MONDAY, April 19, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Persistent asthma in 2-year-old children decreased 60 percent after the children took part in an asthma intervention program, says a Canadian study in the April issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
University of Manitoba researchers enrolled 545 infants at high risk for asthma (based on immediate family history) into intervention and control groups. Avoiding house dust mites, secondhand smoke and pets were among the steps taken in the intervention group. Children in that group also breast-fed for a longer time and were introduced to solid food later than children in the control group.
Also, many more of the children in the control group than those in the intervention group were in day care.
By 2 years of age, 16.3 percent of the children in the intervention group and 23 percent of those in the control group had developed asthma. The study also found the interventions reduced persistent asthma by 60 percent and that far fewer children in the intervention group had recurrent wheezing.
Intervention measures that reduce exposure to inhalant and ingested allergens and tobacco smoke significantly reduce the incidence of asthma in children at 2 years of age, the study concluded.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about asthma.
