Asian and Black Kids Misdiagnosed

A new study has found that a test used to identify kids with asthma could
misdiagnose children of certain ethnic backgrounds. Karen Kelly has the story:

Transcript

A new study has found that a test used to identify kids with asthma could
misdiagnose children of certain ethnic backgrounds. Karen Kelly has the story:


Until now, doctors looked for a standard level of nitric oxide in a child’s breath when diagnosing asthma.
But a study of 650 kids in Detroit and neighboring Windsor, Ontario led to a surprising discovery: healthy kids of Asian descent had two times more nitric oxide than what’s
considered normal, and healthy African-American kids exhaled 50 percent
more of the gas.


Dr. Thomas Kovesi conducted the study, which was published in the journal
Chest.


“If based on this test, a child gets diagnosed with asthma when they don’t have
asthma, it’s possible that they’ll end up on medications the child won’t benefit
from. Every medication has potential side effects.”


Kovesi tells parents to ask their doctors to consider their child’s ethnicity if the
kid is taking an exhaled nitric oxide test.


For the Environment Report, I’m Karen Kelly.

Related Links

Laser Traces Jet Pollution

They’ve been used in cosmetic surgery, military technology or even justto play tag. But one of the latest uses for lasers is shining somelight on the way jet engines pollute. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Wendy Nelson reports: