Health Highlights: March 17, 2008

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Children With Allergies Less Active Than Peers: Survey

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Many American children with allergies aren't getting the treatment they need, and children with allergies are less active and productive than their peers, according to survey presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

The survey included more than 500 parents of children with allergic rhinitis and a similar number of parents of children without allergies. Among the findings:

• About 76 percent of parents said spring was the worst time of year for their children's nasal allergies.
• Forty percent of parents said their children's allergies interfered with sleep, compared to eight percent of parents of children without allergies.
• Twenty-one percent of parents said allergies limited their children's activities, compared with 11 percent of parents of children without allergies.
• Forty percent of parents of children with allergies said the condition interfered with school performance. Only 10 percent of parents of children without allergies said health issues caused poorer school performance.
• The most bothersome symptom for children with allergic rhinitis is a stuffed up nose (27 percent), but about 46 percent of parents said their children also suffered more serious symptoms, such as headache and ear and facial pain.
• About 48 percent of allergic children in the survey are currently taking prescription drugs to treat symptoms. Of those, 57 percent have had their medication switched. Ineffective allergy control was the leading reason for changing medications.
• Bothersome side effects -- such as products dripping down the throat, bad taste, burning, and headache -- were among the reasons for dissatisfaction with allergy medications.

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