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2Jun

Wildfire smoke health risks: How to stay safe and monitor common symptoms from air pollution

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Smoke from raging wildfires in Nova Scotia and New Jersey has spread to much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic over the last week, prompting Pennsylvania and New Jersey to issue air quality warnings.

Hazy skies distant from the wildfires may be easy to overlook since the immediate threat of fire is not present, but exposure to the air could cause short- and long-term health issues.

Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of gases and microscopic particles from the materials consumed by flames, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. That includes vegetation, building materials and other matter that may be harmful when burned and carried long distances by the jet stream.

When the National Weather Service issues Code Orange Air Quality Alerts, as happened in much of the Delaware Valley this week, that means air pollution in the atmosphere may be dangerous for sensitive groups. People diagnosed with heart disease, lung disease and asthma are particularly at risk since wildfire smoke can aggravate their conditions.

The most common symptoms from inhaling wildfire smoke are coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, headaches and stinging eyes. Some people may experience exhaustion, sinus issues and rapid heartbeat.

The CDC says that older people, pregnant women, children and others with respiratory and heart conditions are most likely to feel the effects of wildfire smoke. Even among healthy people, exposure can lead to reduced lung function and inflammation.

The Environmental Protection Agency says particle pollution — the mixture of solid and liquid droplets suspended in the air, also called particulate matter — is the most dangerous component of wildfire smoke. Some of these pollutants are so tiny that they can easily enter indoor settings.

Particle pollution is defined based the on size of the particles, most commonly PM2.5 and PM10. Fine particulates are invisible to the eye but exist within the plumes of smoke and haze seen during wildfires. PM2.5, the main pollutant emitted during wildfires, can be in the atmosphere for a variety of reasons unrelated to a fire, but it tends to be more toxic when spread by wildfires due to the materials that are burned; this is especially true when homes and public infrastructure are destroyed.

The fire in Nova Scotia that started last Sunday tore through about 200 structures, and the smoke from the wildfire reached parts of Massachusetts within a day. The effects of the chemicals released into the air may linger beyond the duration of a wildfire, keeping people at higher risk to experience symptoms even as air quality improves.

In places where wildfires are common, including California and large parts of Canada, research shows that repeated exposure to wildfire smoke increases the risk of developing lung cancer and brain tumors.

“Many of the pollutants emitted by wildfires are known human carcinogens, suggesting that exposure could increase cancer risk in humans,” said Jill Korsiak, a McGill University researcher who studied the long-term effects of wildfires on more than two million Canadians.

There is also growing evidence that short-term and long-term exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to cognitive issues, including "brain fog" and difficulty paying attention, especially among young people.

Due to the emerging scientific evidence on health risks related to wildfire smoke, the EPA has proposed changes to the maximum recommended exposure to PM2.5 and other particulate matter covered by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

How to limit exposure to wildfire smoke

There are a number of tips people can follow to reduce how much wildfire smoke they inhale.

For those who are high-risk, it's recommended to stay indoors as much as possible during air quality alerts. It's also suggested to keep windows and doors closed and to run an air conditioner if AC is available.

People who are in the immediate vicinity of a wildfire should heed evacuation warnings when they are issued. Paying attention to public health messages and air quality warnings will help guide how much outdoor time should be restricted during these events, even when the wildfires are happening at great distances.

If smoke is clearly visible in the air, it's best to remain inside as much as possible. Keeping an air purifier at home can be useful during wildfires. Masks designed to filter out particulate matter, like N95 masks, are also good to have available.

When exercising, it's best to do so indoors rather than going for a run outside or playing outdoor sports. People inhale air at much higher rates during exercise, which increases the amount of particle pollution taken into the lungs.

Anyone who is concerned about wildfire smoke or experiences troubling symptoms should contact a health care professional. This includes reaching out to ask questions about medications taken for conditions that increase smoke inhalation risks, like asthma and cardiovascular disease.

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2Jun

Little-Known Respiratory Virus Saw Springtime Spike: What To Know

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ACROSS AMERICA — Cases of a little-known respiratory illness that is especially dangerous for young children — human metapneumovirus, or HMPV — and mimics the symptoms of other common respiratory diseases spiked this spring, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health data.

The symptoms of the lower lung infection include a deep cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat and shortness of breath, which are also symptoms of RSV, influenza and COVID-19. As cases of those illnesses began to subside, HMPV was just getting started in many parts of the country, according to the CDC data.

At the mid-March peak of HMPV, nearly 11 percent of specimen tests nationwide were positive. That’s about 36 percent higher than the average, pre-pandemic seasonal peak of 7 percent HMPV test positivity.

Viruses are responsible for a range of respiratory infections from the common cold to severe bronchitis and pneumonia. With improvements in molecular testing, more viruses have been detected, including pneumovirus isolated two decades ago by Dutch scientists in children with respiratory illnesses.

Medical experts don’t know the full burden of HMPV because testing is rarely done until the patient has to be hospitalized. Dr. John Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh, told CNN that HMPV cases are at least equal to RSV and influenza.

The CDC recommends that physicians and clinics test for it regularly.

Respiratory infections are the leading cause of death in children under 5 worldwide and a major reason for hospitalizations of young children in developed countries. According to the CDC, HMPV also poses risks for older adults and people with weakened immune systems.

According to a 2020 study in The Lancelot Global Health journal, an estimated 14 million children under 5 worldwide had HMPV infections in 2018, resulting in 600,000 hospitalizations and more than 16,000 deaths.

Several pharmaceutical companies are working on vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna, which just completed a clinical trial testing an mRNA vaccine against HMPV.

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2Jun

what are the symptoms and possible therapies? – breaking latest news

Posted by: admin Categories: PHYSICAL REHABILITATION
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Of Edward Simonetta

It is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by the finding, on chest CT scans (computed tomography), of dilatation of the bronchi and by daily symptoms such as cough, tiredness, shortness of breath

My father was diagnosed with bronchiectasis: what are they?
and how are they treated?

He answers Edward Simonettareferent for the Bronchiectasis Program, Pulmonary Unit, Humanitas Institute, Milan

Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by the finding, on chest CT scan (computed tomography), of bronchial dilatation and from everyday symptoms such as cough, tiredness, shortness of breath, profuse production of phlegm and sometimes the presence of blood in the sputum. Patients with bronchiectasis may present
recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia, which often require antibiotic treatment. The symptoms and frequency of bronchitis vary from case to case, so the impact of this disease on the quality of life is extremely heterogeneous.

In Italy there are more and more patients suffering from bronchiectasis, with an estimated prevalence of one person affected every 2,000 adults. In the presence of bronchiectasis, it is necessary to carry out various blood and instrumental tests to identify the cause, however, in about half of the patients, it is not possible to trace the etiology of the disease. Bronchiectasis can develop as a result of many conditions, including previous lung infections, immune deficiencies, and genetic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis) or they can be associated with pathologies such as chronic bronchitis from smoking, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or other rarer causes. The natural history of bronchiectasis disease is characterized by a vicious circle, with a succession of bronchial infections of various kinds (bacterial, fungal or viral), inflammation of the bronchi, reduction of the defenses of the airways and consequently greater susceptibility to new infections.

The reduction of the defenses of the airways, the repeated respiratory infections and the frequent use of antibiotics facilitate the onset of chronic bacterial infections in the lungs, also due to multiresistant bacteria that are difficult to treat with common antibiotics. The clinical management of patients with joint bronchiectasis requires a specialist pulmonary evaluation and in the most complex cases it is necessary to have access to structures that have multidisciplinary groups dedicated to the treatment of pathology. We need an individualization of the treatment on a case-by-case basis, with paths of Respiratory physiotherapy and close clinical and microbiological monitoring to reduce symptoms, prevent episodes of bronchitis and improve patients’ quality of life.

June 2, 2023 (change June 2, 2023 | 07:00)

© breaking latest news



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2Jun

Using Inhaled Corticosteroids in COPD Increases Tuberculosis, Pneumonia Rates

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Patients who use inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have higher rates of tuberculosis and pneumonia than those who do not use ICS, according to study findings published in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Tuberculosis and pneumonia are recognized as serious side effects of ICS in patients with COPD, yet overprescription of ICS appears common for this population. Investigators in South Korea sought to examine the real-world impact of ICS on COPD prognosis. Mortality, acute exacerbations, and pneumonia were primary endpoints. Secondary endpoints were heart failure, arrhythmia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, lung cancer, cerebrovascular stroke, ischemic heart disease, and tuberculosis were secondary endpoints.

