Health Check Qatar - January 2016

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ISSUE 22

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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Launch of Patients’ Bill of Rights & Responsibilities

A Vision for Laboratory Services

QATAR COUNCIL FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS (QCHP) AT THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF HEALTH (SCH) HAS LAUNCHED THE PATIENTS’ BILL OF RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES WHICH AIMS TO ENSURE SATISFACTION OF BOTH PATIENTS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS BY BUILDING MUTUAL RESPECT THROUGH A CLEARLY DEFINED LEGAL FRAMEWORK.

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he rights of patients mentioned in the charter include access to health care services with respect, safety and security. The patients have the right to information about their health condition and to take part in making decisions about the treatment process.

It is their right to be assured about the privacy and confidentiality of their medical records. Patients also have the right to lodge complaints officially against health care facilities if they are not satisfied with the services they have received.

The patients’ responsibilities include furnishing full information to the health care provider or practitioner about their health condition and follow the prescribed treatment process to get the expected results.

It is also the responsibility of patients and those accompanying them to respect health care providers and their employees, other patients and public properties. They must abide by the law and follow the procedures and instructions related to safety and stick to patient appointments.

(Continued on page 2...)

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he Qatar National Vision 2030 requires significant expansion of Qatar’s scientific research capability. The implications of this for the healthcare community are considerable, and the LaboratIt is estimated that up to 70 percent of medical decisions are based on clinical laboratory results, and lab services are rightly considered a cornerstone of a world-class healthcare system.

The effective integration and standardisation of Qatar’s clinical, analytical and biomedical research laboratories is an important task as the country’s infrastructure develops.

It is a major task to ensure that there are no unwanted gaps or unnecessary duplication across the country’s many providers of research, diagnostic and analytical services.

To meet these demands, a project was set up within Qatar’s National Health Strategy – Project 2.6 Laboratory Standardization and Integration Strategy.

As early as 2011, the SCH put together a panel of experts from 14 of Qatar’s leading testing and research laboratory providers. Following the panel’s recommendations, and having conducted a situational analysis of represented laboratories, work began on preparing a comprehensive strategy covering lab services in Qatar.

CLEAR STRATEGY The National Laboratory Standardization and Integration Strategy 2013-18 was subsequently published

and a road-map to the creation of an integrated laboratory system in Qatar with fewer duplications or gaps in the services provided.

The strategy offers guidelines on key issues such as education and training, recruitment and retention, and the regulation of laboratory personnel and facilities.

Dr Salma Khalaf Al-Kaabi, Medical Consultant at the SCH’s Directorate of Medical Affairs, currently oversees Project 2.6. She says that the publication of the strategy marked a major milestone, not just for Qatar’s National Health Strategy, but for the country’s wider vision.

“Integrated and standardized testing and research laboratory services are of paramount importance to dis(Continued on page 2...)

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

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(Continued from page 1...)

A Vision for Laboratory Services ease prevention and treatment, which is essential here as Qatar grows and develops,” she says.

“Further, developing cutting edge and world-leading science and research capabilities is also vital in the context of Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

“With rapid expansion comes the risk of duplication, not only in the capabilities being developed, but also in the information being acquired. There is also potential for some laboratories to be under-utilised, which can impact clinical outcomes. The strategy is in place to make sure this development is done systematically, and from a solid strategic base.

“The strategy will direct the development of policies to support education, training, recruitment and retention; the regulation of laboratory personnel, and appropriate licensing and registration,” she says. “In addition it will lead to mandated quality management processes and appropriate licensing and accreditation for all laboratories across Qatar.”

This is a task of significant proportion, given that Qatar’s research landscape is complex and constantly developing. As such, the strategy needs to have the flexibility required to achieve growth and encourage innovation, while putting in place strong guidelines that ensure quality and prevent unnecessary duplication.

“It is not good enough to say ‘we should not duplicate research and clinical services in Qatar’,” says Dr. Al-Kaabi. “In fact, often we need to encourage it. For relatively straightforward patient

services like pregnancy- or blood-testing, for example, having a single central lab would be inefficient.

“But when it comes to high-complexity tests, centralised services make more sense because we can ensure that a high level of expertise is in place, and there is an appropriate volume of work coming into the system.

Since the publication of the strategy itself, the priority for Dr. Al-Kaabi and the project team has turned to the deep analysis of research facilities and capabilities in these terms.

