Stomach Germ May Protect Against Asthma

Related Encyclopedia • Acne • Alagille Syndrome • Allergic Rhinitis • Allergies More... Related Healthscout Videos The Empowered Patient Saving Kids Is The I-Port Appropriate For Children Medical Dogs More... Related Animations • Allergy • Asthma • Dental Cavities More... Related Drug Information • Adderal XR • Advair Diskus • Allegra • Allegra D More... Related News Articles • Teens With Eating Disorders Benefit From Parents' Help • Soy in the Diet May Protect Lung Function • Many Adults With Asthma Are Skipping Flu Shots • Hundreds of Genes Could Be Linked to ADHD More...

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2

Blaser and Chen found that among children 3 to 13 years of age, those who carried the stomach bug were 59 percent less likely to develop asthma than children without H. pylori. These children were also 40 percent less likely to suffer from hay fever and other allergies, such as eczema or rash.

Among children aged 3 to 19, the researchers found that those who harbored H. pylori reduced their risk of asthma by 25 percent.

"This is a new way of saying who's at risk for asthma and who's not," Blaser said. "You can't mess with Mother Nature. This bacterium that has been present forever in the human stomach has been disappearing, and that has consequences."

Text Continues Below

---

Some of the consequences are good, however, Blaser noted. These include the decline of ulcers and decreases in stomach cancer among adults, he said. "But these are diseases of old age," he said. "It is possible that H. pylori may be protective of children, but bad for old people."

The study findings were published online July 15 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York in New York City, thinks the findings open a new window on doctors' understanding of asthma and allergies.

"It appears this will add to our knowledge and research looking at incidence and prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in children and adults in an increasingly sanitized world," he said. "The relevance of H. pylori as a potential risk in asthma is quite thought-provoking by any means."

More information

For more on asthma, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2