The researchers conducted a retrospective observational study using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) database (including survey data from about 10,000 individuals each year) linked to Health Insurance and Review Assessment (HIRA) data (comprehensive health-care treatments, procedures, pharmaceuticals, and diagnoses for about 50 million beneficiaries in South Korea). The current study included data on 978 patients (4.1% women) with COPD from January 2009 through December 2012; based on their ICS use status, these patients were assigned to the ICS cohort (n=85; mean [SD] age, 66.7 [8.9] years) or the non-ICS cohort (n=893; mean age, 63.7 [9.7] years). The 85 eligible patients using ICS all had a prescription for inhaled respiratory medication for at least 120 days during the observation period (ICS, 13 patients; ICS/long-acting beta-agonists [LABA], 42 patients; ICS/LABA/long-acting muscarinic antagonist [LAMA], 30 patients).

All participants smoked currently or formerly, had a 10 pack-year smoking history with no history of cancer, had a pre-bronchodilator ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) less than 0.7, and were at least 40 years of age. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to identify variables significantly associated with the occurrence of mortality, acute exacerbation, and pneumonia development.

“

Our data demonstrated that the ICS users had a higher rate of pneumonia and tuberculosis and the concomitant pneumonia was independently associated with higher mortality, highlighting the importance of cautious and targeted administration of ICS in COPD.

At study enrollment, common comorbidities included hypertension (33.2%), diabetes mellitus (12.2%), and hypercholesterolemia (6.5%), and those using ICS had lower FEV1, lower FEV1/FVC ratio, and higher smoking levels than those who did not use ICS upon enrollment.

In comparing the ICS and non-ICS cohorts, the researchers found the ICS cohort had higher rates of acute exacerbations, tuberculosis, and pneumonia as well as hospitalization due to respiratory causes (all P <.05).  Multivariate analyses further showed that: (1) acute COPD exacerbations were independently associated with the development of pneumonia (P <.05); (2) pneumonia, ICS therapy, FEV1, and older age were independently associated with acute exacerbation occurrence (P <.05); (3) concomitant pneumonia (hazard ratio, 3.353; P =.004) was independently associated with higher mortality (P <.05); and (4) mortality rates did not differ between patients who used ICS vs those who did not.

Study limitations include the underpowered sample size of patients using ICS and the fact that the observation period for this study occurred prior to implementation of current therapeutic standards for COPD.

“Our data demonstrated that the ICS users had a higher rate of pneumonia and tuberculosis and the concomitant pneumonia was independently associated with higher mortality, highlighting the importance of cautious and targeted administration of ICS in COPD,” investigators concluded. They wrote “The number of subjects enrolled in our study is not big enough to conclude the harmful side effects of ICS in subgroups of COPD.”

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2Jun

Severe COVID-19 raises alarm for undiagnosed cancer

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In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers investigated whether the severity of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was indicative of undiagnosed cancer.

Study: Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection as a marker of undiagnosed cancer: a population-based study. Image Credit: Tyler Olson / Shutterstock.com

Background

Studies conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reported that male sex, older age, and comorbidities such as chronic diseases and active cancers increased the risk of hospitalization and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Individuals with active cancers were also at a relatively higher risk of COVID-19-associated mortality, even if they were vaccinated.

The six factors that increased the morbidity and mortality risk of cancer patients to SARS-CoV-2 infections were age, increased expression of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), immunosuppression due to cancer treatments, as well as a pro-coagulant state and inflammatory responses induced by cancer. Some of these factors could influence the susceptibility to severe SARS-CoV-2 infections in individuals with undiagnosed cancers.

About the study

In the present study, researchers used data from the French Système National des Données de Santé (SNDS) database. This database has been used for various pharmacological and epidemiological studies, as it comprises healthcare reimbursement data for the entire population of France.

The SNDS database consists of one section with information on ambulatory medical care reimbursements, including laboratory tests, ambulatory medical care, and prescription drugs, whereas the other section consists of information on hospital admissions, discharges, medical procedures, and diagnoses.

From anonymized data, specific medical algorithms were used to identify pathologies, causes for hospitalization, long-term illness diagnoses, and treatment reimbursements. The study included data on intensive care unit (ICU) admissions between February 15, 2020, and August 31, 2021, which covered the period between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the end of the fourth wave in France. The follow-up was extended to the end of December 2021 to allow for a four-month follow-up for ICU-admitted patients.

The study included data on individuals above the age of 16 who had availed of at least one reimbursement in the two years before the index date and had no cancer diagnoses in the previous five years. Nursing home residents and twins below the age of 22 were excluded from the study.

Study participants were categorized into two groups, the first of which included those admitted into the ICU. The second group included age, sex, and French department-matched controls who were not hospitalized.

Information on sex, age, area of residence, and socio-economic status were determined, and co-variables such as existing comorbidities, COVID-19 vaccination status, treatment with corticosteroids or immunosuppressants, and addictive disorders were analyzed.

The examined outcome included the incidence of cancer during the follow-up period in either of the two groups. An incidence of cancer was defined as hospitalization due to any cancer or cancer-like condition requiring reimbursement.

Participants were excluded from the analysis after the initial inclusion in case of death in either of the groups. Additionally, individuals from the control group who were hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2 infection were subsequently removed from the control group and added to the ICU-admission group.

COVID-19 hospitalization and increased risk of cancer

A total of 897 of the 41,302 individuals admitted to the ICU with SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed with cancer during the follow-up months as compared to 10,944 of the 713,670 controls diagnosed with cancer. In fact, individuals who had been admitted to the ICU had a 1.31 times higher risk of a cancer diagnosis than those who did not require hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

When the follow-up period was decreased to three months or if only the female population was considered, the association between ICU admission and cancer diagnosis was stronger. Furthermore, as compared to controls, individuals in the ICU group were more likely to be diagnosed with hematological, renal, lung, or colon cancers. Other types of cancers did not show significant differences between the two groups.

While the study did not discuss any causal effect between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of cancer during the follow-up period, the researchers speculated on the differences in the screening and diagnosis techniques between the two groups that could have led to a detection bias.

Individuals admitted to the ICU with SARS-CoV-2 infection might have been subjected to repetitive lung scans and blood tests, which may have led to the detection of lung or hematological cancers. Comparatively, prostate-specific antigen tests or mammograms might not have been a priority during the ICU admission, thereby resulting in lower detection of prostate or breast cancers, respectively.

In contrast, individuals in the control group might have been screened for other cancers, as they were in a better health condition to undergo these tests.

Conclusions

Individuals who experienced severe SARS-CoV-2 infection requiring ICU admission were at a greater risk of being diagnosed with cancer during the following months than individuals who did not require hospitalization for COVID-19. While there is a potential for detection bias, these results indicate that severe SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a marker for undiagnosed cancer.

Journal reference:

  • Dugerdil, A., Semenzato, L., Weill, A. et al. (2023). Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection as a marker of undiagnosed cancer: a population-based study. Scientific Reports 13(8729). doi:10.1038/s41598-023-36013-7

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2Jun

How AI can help revolutionise NHS respiratory disease care

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Dr Ameera Patel, CEO of TidalSense, explains how AI could completely change diagnostics in respiratory care.

Respiratory diseases affect one in five people. Already the third biggest cause of death in the UK, the number of people impacted by these conditions is rising. The latest NHS figures show that hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses are very close to pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, analysis by Asthma and Lung UK also highlights a direct link between admissions and deprivation, due to factors like increased exposure to air pollution, dampness and mould.

Against a backdrop of NHS pressures – most notably, rising numbers of patients with long-term health conditions, and widespread staff shortages – diagnosis of respiratory diseases is not keeping pace with the growing prevalence of respiratory conditions.

If we take chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as an example, around two thirds of people with the disease in the UK are undiagnosed, with one third only identified once they are admitted to hospital, when it is likely their disease is already significantly advanced and their symptoms severe. This goes a long way to explaining why the UK has the second highest death rate from lung disease in Europe, second only to Turkey.

