Ear infection and asthma link in kids

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 16 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting children in the United States. A new study, led by Kamal Eldeirawi, from the University of Illinois at Chicago, shows children who have multiple ear infections in early childhood are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma.

The study included 7,538 children between 2 and 11 years old. The complete medical history for each child was reviewed, as well as demographic information on the child and parents.

It was found that children with a history of multiple ear infections were twice as likely to suffer from asthma than children with no history of ear infections. The study also found parents with higher education levels were more likely to report ear infections in their children.

Thus researchers say , to find out the connection between ear infections and asthma more research is needed in this area to reach a conclusion. However, they point out specific viruses or bacteria that cause recurrent ear infections may play a major role in the development of asthma.

Another idea is that the antibiotics used to treat ear infections may increase the risk of asthma.