In addition, the strategy’s implementation requires very active project management going forward. As Dr. Al-Kaabi explains, “The lab strategy project is highly interdependent with other NHS projects. There are some 46 recommendations within the project, and of those around 37 are implementable through other NHS projects.

“This means there is a great need for communication with other teams.”

CURRENT STATUS The Supreme Council of Health has engaged consultants to assist in developing a business case report for NHS Project 2.6, which will include the current state assessment of all the labs in the State of Qatar. This report will identify the gaps and opportunities among diagnostic, analytical and research laboratories across Qatar, and provide a list of recommendations that should feed into an implementation plan over a period of 12 months to take this project forward.

The project has two phases: Phase 1: Scoping & Strategy • Establish Project Advisory Group • Current state assessment: This will include reviewing existing documentation and practices, understanding the laboratory structure in Qatar, conducting stakeholder analysis, collecting primary source data, and understanding other project interdependencies.

• Benchmarking and Gap Analysis: This will include identifying gaps by benchmarking against international best-practice in key elements such as workforce, facilities, processes, services, and IT systems. Upon analysis of results, recommended options will be developed that hopes to bring about major benefits to the country.

Phase 2: Implementation Plan • An implementation plan will be developed to support the successful delivery of the preferred option that clearly details actions, business owners and required stakeholder support.

• The plan will include timelines for reconfiguration across all areas of analysis.

Project Milestones Project 2.6 - Laboratory Standardization and Integration Strategy, has four major outputs, three of which have already been achieved: • 2.6.1 Project initiated (achieved) • 2.6.2 Project formalized (achieved) • 2.6.3 Strategy developed (achieved)

• 2.6.4 Gap analysis and plan to bridge gaps in laboratory services (taking into account the infrastructure master plan and national workforce plan) (on-going) The National Laboratory Standardization and Integration Strategy 2013-18 has been built around four main goals: GOAL 1: Integrated Services Service integration is achieved on a number of levels – within the facility itself, between hospitals, and between hospitals and non-hospital services.

GOAL 2: Integrated Information Systems A laboratory management system is scheduled to be implemented, which will gather all information on lab services, facilities, personnel, and equipment.

This is enormously important for the standardisation of services.

GOAL 3: Standardise Workforce As with much of the health care system in Qatar, expansion and development requires considerable workforce planning. There a number of projects being run to address the demand for human resources.

GOAL 4: Standardise Outputs The final overall goal of the strategy is to standardise the output of Qatar’s laboratory system. This means setting regulations and policy, and defining standards for equipment and medical devices. ory Standardization and Integration Strategy is central to ensuring the development is managed most effectively

Launch of Patients’ Bill of Rights & Responsibilities (Continued from page 1...)

If they can not show up, they must inform the providers in advance. The patients are also obliged to fulfill all financial liabilities to the providers regularly.

The Bill is available in Arabic and English and will be translated into several other languages including Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Nepali and Malayalam so that it can reach to the maximum number of people from different nationalities.

Prior to launch of the Bill, FTP at QCHP conducted a campaign under the slogan “Your health Your right” to introduce it to the public and health care providers.

The campaign highlighted that patients are the first responsible for ensuring high quality healthcare service by knowing their rights and responsibilities. Pamphlets and brochures were distributed to healthcare providers introducing the Bill, asking them to display it in a prominent way in their premises for information of the public.

Dr Samar Abu Saoud, acting CEO of QCHP said that the

rights and responsibilities of the patients assume significance since they are fundamental in achieving the goals of the National Health Strategy.

She added that the Fitness to Practice Department at QCHP works on carrying out the project within independent, neutral and private framework to support patients’ rights noting that one of this project’s visions is to keep the public aware of their rights and responsibilities in the health facilities whether in the public or private sector in the State of Qatar.

Mrs. Masouma Fadel Sada, Manager Fitness to Practice Department at QCHP said that work on the Bill started two years ago and it has already been approved by the Permanent Licensing Committee at SCH. She noted that the QCHP was keen to introduce the patients’ bill to healthcare providers by organizing a workshop last February with the participation of 250 representatives from both public and private sector in order to present the Bill as an initial step prior to the official launching.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

... MEDICAL NEWS ...