For lung conditions, starting treatment early is critical. For asthma and COPD effective treatment reduces symptoms and exacerbations, reducing healthcare visits – including emergency hospital admissions. But the current clinical pathway for respiratory conditions is ineffective, inefficient and expensive – many patients are misdiagnosed and aren’t escalated into appropriate treatment quickly enough. COPD alone is the second most common reason for an emergency hospital admission and total admissions for COPD are estimated to cost the NHS £491 million annually.

This contributes significantly to the NHS’ financial burden – all lung conditions (including lung cancer) cost the health service around £11 billion annually. COPD and asthma, the two biggest chronic respiratory conditions which affect one in five people in England, cost the NHS around £5 billion each year.

Doing away with misdiagnosis

Early and accurate diagnosis is critical to easing the mounting pressure on our health service, eliminating unnecessary patient appointments while enabling earlier interventions for those who urgently need them.

But current diagnostic methods present a significant barrier to this goal. For example, the current test for COPD and asthma is spirometry, an early-Victorian technology that can be unpleasant for patients and requires specialist training to operate. Not only is this 180-year-old approach complex to perform, but it is also dependent on patient technique. What’s more, abnormal results can be challenging to interpret, meaning that misdiagnosis is rife.

Access to spirometry tests is patchy at best and diagnostic testing completely shut down during the pandemic. Conservative estimates predict there are around 27,000-34,000 people currently awaiting a diagnostic test.

Integrating new technologies – such as AI – is needed to get to grips with the backlog, and open the possibility of accurate, fast diagnoses.

It’s perhaps not surprising, therefore, that The NHS Long Term Plan prioritises accurate early diagnosis and access to testing for chronic respiratory diseases as a way to create efficiencies for the NHS, and improve the quality of treatment and care for patients.

More than the human eye can see

Thanks to its ability to analyse and understand large quantities of clinical information, AI has huge potential to pave the way to highly accurate diagnoses. AI-led technology is already being applied to the assessment of everything from stroke detection through to retinal screening, using trained algorithms and deep learning to quickly detect signs of disease that may not have been visible to clinicians.

There have already been successful demonstrations of identifying respiratory conditions using existing clinical data. For example, AI has been applied to aid the diagnosis of lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis to help clinicians identify at-risk patients, speed up decision-making and reduce unnecessary procedures.

If applied to respiratory diagnostics, AI could mean that patients with chronic respiratory diseases would be spared the ordeal of spending weeks or months moving between clinicians to secure a diagnosis, instead giving them access to the right treatment, medication, and dosage at the right time. Better disease management could also deliver significant savings to the NHS.

Going beyond diagnostics

AI-led technologies are also opening powerful predictive and forecasting capabilities. For example, these technologies could be used to predict a patient’s future disease development, helping guide clinical decision making and opening access to early medical or lifestyle interventions. AI can even be used to predict the people within populations who are most at risk of developing chronic respiratory disease, ensuring they are prioritised for diagnosis or screening programmes.

At the same time, AI has considerable potential for improving the patient experience – empowering patients to self-monitor and manage their condition outside of the healthcare environment, resulting in a better quality of life for the patient, and further efficiencies for the health service.

In Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 500 COPD patients are being monitored at home to enable earlier interventions while also relieving pressure on the NHS. The scheme combines patient records with real-time data from fitness trackers and at-home breathing equipment, and users can directly message doctors with any health concerns via a smartphone app. A new trial later this year will also apply AI to this data, immediately flagging up patients who might be experiencing more severe symptoms. Early results are positive, suggesting that the scheme has already reduced hospital admissions by over half.

Saving time, saving lives

As the number of patients with chronic respiratory conditions continues to grow, it will be impossible for the NHS to meet its objectives to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of people with respiratory disease, unless the hurdle of diagnosis is overcome first.

Technology will be critical in bridging the gap between patient demand and clinical supply, with AI enabling faster, more accurate diagnoses and opening access to diagnosis outside of the traditional clinical setting. The increased capabilities of digital technologies are paving the way for more effective treatment plans, reducing the likelihood of frequent hospitalisations, and generally contributing to a better quality of life. 



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2Jun

Did You Catch HMPV Recently Without Knowing It?

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Have you been sick in the last few months? I’m talking about a really nasty upper respiratory tract infection. Symptoms include sore throat, stuffy nose, fever and a horrible hacking cough! If that sounds like a typical cold, I am here to tell you that it’s much worse. I speak with some authority because I am pretty sure I caught this virus around mid-March. That’s when human metapneumovirus (aka HMPV) was spreading like crazy.

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)

The CNN headline (May 29, 2023) about HMPV caught our attention:

Doctors say this is the most important virus you’ve never heard of

We had never heard of HMPV, but it certainly sounded like what hit our family. We had all traveled to Longmont, Colorado, for a memorial service. Everyone tested for COVID before leaving home and again when we arrived in Colorado. We also tested when we got back home several days later.

One person came from Portland, Oregon and was sniffling and coughing. She was negative for COVID, several times. But within a few days of returning home, almost everyone was sick with a really nasty upper respiratory tract infection. We all tested again, and again we were all negative for COVID-19.

Most of us were coughing up a storm. And the cough persisted for weeks. It took me almost two months to fully get over the lung infection. That makes me think that we caught human metapneumovirus!

HMPV Spiked In Mid March!

Here is a link to the CDC’s human metapneumovirus (hMPV) data for the US. It comes from The National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS).

If you look at the graph you will see that cases of HMPV started showing up in January, 2023. They peaked in March and were starting to decline towards the end of April. Those dates certainly corresponded to our upper respiratory tract infections.

What Is HMPV Anyway?

According to the CDC:

“Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages, especially among young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. Discovered in 2001, HMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).”

What jumps out for me is that this virus was only “discovered” in 2001 by Dutch researchers. That means a lot of healthcare providers probably never learned about it in school. It has almost assuredly been making people sick for many decades, though.

Although the symptoms are similar to the common cold, there is nothing common about HMPV. This virus is within the Paramyxoviridae family. It is a major cause of respiratory infections in humans, but it has flown under the radar for a long time. I’ll bet you never heard of HMPV before either.

The CDC describes symptoms this way:

“Symptoms commonly associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. Clinical symptoms of HMPV infection may progress to bronchitis or pneumonia and are similar to other viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory infections. The estimated incubation period is 3 to 6 days, and the median duration of illness can vary depending upon severity but is similar to other respiratory infections caused by viruses.”

That certainly describes our experience. Our family came down with this “bug” within about 3 to 6 days of exposure. And it was a lot worse than the “common cold.” For most people, it acts like a horrible cold, but for the very young and the very old, it can be deadly.

There are no easy tests for HMPV, no vaccinations and no treatments.

The CDC offers the standard recommendations for any viral infection. It tells doctors to advise patients to follow these steps:

  • Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (see CDC’s Clean Hands Save Lives!).
  • Avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

That’s pretty much what the CDC told us at the start of the COVID pandemic. How well did that work?

Can You Avoid Catching HMPV?

Let’s be honest, we do not have good strategies to prevent virus-related upper respiratory tract infections. All the experts we have consulted over the last few years point out that viruses like SARS-CoV-2 float through the air. Plexiglass barriers and six feet of distance will not protect you from all of them.

Just imagine someone smoking a cigar in a supermarket or a bank. I know that is hard to visualize these days, but humor me. If you can see smoke or even smell it, chances are pretty good you are breathing in particles that are comparable to viruses.

Dr. Linsey Marr is one of the world’s leading experts on viral transmission and air quality. We have interviewed her a couple of times on our nationally syndicated public radio show. Here is a link to Show 1253: The Lessons of COVID-19 on How to Avoid Airborne Viral Transmission. You can listen to the streaming audio by clicking on the arrow inside the green circle below Dr. Marr’s photo. It is well worth a few minutes of your time.

Final Words:

You hear a lot from the CDC about upper respiratory tract infections such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). By the way, the FDA recently announced (May 3, 2023) that it approved an RSV vaccine (Arexvy). On May 31, 2023 Pfizer announced that it too had received approval to sell an RSV vaccine (Abrysvo). These vaccines have the green light for “individuals 60 years and older.”

You will no doubt be encouraged to get a flu shot this coming fall and, if you are over 60, an RSV vaccination. No one will say much, if anything, about HMPV. And yet it probably causes as much illness as influenza or RSV (Viruses, Jan. 2013).

