Asthma

Asthma is one of the most common disease of childhood, affecting more than one in ten children. And its on the rise- the incidence of asthma has doubled since 1980. Asthma disproportionately affects young children, with fully half of all children who get asthma developing symptoms before the age of 5 years. Among older children, asthma is the number one cause of missed day at school and poor academic performance.

Asthma is characterized by an allergic reaction of the bronchial tubes, causing these small air passages to go into spasm and making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms of asthma include attacks of wheezing, shortness of breathe, excessive mucus production, and a feeling of tightness in the chest. A child who is in the midst of an asthma attack typically experiences a rapid heartbeat and appears distressed and anxious.

When a child has an asthma attack, the amount of oxygen carried in the blood s reduced, thereby compromising oxygen supply. This kind of oxygen deprivation in the brain-even when its very brief-can harm your childs brain development. Because of breathing difficulties associated with asthma, the amount of oxygen in the blood is frequently reduced when the disease is active. The effect of even mild levels of oxygen depletion associated with asthma on development, behavior, and academic achievement has recently been described in an article appearing in Pediatrics. In this report, Havard researchers found a clear correlation between abnormalities of brain function at all levels and reduced blood flow to the brain. They noted, "Adverse impaacts of chronic or intermittent hypoxia on development, behavior, and academic achievement have been reported in many well-designed and- controlled studies in children."

They further noted that adverse effects were found even at mild levels of oxygen depletion. This study underscores how asthma can impair a childs ability to succeed.