HealthDay - MONDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of American adults with serious asthma believe they only have asthma when they experience symptoms, and many forego using medications when they feel symptom-free, new research shows.

Reuters - Individuals with asthma who are overweight may not respond as well to inhaled steroids as their leaner counterparts, a study hints. However, higher body weight or BMI does not appear to reduce response to a different type of asthma medication known as "leukotriene antagonists."

Reuters - Children with grass pollen allergy are prone to develop asthma. A new study shows that specific grass pollen immunotherapy appears to be a safe and effective treatment for children with seasonal allergic asthma who react to grass pollen, doctors report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Reuters - A pilot program of The New York Academy of Medicine identifies 2-year-olds with probable asthma and facilitates treatment. The initiative has significantly curbed asthma symptoms among children in subsidized preschool and Head Start programs in East Harlem and the Lower East Side.

AP - The asthma medication Advair and a related drug will bear stronger warnings of an increased risk of death associated with one of their ingredients.

HealthDay - SATURDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- The link between maternal health and childhood asthma is becoming clearer.

HealthDay - SATURDAY, March 4 (HealthDay News) -- The link between maternal health and childhood asthma is becoming clearer.

Reuters - Young adults with asthma appear to be at greater risk of becoming obese later in life -- and childhood depression may play a role in the connection, according to researchers.

Reuters - Face masks, used in combination with pressurized inhalers and holding chambers, are supposed to make it easier to treat asthma in young children. However, some masks cause discomfort and reduce the amount of medication kids end up getting, researchers report.

Reuters - Children who have airway hyperresponsiveness, a symptom of asthma, and allergic manifestations have an increased risk of developing asthma by the time they become adults, according to Danish researchers.

Reuters - In a study of children with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma, treatment with fluticasone (Flovent), an inhaled steroid, was consistently more effective than treatment with montelukast (Singulair), an oral anti-asthma drug from the leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) class of agents, investigators report.

AP - Trains and boats powered by diesel-fueled engines cause about 4,400 premature deaths, nearly 5,700 nonfatal heart attacks and more than 73,000 asthma attacks in children, says a study by associations representing air pollution control officials.

AP - A two-drug treatment may one day help restore healthy breathing in those with asthma and chronic bronchitis, according to a study at Washington University in St. Louis.

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The nitrogen dioxide emitted by gas stoves and unvented heaters can be a health hazard to children with asthma, leading to increased wheezing, persistent cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, experts report.

AP - A two-drug treatment may one day help restore healthy breathing in those with asthma and chronic bronchitis, according to a study at Washington University in St. Louis.

Reuters - Indoor exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from gas-fueled stoves, even at levels well below the Environmental Protection Agency outdoor standard, may cause respiratory symptoms in asthmatic children living in multi-family housing units, new research suggests.

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The nitrogen dioxide emitted by gas stoves and unvented heaters can be a health hazard to children with asthma, leading to increased wheezing, persistent cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, experts report.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Inhaled corticosteroids are more effective than another class of drugs called leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) in treating persistent asthma in school-age children, a new study concludes.

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Inhaled corticosteroids are more effective than another class of drugs called leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) in treating persistent asthma in school-age children, a new study concludes.

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A large study on the popular asthma medication salmeterol was halted after researchers uncovered evidence that the drug may pose a slightly higher risk for respiratory and asthma-related deaths among black patients.