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Chemo Nerve Damage Effects May Persist for Years M

MALE CANCER SURVIVORS ARE AS LIKELY AS WOMEN TO HAVE CHEMOTHERAPYINDUCED NERVE DAMAGE

any women who survivecancer have symptoms of chemotherapy-related nerve damage in their feet and hands years after treatment, a new study reveals.

Moreover, this nerve damage -- called chemotherapy-inducedperipheral neuropathy -- is associated with an increased risk of falls, the study found.

“We can’t dismiss neuropathy as a treatment side effect that goes away, because symptoms persist for years in nearly half of women,” said lead author Kerri Winters-Stone, a research professor at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

The study included 462 women who had survived cancer -- including breast, lung, colon, ovarian or blood cancers. At an average of six years after cancer diagnosis, 45 percent of them still had symptoms of nerve damage, such as loss of feeling in their hands and feet.

These symptoms were associated with much poorer physical functioning and difficulty doing daily tasks, such as cooking and shopping. The women with symptoms also had changes in their walking patterns and were nearly twice as likely to fall as those without such symptoms, the researchers discovered.

Falls can cause broken bones

and other injuries, and possibly lead to earlier death, the study authors explained.

The study was to be presented Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in San Francisco.

“While there are no effective treatments for this side effect, rehabilitative exercise programs may preserve physical functioning and mobility in the presence of neuropathy to help prevent falls and resulting injuries,” Winters-Stone said in a society news release.

ASCO spokesperson Dr. Merry-Jennifer Markham said chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy is an often under-recognized symptom amongcancer survivors.

The findings of studies like this “will allow us to improve and tailor rehabilitation as needed,” Markham said in the news release.

Male cancer survivors are as likely as women to have chemotherapy-induced nerve damage, the researchers said.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

(Source: Web MD)

Trauma Workers at Risk for ‘Compassion Fatigue’

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he challenges facing trauma care providers can put them at risk for “compassion fatigue” and burnout, a small new study says.

Previous research has found that compassion fatigue can cause trauma team members to feel emotionally exhausted, depressed and anxious. They also may feel like failures professionally, the researchers said.

For this study, 12 trauma team members at a Level 1 trauma center were enrolled in a discussion group.

The workers cited on-the-job stress triggers that included child or elder abuse, trauma involving children, cases involving multiple family members, injuries from avoidable situations and “senseless” deaths.

Other causes of stress included dealing with patients’ family members and difficulties with trauma team

coordination.

Even though all participants reported low or mild stress levels, three-quarters had moderate to high scores for secondary trauma stress, which is stress caused by experiencing trauma indirectly and includes compassion fatigue.

One-third had a combination of high burnout and low levels of positive experiences helping patients, while another one-quarter had moderate levels of burnout, according to the study in the January issue of theJournal of Trauma Nursing.

“Participants did not feel they experienced compassion fatigue often, and when they did, coping strategies appeared to differ between respondents,” Gina Berg, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita, and colleagues said in a journal news

release.

Even though the participants said compassion fatigue was rare, assessments conducted by the researchers indicated the presence of compassion fatigue and burnout.

“This suggests trauma team members may not be as adept at managing work stressors as well as they perceive,” the researchers wrote.

In order to cope, trauma team members must acknowledge that compassion fatigue occurs and is an expected reality of the profession, Berg and colleagues suggested.

The study participants had no training in managing stress. But they said they felt able to deal with it through methods such as talking with each other and making time for themselves.

(Source: Web MD)

COMPASSION FATIGUE CAN CAUSE TRAUMA TEAM MEMBERS TO FEEL EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED, DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS

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Common Diabetes Advice:

MYTH OR FACT?

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f you are living with diabetes, you may find it difficult to keep up with latest findings in diabetes research – and especially difficult to distinguish between diet fads and true, evidence-based recommendations. Even the most seasoned healthcare professional may find themselves sifting through research to find reliable information.

As a health coach and registered dietitian, I often find myself playing myth-buster for clients who are overwhelmed by all the differing opinions on how to best manage diabetes.

Should they or should they not eat bananas?

Could their high-stress job really be impacting their blood glucose levels? Will fiber really make a difference in blood sugar regulation or should they just opt for a super low-carb diet instead?

Ever wonder why your blood glucose levels tend to read higher around the holidays or when struggling to meet a deadline at work?

Stress has a strong influence on our blood sugars, so ongoing stress can become problematic in managing diabetes.

