Reducing Children’s Chances of Asthma
Childhood exposure to pet and pest allergens
affects the risk for allergy and asthma.
Healthy Living | Fall Issue | 2017 33
A new study looked at whether
allergy-causing substances
in the home influence kids’
risk of developing asthma.
The results provide clues for
preventing asthma before it
develops.
More than 6 million American
children have asthma.
Asthma makes airways in the
lungs prone to swelling and narrowing.
It can cause wheezing,
coughing, shortness of breath,
and chest tightness.
Dust contains things that
can trigger an asthma attack,
such as mold, animal dander, or
dust mites. Eliminating or reducing
these triggers can lessen
asthma attacks.
But studies
suggest that exposure
to these
substances early
in life may
protect children
from asthma. To
pinpoint how
substances in the
home influence
the development
of asthma,
NIH-funded researchers
began studying newborns
in 2005 who had at least
one parent with asthma or allergies.
Having a parent with
asthma or allergies increases
the chance of developing
asthma.
The researchers collected
dust samples from the children’s
homes during their first three
years of life. They analyzed levels
of common allergy triggers
in the dust.
About 1 of every 3 children
in the study had asthma
by age seven. Higher levels of
cockroach, mouse, and cat substances
in the dust samples were
linked to a lower risk of having
asthma.
The researchers continue
to study the children to pinpoint
the factors that might
reduce asthma risk. “Additional
research may help us identify
specific targets for asthma
prevention strategies,” says
study lead Dr. James E. Gern
at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison.