what works for you. It will not happen overnight. Oh and get rid of old newspapers cardboard in basement rag dolls. clothes. Just give it away. Wht keep damp moldy junk tthat you thing you need but will never use. BASEMENT? Good luck 30-35% humidity > Hi, I had the same problem. This is only a suggestion that worked for > me. It is a lot to do. Anyways. I keep the humidity at 30-35% I replaced [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > ones. More water. Mattress covers (dustmite type) And pillow cases also. > If you know your allergy sourse great if not try to find it. That's all well and good. But if the person has a continuing bacterial infection, treating putative allergies won't necessarily cure it. With most people, surgery to improve drainage plus whatever treatment it takes to keep the sinuses open enables the immune system to eventually fight off the infection. But with me, that hasn't happened. After two surgeries, my sinuses are wide open, yet they continue to secrete small amounts of yellow-green mucus every day as as if there is still a low-level infection in there. My ENT has pretty much given up too. I'm thinking of consulting with an infectious disease specialist to see if vancomycin might succeed where every other antibiotic has failed; or if intravenous antibiotics might succeed. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. > That's all well and good. > But if the person has a continuing bacterial infection, treating > putative allergies won't necessarily cure it. True, it won't. Butit can help to create a respiratory environment less hospitable to infections, though. Taking the allergy precautions along with aggressive desensitization keeps me from getting the thickened secretions that make my sinuses likely to clog up and sequester infections. > With most people, surgery > to improve drainage plus whatever treatment it takes to keep the sinuses > open enables the immune system to eventually fight off the infection. I'm hoping to avoid the need for surgery. So far, so good, but it isn't cold season yet. :-/ > But with me, that hasn't happened. After two surgeries, my sinuses are > wide open, yet they continue to secrete small amounts of yellow-green [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > where every other antibiotic has failed; or if intravenous antibiotics > might succeed. Vancomycin is a very aggressive and risky choice; you could trade hearing and tinnitus problems, etc. for your sinus infection, and that's just for starters. Has anything been cultured from your sinuses recently? Susan > Vancomycin is a very aggressive and risky choice; you could trade > hearing and tinnitus problems, etc. for your sinus infection, and that's > just for starters. Has anything been cultured from your sinuses recently? Unfortunately, my ENT and the lab he uses don't culture for anaerobes or fungi. The last culture I had, 3 years ago, showed I might have Enterococcus faecalis. That's resistant to just about every oral antibiotic except amoxicillin (which I'm allergic to) and vancomycin. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >> Vancomycin is a very aggressive and risky choice; you could trade >> hearing and tinnitus problems, etc. for your sinus infection, and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > faecalis. That's resistant to just about every oral antibiotic except > amoxicillin (which I'm allergic to) and vancomycin. Have you considered desensitization to amoxicillin? If you need it, that is. I was told I was penicillin allergic after developing giant all body hives and swollen lips on it as a kid. Similar thing happened on a cephalosporin with joint involvement in my 20s. Then I was rx'ed a related drug decades later with no ill effects. Had myself tested and I was neg. for allergy to both. I take them with no problems. In *my* case (can't say what your issue is) it was a likely die off reaction to endotoxins produced by dying pathogens. Susan > x-no-archive: yes > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > related drug decades later with no ill effects. Had myself tested and I > was neg. for allergy to both. I take them with no problems. I had myself tested two years ago and I'm still as allergic to penicillin as ever. I'm so allergic (I reacted at the lowest concentration dose) that my desensitization should be reserved for truly life-threatening situations. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. > I had myself tested two years ago and I'm still as allergic to > penicillin as ever. I'm so allergic (I reacted at the lowest > concentration dose) that my desensitization should be reserved for truly > life-threatening situations. YIPES. :-( Susan >That's all well and good. >But if the person has a continuing bacterial infection, treating [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >wide open, yet they continue to secrete small amounts of yellow-green >mucus every day as as if there is still a low-level infection in there. It may be in the ethmoid bone and removing more of the ethmoid bone might help (as per the U. Penn. approach).. > My ENT has pretty much given up too. I'm thinking of consulting with >an infectious disease specialist to see if vancomycin might succeed >where every other antibiotic has failed; or if intravenous antibiotics >might succeed ...or if you have some other form of immune impairment (they can be very subtle you know)..... >>That's all well and good. >>But if the person has a continuing bacterial infection, treating [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > It may be in the ethmoid bone and removing more of the ethmoid bone might help > (as per the U. Penn. approach).. My ENT has raised the possibility of osteomyelitis in the skull, which he has seen in a few of his other patients for whom surgery has failed. In that case, intravenous antibiotics may be my best shot. > ...or if you have some other form of immune impairment (they can be very subtle > you know)..... I had the full battery of immunology tests. Nada. The immune impairment I may have, may be due to that flu shot I had in September 1993. Less than 5 hours after the flu shot, I got a flood of yellow mucus pouring down the back of my throat, making me choke and gag--that was the very first (though not the last) time in my entire life. I've been sick with chronic sinusitis ever since. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >> It may be in the ethmoid bone and removing more of the ethmoid bone might help >> (as per the U. Penn. approach).. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >gag--that was the very first (though not the last) time in my entire >life. I've been sick with chronic sinusitis ever since. Mayo is very good at looking for things like that. When I was there, for an opinion on chronic low-level infections and sinusitis, they were almost at the point of doing a bone marrow biopsy. They also checked diet, infectious disease etc. No other place came anywhere near that level of thoroughness and scope..... If anyone does go there , have a general internal medicine appointment as well as one with ENT.... >>>It may be in the ethmoid bone and removing more of the ethmoid bone might help >>>(as per the U. Penn. approach).. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > also checked diet, infectious disease etc. No other place came anywhere near > that level of thoroughness and scope..... How did that work, exactly? If I go there, will I first get an appointment with an ENT and he has to decide which other specialists to refer me to? Because I'm sick and tired of seeing an ENT who just looks at my CT scan, says "You look fine" and sends me home to suffer some more. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >> Mayo is very good at looking for things like that. >> [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >refer me to? Because I'm sick and tired of seeing an ENT who just looks >at my CT scan, says "You look fine" and sends me home to suffer some more. Their policy is that if you have more than one complaint, you see an internal medicine specialist first. They will assign one if you want. You can still make other appointments (e.g with an ENT) in advance also. So in my opinion it is best to have more than one complaint. I initially saw an ENT on the Monday by appointment, but since it turned out that I had some other complaints too, he just ordered a CT scan (that was my first) and then deferred until later in the week. So I spent the first half of the week with Dr. Shirger (I think it was) in Internal Medicine. Dr. Shirger was the one that was extremely thorough doing every test known to man and calling in infectious disease specialists, dieticians, hematologists etc. in rapid succession, all because I said I got frequent minor infections. It is like see Dr. X at 10 o'clock ad Dr. Y at 1 p.m. and Dr. Z. at 3. p.m and then back to Dr. X. again etc. etc. for 2 or 3 days. They schedule it all then and there. He was pursuing various hypotheses based on lab tests that they did and re-did. He did spot a dietary cause in my case that was contributing anyway. He was also very interested in blood pressure etc. Lots of luck getting that anywhere else! The ENT was patient and communicative but did not have anythingh to do with most of it. I think getting a good internal medicine specialist is most important. You could perhaps research and see who available, or at least try to get a senior one. Don On 7/8/05 7:32 AM, in article e8wze.402$dU3.312@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net, "Steven L." <sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net> wrote: > But with me, that hasn't happened. After two surgeries, my sinuses are > wide open, yet they continue to secrete small amounts of yellow-green > mucus every day as as if there is still a low-level infection in there. The usual mechanism here is that the cilia haven't returned to function. Without the cilia moving the mucus out of the nose, the bacteria sit there and multiply. The thicker the mucus, the less cilia movement is going on. > After three sinus surgeries my sinuses are very open. The scan shows > clear and wide openings at the entrance of all sinuses. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > That is to say, thick mucus stuck in almost all my sinuses. No, "mucosa" means the mucous *membranes* of the sinuses. The sinus linings have become thickened again, a sign of continuing sinus trouble. > The thick mucus even shows in the endoscope, big isolated balls in > different places. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some > nasal steroid. It is possible that you have a pocket of infection somewhere that is too small to show up on the CT scan or via endoscopy. It is even possible that the infection has penetrated into the bone of your skull (osteomyelitis). In such cases, intravenous (IV) antibiotics have been found to be more successful than oral antibiotics. You might want to consult with an infectious disease specialist. