THURSDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- A child's risk of developing allergies increases by up to 50 percent from pollution caused by traffic, a rate that increases the closer the child grows up next to major roads, a new study says.

The findings, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, revealed significant links between the distance to the nearest road and asthmatic bronchitis, hay fever, eczema and allergic sensitizations.

"[Children] living very close to a major road are likely to be exposed not only to a higher amount of traffic-derived particles and gases but also to more freshly emitted aerosols which may be more toxic," wrote lead author Joachim Heinrich, of the German Research Center for Environment and Health at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich.

The researchers examined the level of exposure to traffic pollutants for almost 6,000 children, ages 4 and 6, based in part on how far their homes were from major roads at different times during their lives. The children were tested for asthma, wheezing, sneezing, eczema and food allergies, while their parents answered questionnaires about their child's respiratory diagnoses and symptoms. Testing for particulate matter (commonly called soot) and nitrogen dioxide was also conducted near 40 high-traffic areas during each season between March 1999 and July 2000.

Pollution and allergies have been linked in previous studies, but the association was often attributed to socioeconomic factors, not the distance from major roads.

"We consistently found strong associations between the distance to the nearest main road and the allergic disease outcomes," Heinrich wrote. "Children living closer than 50 meters to a busy street had the highest probability of getting allergic symptoms, compared to children living further away."

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about possible health effects of air pollution  .

WEDNESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- In 2006, more than 1.2 million Americans -- roughly equivalent to the population of Dallas -- were hospitalized for pneumonia, a federal government analysis of hospital admissions and costs found.

Pneumonia was second only to childbirth as the most common reason for admission to hospital, and treating these lung infections cost hospitals more than $10 billion in 2006, said the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The disease occurs when the lungs fill with fluid from infection or inflammation caused by bacteria or a virus. Pneumonia can be especially deadly among the elderly.

The AHRQ analysis of 2006 data revealed the following hospital admissions and costs for other common conditions:

• Hardening of the arteries: 1,198,000, $17 billion
• Congestive heart failure: 1,099,000, $11 billion
• Chest pain: 857,000, $4 billion
• Injuries to mothers during birth: 818.000, $2 billion
• Other complications of labor and delivery: 767,000, $3 billion
• Heart rhythm problems: 749,000, $7 billion
• Osteoarthritis: 735,000, $10 billion
• Heart attack: 675,000, $12 billion

The analysis is based on 2006 data in HCUPnet, AHRQ's free, online query system based on information from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

More information

The American Lung Association has more about pneumonia  .

(HealthDay News) -- Exercise-induced asthma may be characterized by difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, fatigue, wheezing and tightness in the chest after working out.

Here are suggestions for people with exercise-induced asthma, courtesy of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology:

• Try swimming, especially in a heated indoor pool. The warm, humid environment may help minimize symptoms for people with exercise-induced asthma.
• Try walking, biking or hiking at a leisurely pace.
• Try sports that offer frequent periods of rest, such as baseball, short -distance track, surfing, wrestling and football.
• Avoid cold-weather sports, or warm the air before you inhale it with a surgical mask or scarf over your mouth.
• Avoid sports that require long periods of strenuous exercise, such as soccer, basketball, field hockey and running.