WEDNESDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) — In a European study that echoes the findings of other scientists, researchers have found that children who grow up on farms are less likely to develop childhood asthma.

The risk of asthma was reduced by as much as 51 percent for children living on farms, and researchers suspect that it's the diversity of exposure to different microbes that may offer protection against the airway disease.

"The risk of asthma decreased with an increase in the diversity of microbial exposure," said study author Dr. Markus Ege, a researcher at Munich University Children's Hospital in Germany.

"Within the microbial spectrum under investigation, several germs with a potential for asthma prevention were identified," he added.

Results of the study are published in the Feb. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes inflammation of the airways. This inflammation narrows the airways, making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest pain and tightness, and shortness of breath, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

The exact cause of asthma remains unknown. People with a family history of the disease are more likely to develop asthma, suggesting a possible genetic component to the disease. but environmental exposures, such as encountering certain viruses, are also associated with the development of the condition, according to the NHLBI.

Numerous studies have also found that exposure to a variety of microbes in the environment, such as bacteria or fungi, appear to provide protection against asthma, perhaps by helping the body create a tolerance for allergens.

And, other research has found that children living on farms — especially those exposed to cows, pigs and hay — seem to be less likely to have asthma and allergies.

Exactly how exposure to a variety of microbes might protect against asthma is still unclear, researchers noted.

"How these microorganisms reduce the asthma risk remains largely unknown," said Ege. "a combination of environmental microorganisms might stimulate the innate immune system and counterbalance an asthma-prone immune status. Alternatively, the diversity of microbial exposure might prevent specific [disease-causing] microorganisms with an asthma-inducing potential."

The current study assessed the incidence of asthma in children living on farms compared to children without farm exposure in two different groups of youngsters. The researchers also tested dust samples from the children's bedrooms and mattresses to get an idea of what type of microbes the children were regularly exposed to.

The first group of children included 6,843 rural and suburban elementary school children from southern Germany. This study, dubbed PARSIFAL, also included dust samples from 489 children's mattresses. The second study, called GABRIELA, included 9,668 elementary school kids from rural areas of Austria, South Germany and Switzerland. Dust samples were collected from 444 children's bedrooms in this study.

House dust from farm homes had a greater variety of bacteria and fungi, a finding that was statistically related to a lower rate of asthma.

In both study populations, youngsters who lived on farms had lower rates of asthma and allergies, according to the study. In the PARSIFAL group, the risk of asthma was reduced by 51 percent in children living on farms. In GABRIELA, the reduction was 24 percent, according to Ege.

The researchers also found that diversity of microbial exposure lowered the odds of asthma by 38 percent in the PARSIFAL population and by 14 percent in GABRIELA, according to the study.

"not all microbes are detrimental; some are beneficial for asthma and allergies," explained Ege. but, he cautioned that this doesn't mean that dirt or microbes in general should be considered healthy, or that parents should try to deliberately expose their children to microbes.

"there are enormous numbers of different microorganisms which affect human health by various measures and in opposite directions. there are still dangerous infections, which should be prevented by vaccination or treated with antibiotics," Ege stressed.

One expert who wrote an accompanying editorial in the same journal noted that it was "of critical importance" to figure out how microbe exposure affects the biology of the lungs and immune system.

"This study shows that kids who grow up on farms are less likely to develop asthma, but I don't think there's anything that can be applied to treatment right now," said Dr. James Gern, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.

"As we learn more about what these protective exposures are," he said, "it's possible we could come up with ways to prevent asthma in the future."

More information

Read more about the causes of asthma from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Early antibiotic use in infants increases the risk of the onset of asthma and allergies by the age of 6, a new study suggests. Yale University researchers interviewed women during pregnancy and when their children were 6 years old about their children’s health and medical treatment. Of the 1,401 children in the study, those who received just one dose of antibiotics before 6 months of age were 40 percent more likely to develop childhood asthma and allergies; the increased risk for those receiving two rounds of antibiotic therapy was even higher, at 70 percent.

