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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : March 7, 2014 11:54 PM IST
In a country that has the highest rate of premature births, this news comes as a real shocker. According to a 2012 report by Save the Children called 'Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Pre-term Birth', India ranked 36th in the global list of babies born preterm.
Now a new study has found that children who are born preterm have an increased risk developing asthma and wheezing disorders during childhood. The research by Jasper Been, from the Maastricht University Medical Centre (Netherlands) and The University of Edinburgh (UK), and colleagues at Harvard Medical School (US) is a systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 unique studies that collectively involved approximately 1.5 million children.
The authors found that children born preterm (before 37 weeks of gestation) were about 46 percent more likely to develop asthma or a wheezing disorder during childhood, than babies at full term. The authors also found that children born very preterm were at even higher risk of developing asthma or a wheezing disorder, almost three times as likely as children born at full term.
The authors estimate that if no preterm births had occurred, there would have been more than a 3.1 percent reduction in childhood wheezing disorders. The research is published in PLOS Medicine.
Could you be at risk?
Here are the causes of preterm births:
They are mostly due to early induction of labour or caesarean birth. Multiple pregnancies, infections, early adolescent pregnancies, diabetes and high blood pressure are believed to be responsible for preterm births though no medical consensus has been reached yet. There's also enough evidence to suggest that early pregnancies or less gap between two pregnancies are responsible for preterm births.
If you are pregnant and likely to have a preterm baby, here is a step-by-step guide to managing the condition in your infant:
Step 1: Know what triggers asthma in your child.
It could be airborne irritants like pollen, house dust mites, animal dander (from dogs and cats), mould, spores etc. Viral or bacterial respiratory infections like common cold, flu, bronchitis and sinus infections could worsen it. Foods like milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, fish and preservatives like sodium bisulphite, potassium bisulphite, etc. can also trigger asthmatic episodes. Once you figure out the culprit, you can prevent attacks to a large extent.
Step 2: Minimize your child's exposure to allergens
Change bed sheets and pillow covers regularly. Wash the bed and pillow covers in hot water. Keep your kitchen and bathroom clean. Keep them dry to prevent mould and cockroaches. Replace carpeted floor with hardwood floors or tiles.
Avoid pets with fur or feathers in the house or keep them outdoors. Avoid stuffed animals, or only buy washable ones. Eliminate tobacco smoke from the home.
If food is the trigger for your child's asthma, get allergy skin tests done to determine the offending food. Avoid the ones that trigger your child's asthma.
Certain medications like aspirin, pain killers (NSAIDs), etc. may trigger an asthmatic attack. Such drugs should be avoided. Talk to your child's doctor about switching to alternative medicines. Read about the top 10 asthma triggers that could harm you.
Step 3: Monitor your child's lung function
Lung function measures how quickly you child can move air out of his/her lungs and it usually decreases a couple of days prior to an asthma attack. It can help you see if an attack is coming so that you can take actions accordingly. Want to know how a lung function test is done? Here is how.
Step 4: Ensure that the child takes his/her medications
Make sure your child takes the medications regularly as prescribed by the doctor. These medicines maintain the normal diameter of the airways and control airway inflammation thereby preventing an attack of asthma. Find out everything you would need to know about asthma and its medications.
Step 5: Give your child theright medicines at the right time
Quick relief drugs are used during asthma attacks for quick relief of symptoms. Long acting or control drugs are prescribed to prevent asthma attacks. Do talk to the doctor to understand the difference between the two along with the dosages.
Step 6: Know how to how to use the devices that deliver your child's asthma medicine
A nebulizer may be used for younger children. If your child is older train him/her about how to use an inhaler.
Step 7: Let your child do just about anything he/she wants by having asthma management plan in place
Asthma need not be a reason for your child to avoid walking or playing sports like swimming, biking, etc. It may however be more challenging to take part in endurance sports like long-distance running, cycling, etc. which require long periods of exertion. If your child takes his/her medicines regularly he/she, like any other child, can play sports. And make sure your child carries quick relief medications to all his/her activities.
Step 8: Inform people in close association with your child about his/her condition
Teachers, coaches, friends etc. should be made aware of your child's condition. Keep them informed about the asthma triggers, what medications are to be given in case of an attack, and how to administer the medications. Create a plan on necessary steps to take when asthma symptoms worsen.
With inputs form: ANI
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