Babies celebrating their birthdays near autumn are 30 percent more likely to develop asthma than those born at other times of the year. The cause - a viral infection particularly thriving in the winter season, results of a new study has revealed.
The virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), is commonly associated with respiratory infections primarily in infants. While in temperate climates the viral activity escalates in winter months, in tropical areas the infection usually strikes during the rainy season. Though not all RSV infections develop into asthma, the potential risk rises, researchers highlighted.
Asthma is a respiratory ailment causing constriction and inflammation of the airways. Commonly triggered by factors like allergic reactions, vigorous exerting, pollution, the condition is typically characterized by symptoms like wheezing, coughing and breathlessness.
One of the most common childhood chronic illnesses, the condition afflicts an estimated 6 million children worldwide.
To determine the relationship between birth date and incidence of asthma, researchers at the Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, monitored medical records of almost 95,000 children born between 1995 and 2000.
Following their health status up till 2005, researchers noticed a clear association between child’s viral respiratory infection and his chances of developing asthma.
"Infant age at the winter virus peak following birth independently predicts asthma development, with the highest risk being for infants born approximately four months prior to the peak, which is represented by birth in the fall months in the Northern hemisphere. Birth during this time conferred a nearly 30 percent increase in odds of developing asthma," study’s lead author Tina Hartert, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the center for Asthma Research at Vanderbilt University, wrote in the results published in the journal 'American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine'.
As the babies' immune system
define is not really developed until about 6 months of age, the autumn babies are more likely to be struck by the winter virus season, Hartert explained.
Avoiding the allergens that probably induce attacks in the first place or resorting to medications that help relieve pressure in the airways are the only documented therapies for controlling asthma. In addition to these, timing the child’s birth well before autumn could also help in cutting down the potential risk, researchers recommended.
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