Health Update

The largest study of asthma among urban youths has found that several factors, not one single cause, account for the sharp increase in asthma cases over the past two decades.

Research paid for by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., concluded that cigarette smoke, indoor allergens, psychological problems, and poor access to medical care all contribute to asthma attacks.

"There's no quick fix," commented Dr. Christopher Fanta of the Partners Asthma Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who was not...