Did you catch a nasty upper respiratory tract infection in the last few months? If so, please share your experience in the comment section below. If you had a cough, please describe it so that other readers will have some sense of what it was like.

Please share this article with friends and family so that they too will learn about HMSV. It’s easy. Just scroll to the top of the page and click on the icons for email, Twitter or Facebook. You can also encourage your contacts to subscribe to our free newsletter at this link. Thank you for supporting The People’s Pharmacy.

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1Jun

What Is Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)?

Posted by: admin Categories: PREVENTION & WELLBEING
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While COVID-19 and RSV cases have been declining in recent months, another, lesser-known respiratory virus surged this past spring.

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on May 31 showed that positive PCR lab tests for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in early March hit nearly 11 percent.

During the four years prior to the pandemic, positive results for HMPV testing peaked between 6.2 and 7.7 percent in March and April, according to the CDC. As the pandemic took off in the spring of 2020, HMPV decreased and remained low through May 2021.

“Human metapneumovirus has been around for awhile, but these numbers are higher than they've been in the last few years, so the virus is drawing attention,” says Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, a pulmonary and critical care physician with Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore and a medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

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1Jun

HMPV Virus Spreading in US; All About ‘The Most Important Virus’ You’ve Never Heard of

Posted by: admin Categories: PREVENTION & WELLBEING
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Last Updated: June 01, 2023, 15:49 IST

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

An ambulance is seen outside the Erie County Medical Center Hospital in Buffalo, New York. (Credits: Reuters)

An ambulance is seen outside the Erie County Medical Center Hospital in Buffalo, New York. (Credits: Reuters)

Human Metapneumovirus: Unlike Covid-19 or flu, there is no specific antiviral therapy to treat HMPV and no vaccine to prevent HMPV

In the past winter, the respiratory viruses like RSV and Covid-19 made the headlines, but this summer a virus is on the rise in the US and causing flu and lung infection among the patients.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s respiratory virus surveillance systems has warned that cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, has spiked this spring, CNN reported.

In March, around 11% of tested specimens were positive for HMPV, raising concerns in US. According to a study, it was the second most common cause of respiratory infections in kids behind Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

Here is all you need to know about the Human Metapneumovirus or HMPV:

  1. Human metapneumovirus can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people regardless of age, especially among young children, old people and those with weakened immune systems.
  2. HMPV symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath.
  3. Currently, the virus has filled hospital intensive care units with young children and old people. During its peak in mid-March, around 11% of tested specimens were positive for HMPV, a number that’s about 36% higher than the average, pre-pandemic seasonal peak of 7% test positivity.
  4. The infection may progress among patients to develop bronchitis or pneumonia and the symptoms are similar to other viruses that cause upper and lower respiratory infections.
  5. The estimated incubation period is 3 to 6 days, and the median duration of illness can vary depending upon severity but is similar to other respiratory infections caused by viruses, the CDC said.
  6. HMPV is most likely to spread from an infected person to others through coughing, sneezing, close personal contact like touching or shaking hands and touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them.
  7. The circulation of the virus begins in winter and lasts until or through spring. Dr John Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh, called it, “the most important virus you’ve never heard of.” Human metapneumovirus is infecting a significant proportion of patients, as many cases as RSV or influenza.
  8. Unlike Covid-19 or flu, there is no specific antiviral therapy to treat HMPV and no vaccine to prevent HMPV. Instead, the doctors can treat seriously ill patients by treating to their symptoms.
  9. The precautions against the virus are similar to other viral diseases like washing hands, avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hand and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
  10. A study conducted in New York over four winters discovered that HMPV was as common among older patients in hospitals as RSV and the flu. It was also responsible for fatal cases of pneumonia in older people.
Majid Alam

Majid Alam is a Senior Sub Editor at News18.com. He has reported stories on politics, policy, environment and health. He loves to combine data and mul...Read More

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1Jun

What is Human metapneumovirus (HMPV)? Doctors warn of little-known virus

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There are no vaccines or drugs to treat HMPV yet (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

There are no vaccines or drugs to treat HMPV yet (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

There has been an increase in a virus that exhibits signs comparable to the common cold, the flu, and Covid-19 called the Human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

According to a 2020 study published in the Lancet Global Health, more than 14 million HMPV infections, 600,000 hospitalisations, and more than 16,000 fatalities occurred in children under the age of five in 2018.

Many are still unaware of HMPV, so here are the key details.

What is Human metapneumovirus?

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a commonly found virus that can cause respiratory illness. Although the virus typically has no symptoms in healthy adults, it can cause serious sickness in older adults, those with asthma, babies, and children according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Humans, however, continue to become infected throughout their lifetimes since the illness only produces a minimal or ineffective immune response

Companies are developing vaccinations to protect against it. According to the website clinicaltrials.gov, Moderna, the manufacturer of the Covid-19 vaccine, has just ended an early trial of an mRNA vaccine against HMPV and parainfluenza.

According to respiratory virus surveillance systems run by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of HMPV increased this spring in America.

The most vulnerable populations for these infections — young children and the elderly — were dominant in hospital intensive-care units. Nearly 11 per cent of those tested were HMPV positive at its peak in mid-March, a figure that is roughly 36 per cent higher than the typical, pre-pandemic seasonal peak of seven per cent test positivity.

Data for the UK is not known.

What are the symptoms?

According to the American Lung Association, the majority of HMPV patients experience moderate upper respiratory symptoms resembling a cold. These may consist of a cough, congestion in the nose or runny nose, a sore throat, aches, and fever.

A brief illness brought on by the virus typically lasts two to five days and resolves on its own. Patients may choose to treat their condition using over-the-counter medications, like a decongestant.

However, in extreme circumstances, the virus might cause asthma attacks, wheezing, and breathing problems. Anyone experiencing these symptoms is encouraged to visit their doctor because they might require a stronger medication or a temporary inhaler.

HMPV is transmitted by intimate contact with an infected person or by touching contaminated objects or surfaces, just like other respiratory viruses.

Some patients have seen the virus lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

How was Human metapneumovirus discovered?

The virus was first identified by scientists in the Netherlands in 2001.

Scientists took 28 samples from children in the Netherlands who had respiratory infections that were not explained. Even though several became critically unwell and needed mechanical ventilation, no known infections were found in their blood.

The samples were cultivated in diverse cell types from dogs, chickens, and monkeys before being examined under an electron microscope. They observed something that appeared to share structural similarities with the paramyxoviridae family of viruses, which are known to cause respiratory illnesses like measles, mumps, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

A detailed examination of the virus’s genome revealed a close relative in the form of the bird-infecting avian metapneumovirus. The novel pathogen was given the name human metapneumovirus. It probably evolved from birds to humans at some point, according to scientists.

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1Jun

Black Men Were Likely Underdiagnosed With Lung Problems Because of Bias in Software, Study Suggests

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By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests.

As many as 40% more Black male patients in the study might have been diagnosed with breathing problems if current diagnosis-assisting computer software was changed, the study said.

Doctors have long discussed the potential problems caused by race-based assumptions that are built into diagnostic software. This study, published in JAMA Network Open, offers one of the first real-world examples of how the the issue may affect diagnosis and care for lung patients, said Dr. Darshali Vyas, a pulmonary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The results are "exciting" to see published but it's also "what we'd expect" from setting aside race-based calculations, said Vyas, who was an author of an influential 2020 New England Journal of Medicine article that catalogued examples of how race-based assumptions are used in making doctors' decisions about patient care.

For centuries, some doctors and others have held beliefs that there are natural racial differences in health, including one that Black people's lungs were innately worse than those of white people. That assumption ended up in modern guidelines and algorithms for assessing risk and deciding on further care. Test results were adjusted to account for — or "correct" for — a patient's race or ethnicity.

One example beyond lung function is a heart failure risk-scoring system that categorizes Black patients as being at lower risk and less likely to need referral for special cardiac care. Another is an equation used in determining kidney function that creates estimates of higher kidney function in Black patients.

The new study focused on a test to determine how much and how quickly a person can inhale and exhale. It's often done using a spirometer — a device with a mouthpiece connected to a small machine.

After the test, doctors get a report that has been run through computer software and scores the patient's ability breathe. It helps indicate whether a patient has restrictions and needs further testing or care for things like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or lung scarring due to air pollutant exposure.

