Now a new study from Korean researchers has revealed that bronchiolitis – an infection of the lungs that often affects babies – can work in synergy with air pollution to make asthma drastically worse. The research team found that children with both risk factors have a significantly reduced lung function compared with other children.
The team stated that most important factor overall was that the study revealed environmental control can improve respiratory health in children with atopy or bronchiolitis. This could allow doctors to prescribe new ways to treat young patients with these problems to ensure that their asthma does not get any worse.
The researchers conducted a 2-year study of 1,743 children with a median age of 6.8-years-old. The children were assessed for asthma, allergies, and lung function at enrolment and follow-up. Levels of air pollution were estimated using geographical data.
The results went mainly as expected with increased levels of air pollution leading to generally worsening asthma symptoms. But more surprising was the increase in problems when the air pollution risk factor was combined with children who had suffered with bronchiolitis.
These risk factors together made symptoms of asthma drastically worse for the children involved. This seems to suggest that the combination of air pollution and a history bronchiolitis is exponentially worse than either of those factors on their own. The team stated that children who had bronchiolitis and lived in areas with high air pollution should be regularly assessed by a doctor.