Do not blame only air pollution for asthma in children

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) – A new study reveals that asthmatic children living in areas where the air is dirty need emergency medical care more often than those who are less exposed to the atmospheric pollution.

The Columbia University study looked at nearly 200 children with asthma in New York aged 7 to 8 years. They came from middle class families in four of the city's five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that can make breathing difficult.

For this study, the researchers grouped children according to the rate of asthma in their neighborhood.

Although family incomes were similar, those in neighborhoods with higher asthma rates tended to live in apartment buildings or on higher floors. According to the study, they were more likely to live in overcrowded neighborhoods and to be cared for by single mothers.

These children need emergency care more often and tend to suffer more from exercise-induced wheeze.

Air pollution levels nearby were higher than in neighborhoods with lower asthma rates, the researchers said.

However, according to the study, children from low – asthma neighborhoods were also significantly affected by air pollution.

The results were published on October 18 in the journal Pediatric research.

"In less poor neighborhoods, children exposed to air pollution were more likely to be taken on an emergency for asthma treatment," said Dr. Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, author principal, pediatric pneumologist.

"However, in poorer neighborhoods, it is likely that other environmental factors, such as stress and violence, have a stronger effect on the treatment of urgent asthma than air pollution", said Lovinsky-Desir in a press release.

She warned that neighborhoods where asthma is less common should not be excluded from air purification efforts.

More information

The American Lung Association has more on asthma in children.