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In the United States, about 15 million people suffer from asthma, 5 million of whom are children. The disease, a chronic lung condition that makes breathing difficult, leads to 2 million emergency room visits and 5,000 deaths yearly, according to federal figures.
Though asthma can't be cured, it can be effectively managed so most people with it can lead active lives. Helpful information on living with asthma can be found on two Web sites.
One, Asthma and Indoor Environments, offers useful material for patients and caregivers, as well as for health professionals. The site is run by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The other site, called What is Asthma?, gives detailed background on the disease, with sections on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This site is operated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Research shows that more than 4 in 10 people who start drinking alcohol before age 15 eventually become dependent on it. As a result, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is taking steps to help middle school children (ages 11 to 13) learn skills to resist peer pressure to drink and to promote reasons not to drink.
A large part of NIAAA's campaign is a Web site called The Cool Spot, which uses a comic book style called "anime" to present graphics and games that deliver important messages about the risks of underage drinking. Among the site's features:
The site also has an interactive quiz that can be printed and used in class to gauge how effectively students have grasped the site's messages.
With flu season still upon us, many people will likely wonder if the onset of aches and runny noses might mean they are coming down with the flu. Or is it just a cold?
Both conditions have their own signature symptoms, which the Department of Health and Human Services has sorted out into a handy online checklist. For example, fever is rare with a cold, but common with the flu; sore throat is common with a cold, but less common with the flu.
The statistics boggle the mind: Suicide takes the lives of nearly 30,000 Americans every year, over half of whom are men ages 25-65; every 18 minutes a life is lost to suicide in the United States; males are four times more likely to die by suicide than are females; and for every two victims of homicide, there are three persons who take their own lives.
To help Americans understand suicide and to suggest ways to prevent it, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention has created a Web site that combines the resources of suicide researchers, clinicians, and survivors. On it, you'll find information on:
The site offers a gateway to dozens of federal, state, and private organizations that have materials on suicide and its prevention. Included are downloadable fact sheets devoted to topics such as suicide among the young, the elderly, and diverse populations.
Also on the site are special sections on suicide-related policies and legislation, as well as information for suicide researchers, program evaluators, and the news media.
The Web site is a collaborative effort between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
FDA.gov is written by John Henkel, a member of the FDA's Website Management Staff.