Jul 25, 2008 5:04 pm US/Eastern
Health Alert: Asthma Cases Among Children Rising
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Asthma among children, especially in big cities like Philadelphia has been
skyrocketing. Now scientists have a
revolutionary explanation on why.
Bacteria, like E. Coli
is usually dangerous. But one germ that's
commonly found in the stomach called
H. pylori might be beneficial for youngsters.
"Children that had H.
pylori were much less likely to develop asthma, hay fever and eczema and other
allergic skin conditions," said Dr. Martin Blaser, study researcher. He and colleagues found kids with the stomach
bacteria were 30 to 60 percent less likely develop asthma. It's not clear why. But researchers say H. pylori has been slowly
disappearing from the population. Part
of the reason, the dramatic increase in the use of antibiotics. The drugs kill H. pylori and experts believe
this may explain why asthma cases are on the rise.
"At the same time H.
pylori is going down, asthma is going up," said Dr. Blaser.
Researchers believe the
bacteria may hold the key to future asthma and allergy treatments.
"Maybe we'll find a
milder form of H. pylori that we can give to kids that will give us the
benefits without giving us the risk," said Dr. Blaser.
The risk being that H.
pylori can increase the risk of stomach ulcers.
Current asthma treatments include a variety of medications. Avoiding smoke, pollution and mold also help
reduce the risk of attacks.
RELATED LINKS:
Asthma Information
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000141.htm
How to Help Children Manage Asthma
http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/ll_asthma_brochure.pdf
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