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

Reuters - A tailored approach, involving cockroach extermination and using air cleaners to reduce dust, smoke and levels of other indoor allergens may consequently reduce asthma symptoms in inner-city children, new study findings suggest.

Reuters - Children with asthma, especially young children, miss more days of school than those without asthma, according to a new report.

Reuters - Adults with a history of childhood asthma frequently have irreversible deficits in lung function, a study shows. Longer duration of childhood asthma and premature birth increase the likelihood of lung trouble later in life, the researchers found.

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Asthma inhalers with steroid medications were much less likely to be prescribed to minority patients and children during the first few years after they were introduced in United States in the 1980s, says a study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Policy.