Algorithms that adjust for race raise the threshold for diagnosing a problem in Black patients and may make them less likely to get started on certain medications or to be referred for medical procedures or even lung transplants, Vyas said.

While physicians also look at symptoms, lab work, X-rays and family histories of breathing problems, the pulmonary function testing can be an important part of diagnoses, "especially when patients are borderline," said Dr. Albert Rizzo, the chief medical officer at the American Lung Association.

The new study looked at more than 2,700 Black men and 5,700 white men tested by University of Pennsylvania Health System doctors between 2010 and 2020. The researchers looked at spirometry and lung volume measurements and assessed how many were deemed to have breathing impairments under the race-based algorithm as compared to under a new algorithm.

Researchers concluded there would be nearly 400 additional cases of lung obstruction or impairment in Black men with the new algorithm.

Earlier this year, the American Thoracic Society, which represents lung-care doctors, issued a statement recommending replacement of race-focused adjustments. But the organization also put a call out for more research, including into the best way to modify software and whether making a change might inadvertently lead to overdiagnosis of lung problems in some patients.

Vyas noted some other algorithms have already been changed to drop race-based assumptions, including one for pregnant women that predicts risks of vaginal delivery if the mom previously had a cesarean section.

Changing the lung-testing algorithm may take longer, Vyas said, especially if different hospitals use different versions of race-adjusting procedures and software.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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1Jun

A little-known respiratory virus, HMPV, surged this spring. What you need to know

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(SACRAMENTO)

If you came down with a respiratory infection in the spring and it wasn’t influenza (flu), COVID-19 or RSV, it may have been a virus you’ve never heard of.

That’s because cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, surged across the U.S. in March.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 19.6% of antigen tests and 10.9% of PCR tests for HMPV were positive in early and mid-March. The numbers are about 36% higher than before the pandemic.

The virus is seasonal, like the annual flu. In the United States, HMPV infections begin circulating in winter and last through spring. And the good news is that levels have dropped.

“HMPV is not something most people need to worry about. It’s essentially another cause of the common cold,” said Larissa May, a professor of emergency medicine and an expert in public health and testing for infectious diseases. 

Why you likely won’t know if you had HMPV

There are no antiviral drugs specifically for HMPV like there are for the flu and COVID-19. Which is why physicians usually don’t test for it.

“The treatment of mild or moderate viral upper respiratory infections is supportive no matter what the viral cause, so we generally do not recommend testing for most outpatients,” said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases.

Treatment is the same as a cold — lots of fluids to prevent dehydration, decongestants to reduce congestion, and pain relievers like ibuprofen and other NSAIDs for body aches.

May noted that it’s a common misunderstanding that antibiotics can help. “They will not help you recover from HMPV because antibiotics do not work against viruses,” May said. 

The virus was first discovered in 2001. HMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family, along with the more commonly known respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. 

Dean Blumberg

Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some.”—Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases

“HMPV causes disease very similar to RSV,” Blumberg said. “This includes upper respiratory symptoms that sometimes progress to pneumonia or bronchiolitis and wheezing. Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some.”

The virus can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages but is most common in children, especially those under 5 years of age.

According to Blumberg, infants and young children less than 2 years of age are most at risk for complications like bronchiolitis. “Children born prematurely, with heart or lung disease, or weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe disease,” Blumberg said.

Others at higher risk are people who have had organ transplants, those with cancer, those who take long-term steroids and those over 75 years of age.

UC Davis test detects over 20 respiratory viruses

Currently, there are no home tests for HMPV. For hospitalized or high-risk patients with respiratory illness, UC Davis has a combined test that can help diagnose multiple viruses and bacteria that commonly cause respiratory disease.

Similar to a PCR COVID-19 test, the multiplex respiratory panel uses a nasal swab specimen. It can detect non-COVID coronavirus, parainfluenza, Flu A and B, RSV, C. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae, rhinovirus, enterovirus, and adenovirus. It can also differentiate sub-types of these pathogens.

“The panel lets us look at all the common causes of respiratory disease all in one test. In practice, it is used when common pathogens like flu A and B, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV are not detected with other routine PCR platforms, and there's a critical need to know what else could be causing the respiratory infection,” said Nam Tran, a professor and senior director of clinical pathology at UC Davis Health.

May noted, “Testing isn’t generally needed for people who don’t have complications. They are only needed for certain patients, like those who are immunosuppressed or admitted to the hospital with a respiratory infection.”

Because testing is primarily conducted in a hospital setting, the actual number of HPMV infections every year is unknown. A 2020 study published in The Lancet found that there were an estimated 14.2 million cases of HPMV globally in children younger than 5 years old.

A graph showing a blue line and a red line peaking during the month of March.
Positivity rates for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) spiked in the U.S. this spring according to the CDC.

Symptoms and how to protect yourself

Symptoms of HMPV are similar to a cold and include a sore throat, chest congestion and a cough, nasal congestion and sometimes a fever.

“HMPV may be prevented by respiratory hygiene, such as avoiding and covering coughs and good hand hygiene — washing hands after contact with potentially infectious secretions or surfaces,” Blumberg said.

If you have cold-like symptoms, to prevent spreading the virus you should:

  • cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
  • wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • avoid sharing cups and eating utensils
  • refrain from kissing others
  • stay at home when sick

When to see a doctor

You should call your doctor if you or your child has one or more of these conditions:

  • difficulty breathing
  • chest pain
  • difficulty keeping fluids down
  • symptoms that last more than 10 days
  • symptoms that are severe or unusual
  • if your child is younger than 3 months of age and has a fever or is lethargic

You should also call your doctor right away if you are at high risk for serious complications and get symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle or body aches.

Resources

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1Jun

Little-Known HMPV Respiratory Virus Surges This Spring: What You Need to Know

Posted by: admin Categories: PULMONARY DISEASES
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If you came down with a respiratory infection in the spring and it wasn’t influenza (flu), COVID-19 or RSV, it may have been a virus you’ve never heard of.

That’s because cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, surged across the U.S. in March.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 19.6% of antigen tests and 10.9% of PCR tests for HMPV were positive in early and mid-March. The numbers are about 36% higher than before the pandemic.

The virus is seasonal, like the annual flu. In the United States, HMPV infections begin circulating in winter and last through spring. And the good news is that levels have dropped.

“HMPV is not something most people need to worry about. It’s essentially another cause of the common cold,” said Larissa May, a professor of emergency medicine and an expert in public health and testing for infectious diseases.

Why you likely won’t know if you had HMPV

There are no antiviral drugs specifically for HMPV like there are for the flu and COVID-19. Which is why physicians usually don’t test for it.

“The treatment of mild or moderate viral upper respiratory infections is supportive no matter what the viral cause, so we generally do not recommend testing for most outpatients,” said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases.

Treatment is the same as a cold — lots of fluids to prevent dehydration, decongestants to reduce congestion, and pain relievers like ibuprofen and other NSAIDs for body aches.

May noted that it’s a common misunderstanding that antibiotics can help. “They will not help you recover from HMPV because antibiotics do not work against viruses,” May said.

The virus was first discovered in 2001. HMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family, along with the more commonly known respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

Dean Blumberg

Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some.”-Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases

“HMPV causes disease very similar to RSV,” Blumberg said. “This includes upper respiratory symptoms that sometimes progress to pneumonia or bronchiolitis and wheezing. Although in most people, HMPV causes a mild cold, it may cause more severe disease resulting in hospitalization for some.”

The virus can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages but is most common in children, especially those under 5 years of age.

According to Blumberg, infants and young children less than 2 years of age are most at risk for complications like bronchiolitis. “Children born prematurely, with heart or lung disease, or weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe disease,” Blumberg said.

Others at higher risk are people who have had organ transplants, those with cancer, those who take long-term steroids and those over 75 years of age.

UC Davis test detects over 20 respiratory viruses

Currently, there are no home tests for HMPV. For hospitalized or high-risk patients with respiratory illness, UC Davis has a combined test that can help diagnose multiple viruses and bacteria that commonly cause respiratory disease.

Similar to a PCR COVID-19 test, the multiplex respiratory panel uses a nasal swab specimen. It can detect non-COVID coronavirus, parainfluenza, Flu A and B, RSV, C. pneumoniae, M. pneumoniae, rhinovirus, enterovirus, and adenovirus. It can also differentiate sub-types of these pathogens.