Although earlier studies have pointed to a link between antibiotic use and childhood asthma, those findings were suspect because in many cases, the drugs were used to treat respiratory infections that are often early symptoms of asthma. to rule out that possibility, infants who were treated with antibiotics for respiratory infections were not part of the Yale study. Researchers also found that children whose parents did not have asthma were still more likely to develop the condition if they received antibiotics as infants.

It’s possible that early antibiotic exposure may suppress infants’ immune systems, leaving them more vulnerable to allergies and asthma, said Michael B. Bracken, professor of epidemiology at Yale and co-author of the study.

BOTTOM LINE: Because treatment with antibiotics in infants younger than 6 months of age increases their risk of developing childhood asthma, researchers suggest physicians avoid unnecessary antibiotic use.

CAUTIONS: Information about the frequency of antibiotic use during infancy was provided by the children’s mothers when the kids were age 6, so actual antibiotic use could be higher or lower than reported.

WHERE TO FIND IT: American Journal of Epidemiology, online Dec. 29, 2010

with child abuse cases, awareness is on the rise a higher percentage of child abuse and violence is reported to police, school officials or medical workers now than in previous years, according to a new study that suggests efforts to raise awareness are working. Researchers at the University of new Hampshire and Sewanee: The University of the South interviewed 4,549 kids under age 18 or their parents about their experiences with violence or abuse in the previous year. Violent or abusive acts ranged from bullying and threatened assault to rape and kidnapping, according to lead researcher David Finkelhor, director of the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.

They found that more than 50 percent of all abuse cases were reported to authorities — double the number reported in a 1992 study by Finkelhor. Among the cases of sexual assault or abuse, 11 percent of cases were reported, up from 6 percent in the earlier study. The researchers also found that violence and abuse by a family member or peer was less likely to be reported than other types of violence.

While the study suggests heightened awareness of child violence, it also points to areas that need improvement, said Dr. Andrea Gottsegen Asnes, associate professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine. “Recognition is the first step, but it needs to go beyond that to having more evidence-based treatment programs.’’

BOTTOM LINE: The percentage of child and adolescent abuse cases reported to authorities has doubled since 1992.

CAUTIONS: Data on kids under the age of 10 came from their parents, so the number of cases in that age group may be higher.

WHERE TO FIND IT: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, January.

KELLI WHITLOCK BURTON

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

Posted on: Thursday, 16 December 2010, 07:31 CST

(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Students with asthma and their parents can breathe easier thanks to a new online training program which aims to keep teachers, administrators and other faculty well informed about the condition.  with asthma proven to be present in every school, and virtually every classroom with 30 or more students, the training is designed to help affected students manage their symptoms at school.

The online course is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA), the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) and the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN), and is geared towards educating the country’s 3.2 million NEA-affiliated teachers and educational professional about how to better facilitate the school environment for children with asthma.  the free training will also be accessible to superintendants, principals, building managers and parents.

"when we give teachers and other school professionals resources to support student learning, everyone benefits," NEA President Dennis Van Roekel was quoted as saying.  "I am very proud that NEA, MCAN and the NEA Health Information Network are partnering in this way to increase awareness about asthma and asthma management."

Called Managing Asthma in the School Environment, the course provides an overview of asthma by identifying causes, signs and symptoms, symptom control and treatment, and different ways to build an asthma-friendly environment.  Achieving such an environment requires the removal of asthma triggers like upholstered furniture and a greater attention to the overall environmental quality of the indoor facilities.

The course’s information is derived from the National Asthma Education and Prevention program’s Expert Panel Report 3, as well as real life, evidence-supported data collected by research programs and other childhood asthma research reports.  Funded by MCAN, the Los Angeles Unified School District Comprehensive Asthma Program has provided particularly strong evidence that successful and effective staff training is possible.  Children participating in the program reported less emergency room visits, and an improvement in overall asthma control, including both daytime and nighttime symptoms.

"Growing up with asthma can be challenging.  Students whose asthma is not under good control may have a tough time participating in physical activity, sleeping through the night, or concentrating during the school day.  By helping students manage their asthma, they can lead healthy, active lives like everyone else," NEA HIN Executive Director Jerry Newberry was quoted as saying.

SOURCE:  the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc., December 2010

Source: Ivanhoe Newswire

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