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Childhood Ear Infections Predict Asthma

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A history of ear infections during childhood appears to raise the risk of asthma later in life, new research suggests.

A history of ear infections during childhood appears to raise the risk of asthma later in life, new research suggests. “The (rate) of ear infections has increased significantly over the years, paralleling the rise in asthma rates,” lead author Kamal Eldeirawi, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, said in a statement. “Our study confirms the association between the two conditions.” The findings, which appear in the medical journal Chest, are based on data from 7538 children who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994. Participants or their proxies were surveyed to assess ear infection and asthma histories. Children with a history of ear infections were 57 percent more likely than other children to be diagnosed with asthma and 70 percent more likely to have had wheezing in the previous year, the investigators note. Moreover, the risk of asthma and wheezing increased as the number of ear infections rose. Factors associated with an increased risk of ear infection included non-Hispanic white ethnicity, higher parental education level and smoking during pregnancy. According to Eldeirawi, the link with higher parental education may be due to such parents being more likely to enroll their children in daycare centers, a well-known risk factor for recurrent ear infections. However, it is also possible that higher education means better access to healthcare and, therefore, such cases are simply more likely to be diagnosed and reported. So how might childhood ear infections lead to asthma? “Specific viruses or bacteria that cause recurrent ear infections may play a major role in the development of asthma,” Eldeirawi noted. “It is also possible that antibiotics that are commonly used to treat ear infections increase the risk of asthma, but more research is needed in this area.” (Source: Chest, Reuters Health, May 2004.)


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Posted On: 11 May, 2004
Modified On: 5 December, 2013

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