Research Shows Children With Severe Asthma Suffer Loss Of Lung Function Despite Asthma Relief Drugs

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine report that young children who suffer from severe asthma have a decrease in lung functioning and a greater risk of developing more serious diseases later in life. Doctors believe that early detection and asthma relief treatment of those children who have asthma is important in avoiding the development of severe asthma. More importantly, this study indicates that wise parents should take all necessary steps for asthma prevention so that their children are at lower risk for developing asthma or can avoid this debilitating disease entirely.

Anne M. Fitzpatrick, PhD, and W. Gerald Teague, MD, published their study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, which explains how decreases in lung functioning and airflow capacity throughout childhood can affect disease severity when children later become adults.

Anne Fitzpatrick says, "It is important for physicians to identify those children with severe asthma who are at risk for lung function decline. With early identification, physicians can customize treatment plans and educate families on lifestyle changes that may help children with severe asthma breathe easier as they grow older."

Children who are considered to suffer from severe asthma experience serious asthma symptoms, such as wheezing and shortness of breathe despite taking high doses of inhaled corticosteroid drugs on a regular basis. Recent research has revealed that the decrease of airflow or lung capacity is more significant in adults than in children with asthma. This indicated that there is a connection to lung capacity decrease in adults who also suffered from severe asthma as a child.

Most interestingly, the study revealed that despite higher doses of inhaled corticosteroid and controller asthma drugs, children with severe asthma experienced a higher occurrence of daily symptoms as well as hospitalization during the previous year. Children with severe asthma also reported significantly lower lung function compared to those with mild or moderate asthma. A decline in lung function of 1 percent a year was more likely in children who had daily asthma symptoms of wheezing and coughing plus a sensitivity to air borne allergens.

In light of this knowledge it would seem to me that governments and educators should place a greater emphasis on educating parents in the simple steps required to prevent the development of asthma in their children. The human costs of this frightening disease far outweighs any profits made by drug companies. Ask any parent who has helplessly watched their child struggle to breathe. Those parents who's children already suffer from asthma may want to consider a holistic approach or natural asthma relief remedies rather than asthma drugs, which are not only ineffective but are well known for their serious adverse side effects.