A new study has shown that children who are highly sensitive to allergies in the first three years of their life might be prone to developing asthma.
Sabina Illi and colleagues at the University Children's Hospital, Munich, Germany, had probed and studied the outcome of exposure to allergens in early life and the effect of the sensitization to allergens on the development of lung function and asthma. They had reported their findings in the latest issue of the medical journal The Lancet.The researchers explaining that between birth and school age certain children who suffer persistent wheezing develop asthma and some do not, they claimed to have found in their study that the difference among those who develop asthma and those who don’t is probably the Childs experience during its first 3 years in life.
They explained that asthma was more likely to develop if a child had become sensitive to allergy triggers, like cat hair, during their early years. They also mentioned that these at-risk children were also likely to be constantly wheezing in their first three years. The researchers in their article have also suggested that future research into pre-school preventative treatment in the form of inhaled corticosteroids can reduce the chances of children developing asthma should be conducted.
Dr Sabina Illi, from University Children's Hospital in Munchen, Germany, said, "Given the good prognosis for non-atopic (non-allergy susceptible) wheezing children, the need for these individuals to continue to take inhaled corticosteroids on a regular basis should be re-assessed."
The researchers explained that they had conducted their study on more than 1,300 children, around 500 of who were found to have known risk factors for allergen sensitivity at birth. The researchers had also interviewed parents of children from birth to the age of 13 about asthma development in their children. They had also reported to take measurements of the antibodies in the immune system that were linked to asthma in children. They also noted that a total of 90% of the children who had experienced repeated wheezing but were not susceptible to allergies lost their symptoms at school age.