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. "I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some nasal steroid" A very bad idea. If you don't have already have fungal sinusitis, this is a good way to make sure that you get it. I know you are thinking - you are damned if you take antibiotics and damned if you don't but you will be damned worse if you do. Woody "I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some nasal steroid" A sure fire way to get fungal sinusitis, or if you already have it, to make it worse. e.g. http://iai.asm.org/cgi/content/full/72/9/4996?view=long&pmid=15321991 Its not worth trading short term relief for much more severe problems in the near to intermediate future. Woody On 7/9/05 11:43 AM, in article 1120934604.022015.16490@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "Woody Long" <woodylong30@hotmail.com> wrote: > "I am now on permanent, long term, non-stop, antibiotics. Plus some > nasal steroid" [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Woody This study correlates exactly with what happened in Germany. In west Germany kids got antibiotic with each sniffle. Lots of asthma. In east Germany kids got sympathy . Little asthma. Yet, east Germany had much more pollution, toxins, etc. Same population, same diet, etc. Conclusion: too much antibiotic = increased asthma. Now that the two Germanies are united, about the same incidence of asthma. > On 7/9/05 11:43 AM, in article > 1120934604.022015.16490@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "Woody Long" [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Conclusion: too much antibiotic = increased asthma. > Now that the two Germanies are united, about the same incidence of asthma. A similiar phenomenon has been identified with Mexican kids born in the USA versus Mexico. U.S.-Born Mexican-American Kids at Higher Asthma Risk Those born in Mexico displayed fewer symptoms, and experts wonder why FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Mexican-American children born in the United States are at increased risk of asthma compared to children born in Mexico but now living in America, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data on more than 4,100 Mexican-American children and compared the prevalence of asthma and wheezing during the previous year among those who were born in the United States and those born south of the border. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago and the University of Southern California, found that U.S.-born children were much more likely to report wheezing and a diagnosis of asthma than those born in Mexico. Children born in the U.S. were also more likely to have a history of ear infection, a parental history of asthma or hay fever, and to report regularly attending a specific health-care facility compared to children born in Mexico. Breastfeeding was more common among children born in Mexico, the researchers added, while maternal smoking during pregnancy was more likely among children born in the United States. The findings suggest that something in the environment is dramatically different between Mexico and the United States, according to the researchers. Variations in diagnostic practices or access to health care are among other possible explanations, they said. The team also noted that since children in the United States are more likely to visit a specific facility to obtain their health care, they may also be more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. However, even taking that factor into account, U.S.-born children still faced a greater risk of asthma than their Mexican-born peers. Social and cultural factors may be another explanation. Certain cultural beliefs may make Mexican immigrants more reluctant to report illness or personal information, the researchers said. They said more research is needed to identify factors influencing differences in asthma risk between the two groups. The findings appear in the July issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. More information The American Lung Association has more about childhood asthma. SOURCE: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, news release, July 8, 2005 Copyright © 2005 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved. Woody posts: FRIDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Mexican-American children born in the United States are at increased risk of asthma compared to children born in Mexico but now living in America, a new study finds. But note this: Variations in diagnostic practices or access to health care are among other possible explanations, they said. The real question is, is there also a heightened incidence of, say, sprained ankles and toothache among the US-born children? The study (at least the quoted part) makes no attempt to control for the "variations in diagnostic practices or access to health care." SignatureAlison Chaiken "From:" address above is valid. (650) 236-2231 [daytime] http://www.wsrcc.com/alison/ Notions and scruples were like spilt needles, making one afraid of treading, or sitting down, or even eating. -- George Eliot
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