Could Pests, Dust Lower Kids’ Odds for Asthma?

A new medical study offers evidence that exposure to pets and pests, and the allergens they carry, can actually help protect children against developing asthma. Once a child has already contracted asthma, managing the levels of these sorts of allergens is important in helping to deal with their reactions to them. But prior to actually developing asthma, the allergens can sometimes promote resistance to even getting asthma in the first place.

A significant risk factor for a child developing asthma is whether or not his or her mother smoked while pregnant. The mother’s depression or stress levels during pregnancy are also heavily involved in the likelihood of a child being diagnosed with asthma. But the new research into allergens could be a major help in helping parents and children structure their lives to control the risk.

Over eight percent of people in America are affected by asthma. Asthma suffers are afflicted by narrowed and inflamed airways in the throat and lungs, which often causes coughing and wheezing. Many emergency medical interventions are related to asthma and its side effects. Reducing the number of asthma sufferers would be beneficial for both patients and the medical system.

The study’s researchers suggest that parents should not focus on reducing allergen levels in the home unless someone has been diagnosed with asthma.