Introduction: In 2007 wildfires ravaged Southern California resulting in the largest evacuation due to a wildfire in American history. We report how these wildfires affected emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory illness.
Conclusion: The 2007 Southern California wildfires caused significant surges in the volume of ED patients seeking treatment for respiratory illness. Disaster plans should prepare for these surges when future wildfires occur.
We examined the effect of two β2-adrenoreceptor (β2AR) polymorphisms (A46G and C79G) in asthmatics presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) in relation to their response to standard therapy measured by change in Forced Expiratory Volume at one second (FEV1). Our hypothesis was that the polymorphisms in the β2AR gene would predict clinical response to therapy with 46G and 79C displaying decreased response to inhaled therapy.