Stress is just as much a physiological issue as it is psychological. Not only do stress hormones surging through our systems cause blood sugars to elevate but they will often increase our cravings for sugary or salty foods, making it even harder to exercise willpower.

Avoid getting caught in the high-stress,

high-blood sugar trap by learning how to address your stress before it becomes unmanageable. If you are a notorious stress-eater, try an alternative coping mechanism to handle your stress like exercise, deep breathing techniques or meditation.

Though more research is needed, this one is looking to be more FACT than myth. You may be saving yourself some extra calories when you sprinkle on your favorite low-cal sweetener, but you are likely doing very little to kick the sugar cravings. In fact, some research has shown that ongoing use of artificial sweeteners is likely to further perpetuate cravings for sweet foods because of their interference with appetite control and our brain’s reward system. Couple this with other studies that have found that artificial sweeteners may alter healthy gut bacteria and metabolism, and you are likely better off reducing all sweet foods—artificial or not.

If you are looking to minimize your sweet tooth, try noshing on whole foods that contain complex carbohydrates and protein like fruit and nuts when a craving strikes. This may help to keep you fuller for longer and decrease the desire for sugary foods as often.

Lower your tolerance of sweets by gradually reducing your sugar/sweetener use little by little each day, like opting for a teaspoon, rather than a tablespoon, of sweetener in your morning coffee.

Caffeine and Your Body C

affeine is a very common substance that we consume in food, drinks, and medicines. More than 90% of people in the world use caffeine in one form or another.

It is safe to consume caffeine in moderate amounts. Research suggests there are some benefits of caffeine. However, for certain people, doctors may recommend reducing the consumption of caffeine or stopping it all together.

Caffeine is a natural substance found in more than 60 plants! The most common plants that contain caffeine are coffee beans, tea leaves, kola nuts, and cacao pods.

Caffeine can also be made in the lab. This is known as synthetic caffeine. Synthetic caffeine is added to foods, drinks, and medicines.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, and the other nerves in the body. Caffeine causes a person to feel more alert and less tired.

The stimulant effect of caffeine reaches its peak level within one hour of ingesting it and lasts from four to six hours. When people use caffeine

every day, their bodies get used to it. They don’t get the “good effects” of feeling more awake and able to concentrate unless they use more of it.

This is called “tolerance.” Some studies show that caffeine causes a physical dependence or addiction. If a person gets headaches or becomes irritable after stopping caffeine consumption, then their body is physically addicted to it. These signs are called withdrawal symptoms. Not all people have the same response to caffeine. Some people report noticeable alertness while others report little difference in alertness. Some have no withdrawal symptoms while others do. People’s reaction to caffeine differs as the person’s age or health changes.

Caffeine is used in both prescription and over-the-counter medicines to treat tiredness or drowsiness. Caffeine can also improve the effect of some pain medicine.

Caffeine’s main effect on your body is to make you feel more awake and alert for a while. However, it can also cause some side effects. The most common side effect is making a person jittery or shaky.

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Getting Started on Getting Pregnant IT’S A COMMON QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT I’LL GET PREGNANT THIS MONTH?

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f you’re considering having a baby, you probably have wondered how long it will take to get pregnant, when to have sex, and how often.

Find the answers to your questions here.

It’s a common question: What are the odds that I’ll get pregnant this month? For most couples trying to conceive, the odds that a woman will become pregnant are 15% to 25% in any particular month .

A woman’s cycle begins on the first day that she notice bright red blood -- not just spotting -- and it ends on the day before the next cycle begins. A cycle can take 21 to 35 days -- or more.

If her cycle varies in length by a few days from one month to the next, that’s considered irregular -and common. Many women don’t have regular cycles. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong.

Here’s another common question from couples trying to conceive: How often should we have sex?

In short, the answer is frequently.

A lot of couples trying to conceive spend a lot of energy timing sex, with mathematical precision, to calculate when a woman is prime for ovulation.

Mysteries of Weight Loss T

he standard advice -- to eat less and move more - isn’t so helpful when it comes to the “how.” You probably know you need to cut calories, but how many? Are you better off getting those calories from low-fat or low-carb foods? And what’s going on with yourmetabolism, your personal energy-burning furnace? Is it programmed to keep you overweight?

Is there any way to fan the flames so you can dream of one day eating a piece of pie without gaining a pound?

Even science is still stumped on many of the basic questions of weight loss.

