Childhood Bronchiolitis Raises Asthma Risk in Adulthood

Individuals that have had bronchiolitis in early childhood have a higher risk of developing asthma between the ages of 28 and 31. 

Pneumonia and bronchiolitis are common lower respiratory tract illnesses in early childhood. Both of these diseases have now been linked to other respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other lung illnesses in adulthood. 

Earlier research has found out that men that have had lower respiratory tract illness in early childhood have poorer health quality of life than their peers who haven't had these respiratory infections during their early years.

The research involved 83 kids with 44 of these kids having pneumonia and bronchiolitis. The viruses causing the diseases were analysed using the nasopharyngeal secretions as samples. 

The study revealed that there is higher prevalence of asthma among subjects who'd endured a lower respiratory tract disease with wheezing. In addition, these subjects illustrated changes indicative of irreversible airway obstruction in maturity. Similar more moderate changes were also found among those who'd had pneumonia.

About Asthma

Asthma is a lifelong condition that causes coughing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and wheezing. It can lead to some restrictions to an individual 's standard of living.

Asthma commonly begins in early childhood although it can affect individuals of  all ages. In America, more than 25 million individuals (1 out of 12) are known to have asthma. About 7 million of these individuals are kids.

Occasionally, asthma symptoms are mild and go away after treatment. But there are also cases in which asthma attack worsens and may require more than just the typical asthma medication for the symptoms to go away. 

Managing Asthma

Typically, symptoms of asthma are relieved through medications like steroids and bronchodilators. Steroids work by reducing the inflammation and the mucus production of airways while bronchodilators provide symptoms relief by causing relaxation to the muscles that tighten the airways. 

There are two types of bronchodilators: short-acting and long-acting bronchodilators. Short-acting bronchodilators are also known as rescue inhalers as they work by providing quick relief to the symptoms like wheezing, cough, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Long-acting bronchodilators, on the other hand, are usually used together with steroids to provide relief for cases of ongoing asthma attack despite daily steroid treatment. 

Immediately acting on asthma symptoms when they first appear is crucial as it prevents serious asthma attack and possible complications of it. Severe cases of asthma can cause permanent changes in the lungs' function and may even lead to death.