“The panel lets us look at all the common causes of respiratory disease all in one test. In practice, it is used when common pathogens like flu A and B, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV are not detected with other routine PCR platforms, and there’s a critical need to know what else could be causing the respiratory infection,” said Nam Tran, a professor and senior director of clinical pathology at UC Davis Health.

May noted, “Testing isn’t generally needed for people who don’t have complications. They are only needed for certain patients, like those who are immunosuppressed or admitted to the hospital with a respiratory infection.”

Because testing is primarily conducted in a hospital setting, the actual number of HPMV infections every year is unknown. A 2020 study published in The Lancet found that there were an estimated 14.2 million cases of HPMV globally in children younger than 5 years old.

A graph showing a blue line and a red line peaking during the month of March.
Positivity rates for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) spiked in the U.S. this spring according to the CDC.

Symptoms and how to protect yourself

Symptoms of HMPV are similar to a cold and include a sore throat, chest congestion and a cough, nasal congestion and sometimes a fever.

“HMPV may be prevented by respiratory hygiene, such as avoiding and covering coughs and good hand hygiene — washing hands after contact with potentially infectious secretions or surfaces,” Blumberg said.

If you have cold-like symptoms, to prevent spreading the virus you should:

  • cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
  • wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • avoid sharing cups and eating utensils
  • refrain from kissing others
  • stay at home when sick

When to see a doctor

You should call your doctor if you or your child has one or more of these conditions:

  • difficulty breathing
  • chest pain
  • difficulty keeping fluids down
  • symptoms that last more than 10 days
  • symptoms that are severe or unusual
  • if your child is younger than 3 months of age and has a fever or is lethargic

You should also call your doctor right away if you are at high risk for serious complications and get symptoms such as fever, chills, and muscle or body aches.

Resources

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.

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1Jun

What is HMPV, which US doctors say is the ‘most important virus you’ve never heard of’?

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RSV, influenza, and Covid-19 outbreaks have dominated this winter.

But as the season was ending, a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, which causes similar symptoms, such as lower lung infection, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and fever, was just getting started.

According to respiratory virus surveillance systems run by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, increased this spring.

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The most vulnerable populations for these infections — young children and the elderly — were overrepresented in hospital intensive care units, reported CNN.

Nearly 11 per cent of tested specimens were HMPV positive at their peak in mid-March, a figure that is roughly 36 per cent higher than the typical, pre-pandemic seasonal peak of seven per cent test positivity.

Here is all the information you need to know about the respiratory virus that this season went completely unnoticed.

Also read: COVID-19: India reports 1,272 new cases, three deaths

What is human metapneumovirus?

According to the CDC, human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is an illness that affects the upper respiratory system.

While it can affect people of all ages, the federal agency United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that the risk is higher for small children, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems.

The CDC says HMPV was discovered by Dutch virus hunters in 2001 and is a member of the Pneumoviridae family, which also includes the respiratory syncytial virus, explained Wion News.

They collected 28 samples from kids in the Netherlands who had respiratory infections that were not explained. Even though several of the kids were critically unwell and needed mechanical ventilation, no known infections were found in their blood, reported CNN.

Although human metapneumovirus only makes up a small part of all unknown viruses, it accounts for around the same number of infections as RSV or influenza. But nobody is aware of it. Dr John Williams, a paediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh who has devoted his career to studying HMPV vaccines and treatments, refers to it as “the most important virus you’ve never heard of.”

Also read: Explained: The killer fungus wiping out the frog species

What are the symptoms?

The American Lung Association (ALA) states that people with HMPV experience mild symptoms like colds. In healthy people, symptoms typically subside on their own after two to five days.

According to the CDC, frequent symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.

Young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are more likely to experience more severe illness, wheezing, breathing difficulties, and asthma flare-ups.

Secondary infections, such as bronchiolitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia, can also happen and may call for medical treatment, according to the ALA.

Also read: China’s Covid spike: What we know about the new omicron variant BF.7

How is it transmitted?

According to the CDC, human metapneumovirus has been spreading similarly to other viruses through airborne particles produced by coughing and sneezing, physical contact with an infected person, or handling objects contaminated with the virus before touching the nose, eyes, or mouth.

Like the flu, RSV, and cold viruses, the CDC believes the virus is more likely to spread throughout the winter and spring months.

Also read: Did the world’s first human fatality from H3N8 bird flu catch the virus at a wet market in China?

Is there a vaccine for the virus?

As per CDC, there is no vaccine to protect against HMPV or antibiotic medication to treat it.

Wion quoted William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases and preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University, as saying, “We try to make you feel better and make sure that your breathing is okay while your body fights off the virus.”

He believes serious situations in which persons have been reported to be having respiratory problems are uncommon, adding that although “We can put them in an intensive care unit and treat them there,” most people recover fully on their own.

Human metapneumovirus is a respiratory virus that has been around for decades, as opposed to the novel coronavirus and its subtypes that cause covid, Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease expert at the University of California in San Francisco said, according to Wion.

“Hopefully, in the future, we will actually see advances against human metapneumovirus. But we’ve been living with it for a long time. This is not one that is going to cause a pandemic,” she stated.

The American Lung Association states that over-the-counter drugs are often used as a treatment for HMPV symptoms because they typically go away on their own. The voluntary health organisation advises patients with more severe symptoms, such as wheezing, to seek medical attention. A doctor may then prescribe steroids and a temporary inhaler.

Viral infections are not treated with antibiotics; only bacterial infections are. But USA Today quoted Dr Rick Malley, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, as saying that HMPV is linked to a higher chance of getting bacterial pneumonia, which is normally treated with medicines.

“This virus is probably a very important co-conspirator in causing pneumonia, specifically pneumococcal pneumonia,” he claimed. “Just because a person has a virus doesn’t necessarily mean that there isn’t a bacterium nearby.”

How to prevent yourself from the virus?

It is possible to lessen the risk of hMPV transmission by maintaining excellent hygiene, which includes routine hand washing, concealing coughs and sneezes, and avoiding close contact with sick people.

Following general preventative measures against respiratory illnesses, such as receiving a flu shot and having a strong immune system, can also offer additional security.

With inputs from agencies

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1Jun

Nova Scotia Wildfires Sending Unhealthy ‘Smoke Plume’ to U.S. Northeast

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By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay)

THURSDAY, June 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Large, uncontrolled wildfires in Nova Scotia are creating unhealthy air in the Northeast region of the United States, including parts of Connecticut.

This significant smoke plume is likely to cause elevated levels of fine particulate matter, the American Lung Association warned in its alert. Particulate matter contains microscopic solids or liquid droplets that are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The lung association also offered tips for everyone — but especially children, older adults and people with lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — to stay well despite the poor air quality.

  • Start by staying indoors. If you live close to these areas where there is fire and a lot of smoke, stay inside to avoid breathing smoke, ashes and other pollution in the area.
  • Keep doors, windows and fireplace dampers shut, preferably with clean air circulating through air conditioners on the recirculation setting.
  • Watch your symptoms. With higher smoke levels, breathing can be more difficult. Call your doctor if you experience these symptoms.
  • Protect your children and teens, who are more susceptible to smoke. They breathe in more air — and more pollution — into their developing lungs for their size than adults do.
  • Ask for help. The American Lung Association’s Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNGUSA is staffed by nurses and respiratory therapists. They will answer your questions about the lungs, lung disease and lung health for free.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers tips on protecting yourself from wildfire smoke.

SOURCE: American Lung Association, news release, May 31, 2023

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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1Jun

Oxygen Therapy Global Market Report 2023

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ReportLinker

ReportLinker

Major players in the oxygen therapy market are Smiths Medical Inc., Hersill SL, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited, Invacare Corporation, Teleflex Incorporated, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Drive Devilbiss International, Allied Healthcare Products Inc.

New York, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Oxygen Therapy Global Market Report 2023" - www.reportlinker.com/p06464234/?utm_source=GNW
, Becton, Dickinson and Company, General Electric Company, Getinge Group, Essex Industries Inc., Chart Industries Inc., Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, GCE Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., OxyBand Technologies Inc., and Nidek Medical Products Inc.

