Complete remission of asthma in adolescence and adulthood is less common than commonly believed. A recent study shows that asthma does not remit during adolescence in many cases. Researchers from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, found that more severe asthma cases are the ones less likely to remit in adulthood. They used data from the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study to look at the factors influencing persistence and remission of childhood asthma after puberty. After an average of 4 years following the onset of puberty, 58 per cent of children continued to have wheezing episodes. In addition to frequent wheezing before puberty, obesity early onset of puberty, active sinusitis and skin test sensitization were significant and independent predictors of unremitting asthma after the onset of puberty. Children with persistent wheezing had a significantly higher body-mass index (BMI) than those children whose asthma remitted. Thus the implementation of correct dietary and activity patterns, especially among children with asthma is needed. Increasing evidence suggests that obesity in childhood cannot be considered a transitory condition, and has long-term consequences. Disrupted dietary patterns are frequently inherited into adult life, and obesity in childhood not only affects respiratory symptoms and lung function in children, but it could even increase their susceptibility to develop chronic respiratory diseases as adults.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,
June 2004