‘Hometown Health’: Preventing asthma attacks, “Super-Agers”, and parents letting their kids use swear words

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - If you suffer from asthma, here’s some good news. Researchers created a blood test that can identify who’s at risk for asthma attacks up to five years ahead of time.

A study in Sweden found biomarkers that predict, with 90% accuracy, which asthma patients are at a high risk for future attacks. This could one day help doctors intervene early and provide treatment to prevent asthma attacks. According to the Virginia Department of Health, people aged 5-14 and 35-64 were hospitalized the most for asthma in Virginia in 2023.

Good genes may explain why some people are so-called “Super-Agers”. A study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center looked into “Super-Agers”. These are people over the age of 80 who still have the memory and cognitive function as people 30 years younger. They found these are people that are less likely to have two genes linked to Alzheimer’s, and more likely to have genes beneficial to cognitive health.

Parents are becoming more lenient with their kids swearing. A University of Michigan survey found fewer than half of parents say their kids should never use swear words. Most parents say they believe their kids learned to curse from friends. The main reasons they do it is trying to fit in, trying to be funny, or trying to get attention.