Why is it that some children’s asthma symptoms continue throughout their lives, while the respiratory health concern only affects the wellness of others until adolescence? Do they just grow out of it? According to Leanne Reynolds, research operations manager at Asthma UK, ‘We know that some children with asthma no longer experience symptoms when they reach adulthood, however it can be misleading to assume they have “grown out” of the condition; the underlying tendency still remains and so symptoms can still return in later life.’
However, according to a new study published in journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, genetic testing has the potential to predict which children will ‘grow out’ of asthma. Using data from New Zealand – in which 880 people were tracked over 38 years – US researchers have identified 15 locations in the human genome linked to asthma. As part of the study, the researchers monitored the amount of disruption to a person’s life and wellbeing caused by asthma symptoms, including time off school or work and admissions to hospital.
The results of the study revealed that children who had a higher genetic risk of asthma were 36% more likely to develop serious, life-long asthma than those with a lower risk. If your child does have a higher genetic risk of asthma, he or she is also more likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma symptoms, and to develop atopic or allergic asthma, according to the study findings. The genes used to make this prediction were independent of a person’s family history of asthma.
In a statement, study leader Dan Belsky, a postdoctoral fellow from Duke University Medical Center in the US, noted, ‘Although our study revealed that genetic risks can help to predict which childhood-onset asthma cases remit and which become life-course-persistent, genetic risk prediction for asthma is still in its infancy.’ Reynolds commented, ‘This study provides valuable insights into this area, although more research is needed before these findings could be used in clinical practice. We would welcome further research into this area to expand and confirm these findings. This could mean that in the future we’re able to identify those people whose asthma will put them at greatest risk so we can ensure they get the support they need.’
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