It's always encouraging to learn that the medical community has uncovered additional information about asthma, a potentially deadly chronic respiratory disease that affects millions of Americans. Just recently, scientists were able to link this affliction with premature birth.
According to HealthDay News, researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands examined data on 1.5 million children and determined that those born before 37 weeks of gestation were 46 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than those who were considered full-term. They also discovered that the more premature the babies were, the higher their risk was of developing the chronic respiratory disease.
Additionally, the researchers were able to conclude that babies who were born prematurely suffered from asthma long-term, and that the disease didn't become less severe as they got older.
"The current findings do not support prior suggestions that the association between preterm birth and wheezing disorders becomes less prominent with increasing age," wrote researches. "Instead, the strength of the association was similar across age groups [up to 18 years, suggesting life-long consequences]."
If your son or daughter has been diagnosed with asthma, there are steps you must take as a parent to ensure that he or she is comfortable and healthy. The first priority is to see a doctor who specializes in this chronic respiratory disease so that you can get your child the medication that he or she needs. Then, you may want to take a look at the Allergy Be Gone website and consider buying hypoallergenic bedding, an allergen air purifier and other asthma and allergy prevention products.
