Health News
Asthma sufferers can now benefit from an innovative treatment that was first offered at University Hospital in Louisville.
Patients like Shannon Denson are seeing improvement thanks to bronchial thermoplasty, "a minimally invasive, three-step procedure using heat to open airways in adults with severe asthma so they can breathe more easily," reports Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal.
"Over the years, airways become very narrow. This opens them up," said Dr. Tanya Wiese, an interventional pulmonologist with University of Louisville Physicians, which partnered with UH to offer the treatment.
The treatment is not a cure but it does improve the condition of the lungs, which is good news since asthma rates are high in Kentucky. In the Ohio Valley, almost 15 percent of Kentucky adults said they had asthma, making it the seventh-highest rate in 2010, a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. (Read more)
- Ket Will Discuss Asthma Monday Night: Living With It, Its Environmental Affects, And Available Resources To Deal With It
KET's current "Health Three60" program is "Easing the Burden of Asthma," discussing a disease that hospitalizes more than 6,000 Kentuckians a year. After debuting on KET Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., it will air on KETKY Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., again on KET Oct....
- Respiratory Virus That Is Sweeping Midwest Has Found Its Way To Kentucky; Frequent Handwashing Remains Best Defense
The respiratory virus that has been hospitalizing children in the Midwest has come to Kentucky, reports Chris Kenning of The Courier-Journal: "Kraig Humbaugh, deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health, said the Centers for Disease...
- This Is Asthma Awareness Month, More Important In Kentucky Than In Most States; We Have One Of The Nation's Highest Rates
In May the Kentucky Department for Public Health is observing Asthma Awareness Month by cultivating awareness about the disease's impact and working with the Kentucky Asthma Partnership to reach both health care providers and schools to assist people...
- Study In Ky., 3 Other States Indicates Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In Vehicles Can Cause Asthma Attacks In Non-smokers
Kentucky adults who have never smoked are more likely to have an asthma attack when exposed to secondhand smoke in a vehicle than those who are not exposed, according to a research paper recently published in Tobacco Control, an international, peer-reviewed...
- More County-specific Health Data Are Available, Painting Detailed Pictures Of Your Local Area's Health
Five years' worth of county-specific data are now available for many types of health indicators on the Kentucky Health Facts website. The site features data on demographics, social and behavioral indicators, health outcomes, access to care, and maternal...
Health News
New treatment first offered in Louisville is helping asthma sufferers
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| Shannon Denson, who has severe asthma, gets bronchial thermoplasty. Courier-Journal photo. |
Patients like Shannon Denson are seeing improvement thanks to bronchial thermoplasty, "a minimally invasive, three-step procedure using heat to open airways in adults with severe asthma so they can breathe more easily," reports Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal.
"Over the years, airways become very narrow. This opens them up," said Dr. Tanya Wiese, an interventional pulmonologist with University of Louisville Physicians, which partnered with UH to offer the treatment.
The treatment is not a cure but it does improve the condition of the lungs, which is good news since asthma rates are high in Kentucky. In the Ohio Valley, almost 15 percent of Kentucky adults said they had asthma, making it the seventh-highest rate in 2010, a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. (Read more)
- Ket Will Discuss Asthma Monday Night: Living With It, Its Environmental Affects, And Available Resources To Deal With It
KET's current "Health Three60" program is "Easing the Burden of Asthma," discussing a disease that hospitalizes more than 6,000 Kentuckians a year. After debuting on KET Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., it will air on KETKY Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., again on KET Oct....
- Respiratory Virus That Is Sweeping Midwest Has Found Its Way To Kentucky; Frequent Handwashing Remains Best Defense
The respiratory virus that has been hospitalizing children in the Midwest has come to Kentucky, reports Chris Kenning of The Courier-Journal: "Kraig Humbaugh, deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Public Health, said the Centers for Disease...
- This Is Asthma Awareness Month, More Important In Kentucky Than In Most States; We Have One Of The Nation's Highest Rates
In May the Kentucky Department for Public Health is observing Asthma Awareness Month by cultivating awareness about the disease's impact and working with the Kentucky Asthma Partnership to reach both health care providers and schools to assist people...
- Study In Ky., 3 Other States Indicates Exposure To Secondhand Smoke In Vehicles Can Cause Asthma Attacks In Non-smokers
Kentucky adults who have never smoked are more likely to have an asthma attack when exposed to secondhand smoke in a vehicle than those who are not exposed, according to a research paper recently published in Tobacco Control, an international, peer-reviewed...
- More County-specific Health Data Are Available, Painting Detailed Pictures Of Your Local Area's Health
Five years' worth of county-specific data are now available for many types of health indicators on the Kentucky Health Facts website. The site features data on demographics, social and behavioral indicators, health outcomes, access to care, and maternal...