The global oxygen therapy market is expected to grow from $23.70 billion in 2022 to $25.89 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%.The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, causing inflation across goods and services and affecting many markets across the globe. The oxygen therapy market is expected to reach $36.53 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 9.0%.

The oxygen therapy market consists of sales of pulse oximeters, oxygen flow meters, portable oxygen supply devices, nasal cannulas, simple masks, non-rebreather masks, continuous positive airway pressure, BiPAP, bag valve mask (ambu bag), endotracheal intubation, and mechanical ventilator.Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers.

The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

Oxygen therapy refers to using additional oxygen as part of sickness management in people suffering from respiratory problems who can’t naturally breathe in sufficient oxygen due to various diseases and ailments. Oxygen therapy provides persons with lung disorders or breathing difficulties with the oxygen their bodies require to operate.

North America was the largest region in the oxygen therapy market in 2022. The regions covered in oxygen therapy report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.

The main types of oxygen therapy products are oxygen delivery devices and oxygen source equipment.Oxygen delivery devices refer to secondary oxygen-providing equipment for people who cannot maintain a safe level of oxygen saturation and are used in oxygen therapy are controlling and monitor respiratory failure devices including nasal or transtracheal catheters, and nasal cannula.

The various types of portability include stationary devices and portable devices that are used in various applications such as pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory distress syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and others. These are used in hospitals, clinics, home care, and post-acute care settings.

The rising prevalence of respiratory disorders is expected to propel the growth of the oxygen therapy market going forward.A respiratory disorder is a condition that impacts the respiratory system’s lungs and other organs, often known as lung diseases which include tuberculosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, cystic fibrosis, and asthma.

Oxygen therapy is used in the treatment of people suffering from respiratory disorders condition by providing an additional supply of oxygen that relieves shortness of breath.For instance, in February 2023, according to the report published by American Lung Association, a US-based voluntary lung health and preventing lung disease, a chronic lung illness, such as asthma or COPD, which also includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, affects more than 34 million Americans.

Additionally, more than 25 million Americans, including more than 4 million children, have breathing difficulties due to asthma. Therefore, the rise in the prevalence of respiratory disorders is driving the growth of the oxygen therapy market.

Technological advancements are a key trend gaining popularity in the oxygen therapy market.Companies operating in the oxygen therapy market are adopting new technologies to sustain their position in their market.

For instance, in July 2022, Omron Healthcare, a Japanese-based electrical equipment manufacturer company, launched a portable oxygen concentrator to assist home care providers in addressing the therapeutic and lifestyle needs of COPD and respiratory patients.This portable oxygen concentrator includes PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) technology that provides a continuous supply of oxygen (5L per minute).

Additionally, it employs medical molecular sieves to assure the efficiency and purity of the oxygen while maintaining the device’s mobility, making it easier to transport.

In January 2023, CAIRE Inc, a US-based medical equipment manufacturing company acquired MGC Diagnostics for an undisclosed amount.With this acquisition, CAIRE Inc aims to strengthen its portfolio in diagnostic technologies and to serve patients with pulmonary disease.

MGC Diagnostics is a US-based company involved in the manufacturing and sales of oxygen therapy tools such as pulse oximeters.

The countries covered in the oxygen therapy market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

The oxygen therapy market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides oxygen therapy market statistics, including the oxygen therapy industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an oxygen therapy market share, detailed oxygen therapy market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the oxygen therapy industry. This oxygen therapy market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
Read the full report: www.reportlinker.com/p06464234/?utm_source=GNW

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1Jun

Bronchitis Treatment Global Market Report 2023

Posted by: admin Categories: PHYSICAL REHABILITATION
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New York, June 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Bronchitis Treatment Global Market Report 2023" - www.reportlinker.com/p06464208/?utm_source=GNW
, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Pfizer Inc., Cipla Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., Bayer AG, Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Viatris Inc., and Lupin Ltd.

The global bronchitis treatment market is expected to grow from $4.96 billion in 2022 to $5.24 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6%. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, causing inflation across goods and services and affecting many markets across the globe. The bronchitis treatment market is expected to reach $6.60 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 5.9%.

The bronchitis treatment market includes revenues earned by entities by providing vaccines surgery, and pulmonary rehabilitation.The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering.

Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

Bronchitis treatment refers to a treatment of a condition in which the bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from the lungs, become inflamed and produce an excessive amount of mucus. This treatment includes symptom-relieving medications such as bronchodilators, steroids, and antibiotics.

North America was the largest region in the bronchitis treatment market in 2022.The regions covered in bronchitis treatment report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.

The countries covered in the bronchitis treatment market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA.

The bronchitis treatment is used to treat acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis by using several types of treatment, including drugs and oxygen therapy.Acute bronchitis is a contagious viral infection that causes bronchial tube inflammation.

These are sold through various distribution channels, such as online pharmaceutical stores, retail pharmacies, and hospital pharmacies.

The increasing incidence of respiratory diseases is expected to propel the growth of the bronchitis treatment market going forward.Respiratory diseases refer to diseases that affect the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system.

This disease can affect the upper or lower respiratory tract and can be caused by a variety of factors, including infections, allergens, irritants, and genetic predispositions.Bronchitis treatment for respiratory diseases can be used in a number of ways, depending on the root cause and severity of the condition.

Bronchitis treatment include antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and bronchodilators to open airways of respiratory organs.For instance, in November 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a US-based intergovernmental organization, The number of respiratory disease cases reported by employers increased by around 4,000%, from 10,800 in 2019 to 428,700 in 2020, which contributed to the growth in illness cases.

The rate of respiratory illness grew from 1.1 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2019 to 44.0 cases in 2020.. Therefore, the increasing incidence of respiratory diseases is driving the growth of the bronchitis treatment market going forward.

Product innovations are a key trend gaining popularity in the bronchitis treatment market.Major companies operating in the bronchitis treatment market are adopting new technologies to sustain their position in the market.

For instance, in June 2021, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., an Israel-based pharmaceutical company, launched the first generic version of PERFOROMIST®, a formoterol fumarate inhalation solution. This solution is intended to treat bronchoconstriction in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Adults with COPD can manage their symptoms using formoterol fumarate inhalation solution, a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (LABA). Emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or both may be present in COPD, a chronic lung illness. Only a nebulizer can be used to use formoterol fumarate inhalation solution.

In January 2022, Covis Pharma Group, a Switzerland-based specialty pharmaceutical company, acquired the respiratory portfolio of two medicines from AstraZeneca for $270 million.This transaction includes the acquisition of Eklira® and Duaklir®, which enables Covis to provide a comprehensive spectrum of best-in-class treatments for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and highlights its capacity to collaborate with and be a preferred partner for major pharmaceutical firms.

AstraZeneca PLC is a UK-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and a co-developer of a vaccine against bronchiolitis.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

The bronchitis treatment market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides bronchitis treatment market statistics, including bronchitis treatment industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a bronchitis treatment market share, detailed bronchitis treatment market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the bronchitis treatment industry. This bronchitis treatment market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
Read the full report: www.reportlinker.com/p06464208/?utm_source=GNW

About Reportlinker
ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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1Jun

Breathe easy with pursed lip breathing: A step-by-step approach

Posted by: admin Categories: PREVENTION & WELLBEING
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Simple yet effective, pursed lip breathing has a significant positive effect on general well-being. You can enjoy a variety of benefits for your physical and mental health by actively managing your breath using a certain technique.

It's simple to forget the basic but profound act of breathing in the flurry of daily life. However, you can avail a multitude of health benefits by harnessing the power of breath through practices like pursed lip breathing.

Pursed lip breathing technique

It improves respiratory function. (Image via Unsplash/Joey Nicotra)
It improves respiratory function. (Image via Unsplash/Joey Nicotra)

It's crucial to comprehend and practice the pursed lip breathing method to effectively utilize the power of breath. You can quickly implement this method into your daily activities.

To assist you in mastering the method, below is a step-by-step manual:

  • Look for a peaceful location where you can sit or lie down.
  • The body should be at ease when you inhale deeply through your nose and fill your lungs with air.
  • Puck your lips as if you were about to extinguish a candle.
  • Exhale gradually through pursed lips, letting the breath leave the body easily and gently.
  • Focus on keeping a steady and regulated flow of breath as you continue to exhale for longer than you inhale.
  • For several minutes, go through this cycle again to give yourself time to settle into a rhythm.