“Amazingly, in this era of obesity, there are still many things that we really don’t know,” says Robin Callister, PhD, professor of human physiology at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

The idea that dieters need to cut this many calories -- with diet, exercise or both -- to lose 1 pound of weight comes from an influential scientific paper published in 1958. Max Wishnofsky, MD, a doctor

who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., tried to sum up everything we knew about how calories are stored by the body. He concluded that when the body is in a steady caloric state -- meaning it isn’t fasting or starving -- extra calories will be stored as fat, and it would take 3,500 extra calories to create a pound of fat. In that same steady state, he also said it would take a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight. For decades, the “Wishnofsky Rule” has been math that determined dieters live by.

The trouble is that it’s wrong.

The 3,500-calorie rule doesn’t work because the body adjusts to weight loss. It quickly decreases the number of calories it needs to maintain its new, lighter size, says Corby Martin, PhD, director of the Ingestive Behavior Laboratory at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. That means weight loss slows down over time. People who expect to drop a pound for every 3,500 calories they cut will soon become frustrated when the scale doesn’t cooperate.

Theoretically, the approach makes sense. Recent studies have shown the window of opportunity for a sperm to fertilize an egg is pretty small: Essentially, it’s only the four to five days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Your best chances are on the day before and the day of ovulation. So, the key would seem to be to have sex frequently in that five- to six-day window.

But while timing your lovemaking exclusively to those few days makes logical sense, it also has some drawbacks -- primarily because your body doesn’t always behave with clockwork regularity.

Even if your cycle is regular, ovulation can occur at any time during the cycle. If you’re having sex on the day you think you’re ovulating, and you’re off by a few days, you may be out of luck.

So the expert advice is to hedge your bets: Have sex at least two to three times every week. Studies have shown that as long as your partner has a normal sperm count, having sex every day of the month further increases your chances.

(Source: WebMD)

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Group Therapy and Mental Health

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roup therapy, as the name implies, is a type of psychological therapythat is conducted with a group of people, rather than between an individual and mental health professional. Usually, people in the group are facing similar issues, like anxiety or addiction.

Probably the biggest advantage of group therapy is helping a patient realize that he or she is not alone -- that there are other people who have similar problems. This is often a revelation, and a huge relief, to the person.

Being in group therapy can also help you develop new skills to relate to others. The dynamics of a group often mirror those of society in general, and learning how to interact with the other members of the group can help you in your relationships outside the group. In addition, the members of the group who have the same problem(s) can support each other, and may offer suggestions to dealing with a particular problem that you may not have thought of.

You may be uncomfortable at first when it comes time to discuss your problems in front of

strangers. However, the fact that others are facing the same type of situation as you may help you open up and discuss your feelings. In addition, everything that takes place within the group therapy session is kept confidential.

Group therapy sessions vary, but the basic format is a small group of patients meet on a regular basis to discuss their feelings and problems and provide mutual support. The session is guided by a professional therapist who is specially trained in group therapy. The therapist acts as moderator and may suggest a “theme” or topic for the group’s discussion. Sometimes, the therapist will allow the group members to pick the topic for the session.

As part of the group therapy session, members try to change their old ways of behaving in favor of newer, more productive ways. Typically, there is a great deal of interaction and discussion among the members of the group. The members may also undertake specific activities, such as addressing certain fears and anxieties.

(Source: WebMD)

Probably the biggest advantage of group therapy is helping a patient realize that he or she is not alone -- that there are other people who have similar problems.

Is It Time for a Mental Health Checkup?

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ou may go to the doctor to get regular checkups of your body, but what about your mind?

Everyone deals with tough times, but even happy events like a new job, a marriage, or a new baby can add stress.

If you have any of these five symptoms for more than a few weeks, it may be time for a mental checkup.

Are you normally a happy person but lately find yourself blowing up over small things or arguing more with friends or family? It could be a sign of some mental or emotional issues, says Sarah Hightower, a licensed counselor in Atlanta.

It could also be depressionor anxiety. “This isn’t the same as a minor mood change. If your overall patience level with other people drops, pay attention,” Hightower says.

Many Americans don’t get enough sleep, but they just assume they need to roll with it. That’s not healthy. A 2008 NationalSleep Foundation study found that more than 30% of Americans have fallen asleep at work or while driving and estimated that nearly 50 million people suffer from sleep prob-

lems that impact their daily lives. Once a doctor has ruled out a medical condition (thyroid problems,chronic pain, etc.) that’s keeping you from sleeping, it’s time to talk to someone who may be able to explore mental and emotional causes.

