About One in Five Children Outgrow Asthma

Less likely for females, those sensitized to animals, and those with severe asthma
About One in Five Children Outgrow Asthma

TUESDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- About 20 percent of children experience remission of their childhood asthma, which is less likely for females, children sensitized to furred animals, and children with severe asthma, according to a study published online July 29 in Pediatrics.

Martin Andersson, M.D., from Norrbotten County Council in Luleå, Sweden, and colleagues followed 248 children aged 7 to 8 years old with asthma and reassessed them annually until 19 years of age by lung function, bronchial challenge testing, and skin prick tests.

The researchers found that, of the 205 children remaining at the end of the study, 21 percent were in remission, 38 percent had periodic asthma, and 41 percent had persistent asthma. With persistent asthma as the reference, the likelihood of remission was higher for boys (odds ratio, 2.66) and lower with sensitization to animals at baseline (odds ratio, 0.13) and more severe asthma at baseline (odds ratio 0.19). There was no association noted between remission and asthma heredity, damp housing, rural living, or smoking.

"The probability of remission of childhood asthma from age 7- to 8-years to age 19 years was largely determined by sensitization status, particularly sensitization to animals, asthma severity, and female gender, factors all inversely related to remission," Andersson and colleagues conclude.

The study was partially funded by GlaxoSmithKline World Wide Epidemiology, ALK-Abello, and ThermoFisher.

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