Purpose of pursed lip breathing

This breathing technique serves several important purposes that contribute to better health and well-being. Let's examine in more detail:

1) Enhancing respiratory function

It increases air exchange during each breath, which enhances respiratory function by increasing lung capacity and efficiency. This method aids in keeping the airways open, reducing build-up of stale air and improving oxygenation.

2) Promoting relaxation and stress reduction

Pursed breathing helps in relieving stress. (Image via Unsplash/ Eli Defaria)
Pursed breathing helps in relieving stress. (Image via Unsplash/ Eli Defaria)

It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which causes a relaxation response. That promotes relaxation and reduces stress, which lessens tension and anxiety while fostering a calm and healthy state of mind.

3) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptom management

People with COPD can benefit greatly from this breathing technique. Breathlessness, labored breathing and symptom management can all be helped by slowing the breath and lengthening exhalation.

4) Supporting exercise performance and endurance

People who are physically active, like athletes, can gain benefits from this breathing technique. Limiting fast breathing and assisting in maintaining adequate oxygen levels for longer endurance, regulates breathing during exercise.

5) Facilitating better sleep and managing sleep disorders

It can be a helpful strategy for people who struggle with sleep disorders like sleep apnea in terms of promoting better sleep and managing sleep disorders. It can lead to greater sleep quality by enhancing relaxation and respiratory function.

Benefits of pursed lip breathing

This breathing technique improves oxygenation. (Image via Unsplash/Lutchenca Medeiros)
This breathing technique improves oxygenation. (Image via Unsplash/Lutchenca Medeiros)

Pursed lip breathing has numerous benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Let's examine a few of them:

Increased oxygenation: This breathing technique increases the effectiveness of oxygen exchange in the lungs, resulting in greater oxygenation of body tissues and improved general vigor.

Nervous system calming: Pursued lip breathing, which controls breath, activates the vagus nerve, inducing relaxation response and lowering stress and anxiety level.

Alleviating breathlessness and shortness of breath: Pursed lip breathing reduces the sensation of air hunger and slows down breathing rate. That makes it easier to engage in physical activity and lessens the discomfort connected with breathlessness.

Pursed lip breathing is a straightforward technique that has several benefits, including calming thoughts and lengthening exhalations.

You can use as many repetitions as you'd like. The need to exhale more frequently could indicate a respiratory disorder. In this situation, speak with your doctor for the next course of action.




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1Jun

Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor Safe, Well Tolerated in Pediatric CF

Posted by: admin Categories: PULMONARY DISEASES
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Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA) was generally safe and well tolerated among children with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged 6 to 11 years old who have at least 1 F508del allele, researchers reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The investigators sought to assess long-term safety and efficacy of ELX/TEZ/IVA in children aged 6 to 11 years with cystic fibrosis heterozygous for F508del and a minimal function CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation (F/MF genotypes) or homozygous for F508del (F/F genotype).

The study authors reported results of part A of a 2-part, multicenter, open-label, phase 3 extension study of ELX/TEZ/IVA (study 445-107; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04183790), a 96-week study of children who had completed the 24-week parent study (study 445-106 part B). Part A of this extension study evaluated the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacodynamics of ELX/TEZ/IVA during the 96-week treatment period. The dosing for participants in part A was based on weight: children weighing less than 30 kg received ELX 100 mg once daily/TEZ 50 mg once daily/IVA 75 mg every 12 hours, and children weighing 30 kg or more received ELX 200 mg once daily/TEZ 100 mg once daily/IVA 150 mg every 12 hours (adult dose).

The primary endpoint in part A was safety and tolerability based on adverse events (AEs), clinical laboratory values, electrocardiograms, vital signs, pulse oximetry, and ophthalmologic examinations.

Part A was conducted from February 17, 2020, to May 24, 2022, at 21 sites in the US, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland. A total of 64 children (mean [SD] age, 9.3 [1.8] years; 61% female) were enrolled and received at least 1 dose of ELX/TEZ/IVA.

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Treatment with ELX/TEZ/IVA remained generally safe and well tolerated in this pediatric population, with most children having AEs that were mild or moderate in severity and consistent with CF disease manifestations.

Of the cohort, 63 children (98.4%) had at least 1 AE in the 96 weeks, which were mild (46.9%) or moderate (48.4%) in severity. The overall exposure-adjusted rates of AEs and serious AEs in this analysis (407.74 and 4.72 events per 100 patient-years, respectively) were lower compared with the parent study (987.04 and 8.68 events per 100 patient-years).

Cough (37.5%), headache (28.1%), and rhinorrhea (25.0%) were the most commonly reported AEs. Serious AEs occurred in 4 children (6.3%) and included idiopathic intracranial hypertension; constipation; pyrexia; and constipation, anaphylactic reaction, and hematuria traumatic (n=1) that were not considered drug related and all were resolved.

ELX/TEZ/IVA treatment over the 96 weeks led to maintenance of the improvements in key clinical outcomes that were observed in the 24-week parent study, the study authors reported. The mean absolute change from baseline in the parent study to week 96 in percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (ppFEV1) was 11.2 percentage points (95% CI, 8.3-14.2), as well as -62.3 mmol/L (95% CI, -65.9 to -58.8) in sweat chloride concentration, and 13.3 points in Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) respiratory domain score (95% CI, 11.4-15.1).

The estimated rate of pulmonary exacerbations per year was 0.04. The post hoc analysis of the annualized rate of ppFEV1 change was 0.51 percentage points per year (95% CI, -0.73 to 1.75).

Limitations include lack of a comparator group and the study’s overlap with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Notably, social distancing measures and mask use during the pandemic were associated with a decreased incidence of pulmonary exacerbations in patients with CF, which may have partially affected some of the results, including CFQ-R respiratory domain score.

“Treatment with ELX/TEZ/IVA remained generally safe and well tolerated in this pediatric population, with most children having AEs that were mild or moderate in severity and consistent with CF disease manifestations,” the study authors concluded. “The improvements in lung function, respiratory symptoms, and CFTR function seen in the parent study were maintained through an additional 96 weeks of ELX/TEZ/IVA treatment,” the researchers noted.

Disclosure: This research was funded by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Some of the study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.

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1Jun

Area woman navigates cystic fibrosis challenges

Posted by: admin Categories: PULMONARY DISEASES
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For her entire life, Briana Dewitt has battled cystic fibrosis.

“Having CF requires a lot of maintenance, just in order to stay healthy and keep breathing and living every day, as normally as possible,” Dewitt said. “Growing up, I was kinda in and out of the hospital and that was something that became more prominent the older I got, especially as the disease progressed and my lungs became more scared and breathing became a little bit more challenging.”

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, CF causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. The mucus clogs airways and traps germs which can lead to lung infections, respiratory failure and other complications. It also prevents the release of digestive enzymes that help the body absorb food and nutrients.

“Having a positive attitude and a good mentality is half the battle,” said Dewitt. “This is the hand of cards that I was dealt, and if I wanna have fun and have adventures and live a fulfilling life, it’s something that I have to deal with.”

She’s doing that by helping others as a physician assistant. Her career is inspired by the people that help her battle CF.

“Seeing the way my providers treated me and answered my questions and helped me navigate through chronic illness, I wanted to be that person for someone else that was gonna help them get through hard times and figure out what the best plan for them would be,” she said.

She focuses on gastroenterology and hepatology. But she can’t go to work without doing her treatments.

“The purpose of this is to clear out airways,” Dewitt said. “So the nebulizers help break up and thin the mucus, and the vest which vibrates helps break up the mucus that’s very thick and sticky.”

Recently, new medicines have been approved marking a historic breakthrough in CF treatment. One of them is a pill called Trikafta. It’s the first time most people with CF have access to a therapy that addresses the underlying cause, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

“The new treatments are absolutely extraordinary and amazing,” said Dewitt. “I have so many peers that have CF and people that I have met through the CF community that have basically a whole new outlook on life.”

Trikafta is available to people that have the main mutation of the CF gene. Unfortunately, Dewitt’s is rare.

“It is a little bit frustrating for me, knowing that I don’t have access to these new medications, but it makes me just that much more hopeful to see what the future may hold as the research continues,” she said. “I dream about the day where it’s not gonna be such a burden, but I have a lot of hope that one day that will be a reality for me.”

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