More articles >>

Asthma Rates Higher Near Busy Highway


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health 
News, Health Headlines (OWH)

June 29, 2012

Researchers suspect emissions from vehicle may inflame the lungs.

Residents of homes that are located near congested highways have higher rates of asthma, new research finds.

Living close to a busy highway was not linked to seasonal allergies, which suggests that emissions from cars could increase the risk for inflammatory lung disease, researchers from SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in New York said.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of asthma among 62 Brooklyn residents living close to Interstate 278, also known as the Gowanus Expressway, and those living in the same area but farther from the highway. The researchers found higher rates of asthma among the people living closer to the Interstate.

"Our participants were randomly recruited and we observed that the patients who reported asthma live significantly closer to the Gowanus Expressway, compared to the healthy controls who live in the same area, but at a longer distance from the Gowanus," Dr. Maria-Anna Vastardi, of SUNY Downstate, said in a university news release.

The study was to be presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting in Orlando. The research was also published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on asthma.

(SOURCE: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, news release, June 26, 2012)

What is Super Doctors?
Super Doctors Magazine

Super Doctors identifies top doctors as selected by their peers and the independent research of MSP Communications. Please note: Doctors cannot pay to be included on Super Doctors® listings nor are they paid to provide input.

Super Doctors is published online and also in print as a special advertising section in leading newspapers and city and regional magazines.

Click here for more details



Browse Super Doctors
Browse Medical Specialties

More ...

Browse
Locations

More ...