(Press-News.org) Contact information: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
Boston University Medical Center
Depressive symptoms linked to adult-onset asthma in African-American women
(Boston) – According to a new study from the Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC) at Boston University, African-American women who reported high levels of depressive symptoms had a greater likelihood of adult-onset asthma compared to women who reported fewer depressive symptoms.
The study, which currently appears online in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, was led by Patricia Coogan, DSc, senior epidemiologist at SEC and research professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health.
This study followed 31,848 African-American women between 1999 and 2011, all of whom are participants in the Black Women's Health Study (BWHS) who completed health questionnaires every two years. In 1999 and 2005 they rated the frequency of experiencing 20 symptoms (e.g., "I felt depressed", I felt lonely", "I could not get going"). The 20 answers were summed into a scale ranging from zero (rarely or never experiencing depressive symptoms) to 60 (experiencing all depressive symptoms "most or all of the time"). The scale is commonly used in epidemiologic studies and a score of 16 has been used to identify individuals at high risk of depression.
The results indicated that as the frequency of depressive symptoms increased, the incidence of adult-onset asthma also rose, up to a two-fold increase in women in the highest category (score of ≥33) compared to the lowest category (score END
Depressive symptoms linked to adult-onset asthma in African-American women
2014-01-21
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
How to improve HPV vaccination rates? It starts with physicians, Moffitt researchers say
2014-01-21
How to improve HPV vaccination rates? It starts with physicians, Moffitt researchers say
Consistent recommendations from family doctors lacking
The risk of developing cervical cancer can be significantly decreased through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. ...
Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, need for expanded monitoring program
2014-01-21
Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, need for expanded monitoring program
ANN ARBOR—The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes ...
The brain's RAM
2014-01-21
The brain's RAM
Rats, like humans, have a 'working memory'
In computers it's called "RAM", but the mechanism is conceptually similar to what scientists call a "working memory" in the brain of humans and primates: when we interact ...
Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake
2014-01-21
Vancouver: Nearby Georgia basin may amplify ground shaking from next quake
SAN FRANCISCO -- Tall buildings, bridges and other long-period structures in Greater Vancouver may experience greater shaking from large (M 6.8 +) earthquakes than previously ...
January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
2014-01-21
January/February 2014 Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
Self-rated Health an Efficient and Effective Predictor of Long-Term Depression Risk
Self-rated health appears to be a strong and consistent predictor of the risk of future depression in patients ...
Embargoed news: Evidence that access to guns increases suicide and homicide
2014-01-21
Embargoed news: Evidence that access to guns increases suicide and homicide
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for January 21, 2014
1. Evidence that access to firearms significantly increases odds of suicide and homicide
Having access to a gun in the ...
Uninsured patients less likely to be transferred between hospitals, Pitt researchers find
2014-01-21
Uninsured patients less likely to be transferred between hospitals, Pitt researchers find
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 20, 2013 – Uninsured patients with a variety of common medical diagnoses are significantly less likely to be transferred ...
Access to guns increases risk of suicide, homicide
2014-01-21
Access to guns increases risk of suicide, homicide
UCSF meta-analysis finds women at greater risk of being killed
Someone with access to firearms is three times more likely to commit suicide and nearly twice as likely to be the victim of a ...
Made in China for us: Air pollution tied to exports
2014-01-21
Made in China for us: Air pollution tied to exports
Study finds blowback causes extra day per year of ozone smog in LA
Chinese air pollution blowing across the Pacific Ocean is often caused by the manufacturing of goods for export to the U.S. and Europe, ...
Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights
2014-01-21
Schizophrenia in the limelight: Film-industry technology provides insights
The first 30 seconds of a social encounter is crucial for people with symptoms of schizophrenia for establishing contact with people, according to new research carried out ...