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Research Connects Asthma to Child Abuse
In a recent Boston Globe news article, reporter Stephen Smith writes about a link between asthma and child abuse. According to a study done by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, children in Puerto Rico who endure physical or sexual abuse are twice as likely to suffer from asthma as children who are not mistreated. Somewhat surprisingly, the researchers found that abuse was more likely to cause asthma symptoms in children than the family's economic status.
Puerto Rican children were studied for several specific reasons. According to the article, about 25% of these children are diagnosed with asthma at some point during their childhood. They also are more affected by asthma and asthma symptoms than any other children in the United States. Regardless of whether the children live on the island of Puerto Rico or in the States, they are more likely to die from the disease.
What is the connection between the abuse and asthma? The authors of the study believe that the increased stress suffered by children of abuse leads to a predisposition towards asthma symptoms. Stress causes hormonal changes in the body. These changes may cause the body to be more susceptible to asthma triggers.
Although not involved with this particular study, Dr. John Heffner, a past president of the American Thoracic Society, said, “It certainly seems biologically plausible, particularly considering that it’s hard to think of any more stressful circumstance for a child than physical or sexual abuse, especially when that abuse comes from within the family.”
There are many factors in the rise over the past 30 years in the number of asthma sufferers around the world. Many of the triggers are beyond our control, but the link of child abuse to asthma is one societal trigger that we can work to eliminate.
Posted by Jamie on Thursday, September 11, 2008
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