Often, the first sign of depression is when a normally social person starts avoiding people and stops interacting on social media. So if you find yourself checking out, you might want to ask yourself why.

There are times, like holidays, where people tend to overeat. But long-term overeating or constantly reaching for foods high in fat and sugar could be a sign of stress or emotional eating. A review from Harvard Medical School found that shortterm stress may cause a loss of appetite, while long-term stress increases the hormone cortisol, which raises appetite.

If you’re always wound up with a racing mind, it could be a symptom of anxiety. Unlike depression that often comes and goes, anxiety can become a constant -- and easily overlooked -- part of life. People can live with it for years without noticing its ties to mental health.

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... PAEDIATRICS & CHILD HEALTH ...

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Computer Time May Be Causing Kids’ Nearsightedness C

hildren who spend lots of time indoors and on computers and other electronic devices may be raising their risk for nearsightedness, a panel of U.S. ophthalmology experts suggests.

The prevalence of Americans with nearsightedness -- also known as myopia -- has nearly doubled over the last 50 years, the ophthalmologists noted.

The ophthalmologists suspect the increase is due to “near work” -- focusing on something close to your eyes -- and the decreased amount of time spent outdoors in natural light.

“Kids are spending much more time doing indoor activities with their cellphones, iPads, computers, and so on,” said Dr. Rohit Varma, director of the University of Southern California Eye Institute in Los Angeles.

Children of East Asian descent are genetically predisposed to nearsightedness, but children’s habits in those regions may be increasing the rates of myopia even more. The current rate of myopia in young people in China is 90 percent compared to about 10 to 20 percent 60 years ago,

the experts said. That compares to a rate of 42 percent for Americans between the ages of 12 and 54, according to previous research.

The ophthalmologists noted the difference in Chinese and American work habits. Children in China spend up to 12 hours a day doing near work, compared to their U.S. peers, who spend about nine hours a day on near work, the eye experts said.

Dr. David Hunter, chief of ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital, explained that nearsightedness is when your eyes are capable of focusing up close but not far away. It generally happens when the eye grows too long, and the best focus point no longer aligns well with the area at the back of the eye called the retina. Hunter likened the retina to the film of a camera.

If the lens isn’t focusing the light on the film, then the image is going to be blurry, Hunter said. In the case of myopia, the retina is too far away from the focal point until objects are closer (Source: WebMD)

Children of East Asian descent are genetically predisposed to nearsightedness, but children’s habits in those regions may be increasing the rates of myopia even more.

Child Asthma Rates Leveling Off, Except Among Poor

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ates of childhood asthma appear to have plateaued, except among the poor and kids aged 10 to 17, U.S. health officials report.

Researchers found that childhood asthma rates increased from 2001 to 2009 -- a trend that began in 1982. The rate peaked in 2009 at close to 10 percent, then leveled off before dropping to slightly more than 8 percent in 2013.

“Trends in childhood asthma have recently stopped increasing,” said lead researcher Dr. Lara Akinbami, who’s with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

“This is mainly due to the leveling off of prevalence among black children, who previously had large increases in the prevalence ofasthma,” she said.

“However, more years of data are needed to clarify if asthma prevalence among children will continue to decline, or if it will plateau around current levels,” she added.

The report was published online Dec. 28 in the journal Pediatrics.

For the study, researchers used data from the 2001 to 2013 National Health Interview Survey to analyze the prevalence of asthma in children from birth to the age of 17.

“We found that not all groups of children had the same trends,” Akinbami said.

Among children who are living in families with income below the poverty level and those aged 10 to 17, researchers found that asthmarates increased between 2001 and 2013.

“Trends increased and then leveled out among children aged 5 to 9 years and children living just above the poverty level,” Akinbami added.

Among white and Puerto Rican children, the prevalence of asthmaremained the same from 2001 to 2013, Akinbami said. Puerto Rican children had the highest prevalence of asthma compared with all other groups, she said.

These overall findings are good news on two fronts, Akinbami said. First, if asthma rates stop increasing, fewer children are at risk for poor asthma outcomes, such as emergency room visits or even death, she said.

“The not so good news is that asthma prevalence still seems to be increasing among children living in poverty,” she said.

(Source: WebMD)

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