Are you going the right ‘weigh’ about improving your child’s asthma?
Posted: 28th January 2018 | Posted by Costa
Are you going the right ‘weigh’ about improving your child’s asthma?
Asthma is the leading contributor to chronic illness in infants. Specifically, most symptoms begin to show around age five. With roughly one in ten minors affected it’s vital that we look at the contributing factors. And these numbers are increasing. There are many possibilities as to why more and more children are developing asthma.
Many experts speculate that as children are becoming technology-obsessed they are spending an increasing amount of time indoors. It means they have more exposure to allergens around the house such as dust, air pollution, and second-hand smoke.
Weight and see
There’s another factor to consider that you can often overlook: a child’s weight. You can directly link obesity and asthma, as being overweight increases sensitivity to indoor pollutants. It has much more of an impact on children hospitalised with acute asthma exacerbation over children in the same situation with a smaller body type.
A recent study was conducted in Japan with almost 39,000 three to eight-year-olds diagnosed with asthma comparing a months worth of readmission by analysing three different categories: the need for intensive care, the mean total cost of hospitalisation, and the length of stay in the hospital.
To make a fair assessment, the identified patients separated into four groups based on their weight. Researchers split them into groups of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese. They then split them according to their weight, height, and body mass index compared to their age, using WHO standards as a guideline.
Of the results, it was inherently apparent that the obese group showed significantly higher 30-day readmission results. They had a much longer length of stay than those children in the normal weight group. These findings clearly demonstrate that paediatric obesity is a risk factor for repeated admissions. This is due to the asthma symptoms found in children and should be a matter taken seriously indicating the importance for the prevention of pediatric obesity.
By being mindful of the weight category that your child falls into, you can start to take take the necessary steps towards improving your child’s respiratory health and also minimise their susceptibility to indoor pollutants.
To find out more, speak to our allergy and chest medicine consultants. We can inform you about allergic and non-allergic asthma and its symptoms or any other advice relating to allergies. You can book an appointment on our website.