Baby's birth and Asthma

From ABC: Could the month of your baby's birth influence his or her later risk for asthma? New research suggests that babies born in the fall might have greater chance for developing childhood asthma. Doctors speculate that young infants' exposure to winter viruses might be the reason for the increased risk.

Today, approximately 6 percent of children develop asthma - a rate that has doubled since the early 80s. Doctors say there are many reasons why one child develops asthma while another remains healthy, including genetic differences, body weight, and exposure to pollution.

But new findings suggest there may be another trigger - winter viruses. Researchers from Vanderbilt University studied more than 95,000 babies and found those born in the fall had a higher risk for childhood asthma. When they took a closer look, they discovered that the peak of winter virus activity was really to blame.

Babies born about 4 months before the winter peak had the highest risk of asthma, around 30% greater than babies born at other times. Researchers theorize that respiratory infections in young infants - who still have immature immune systems - may help trigger the asthma.

Parents should wash their hands frequently to help reduce the spread of viruses to babies and young children, and keep infants away from people who are actively sick.

Source: published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

My oldest child was born in the fall. He does not have asthma, but does have allergies. I think they're significant, but I have no idea if that's related to when he was born. Do your kids have asthma?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Cats prevent kids from getting asthma?

I know the title of this blog sounds unrealistic, but a new study shows otherwise. Here's the information from ABC:

Are cats good at preventing asthma? That's the finding of a group of scientists studying childhood allergies in houses with and without cats. Cats may be affectionate pets, but, for many of us, cat dander causes trouble of the sneezy, wheezy kind. Now, allergy researcher Matt Perzanowski has good news: Cats may actually be protecting some kids from getting sick.

Perzanowski said, "Being allergic to a cat is a strong risk factor for having asthma. Children who grow up with a cat are less likely to develop asthma." Perzanowski discovered this result as part of his research into the swiftly rising number of asthma cases across the globe. The disease has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., and is especially prevalent in low income urban neighborhoods. " Perzanowski said, "Asthma prevalence now is between one in four, and one in three kids, so you know, a really large percentage of kids develop asthma and asthma symptoms early in life. "

As they wrote in the Journal 'Allergy and Clinical Immunology,' Perzanowski and colleagues at Columbia University's mailman school of public health studied a group of children living in New York City, measuring allergen levels in each home and comparing it with kids' allergy and asthma history. They found that by age five, kids who grew up around high levels of cat allergens were far less likely to show symptoms.

I am allergic to cats and we did not have a cat growing up. (I am not saying that proves something, but it does fit with the story.)

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.