April 29 : A recent research has found that children, who grasp a heavy cold at key moments during their first year, have a greater risk of developing asthma.

The study, conducted by scientists at Imperial College, London, has revealed that if infants are exposed to allergens such as dust or pollen and at the same time are infected by viruses such as the common cold, it can leave them more prone to asthma attacks.

The researchers believe the viruses “trick” the immune systems of young children into thinking that allergens are a hazardous when youngsters come across them for the first time. This mistaken “first impression” leaves children exceedingly susceptible to the particular allergen, causing asthma attacks when their bodies respond aggressively to any ensuing exposure.

These findings have challenged earlier research which suggested that usual infections help guard kids by allowing them to build up a strong immune system. Experts had the apprehension that over-cleanliness might be a reason for the towering British asthma rate.

“If you are exposed to an allergen for the first time, the body usually becomes tolerant of it. There is also pretty clear evidence that infections in general are likely to protect you from developing allergies.What we have found is that there is a strong relationship between children who suffer respiratory illness early in life and the risk of them developing asthma later” the Telegraph quoted Prof Sebastian Johnston, a lecturer on respiratory medicine at Imperial College, as saying.

“It may be a matter of bad timing, so that if a child is exposed to an allergen at the same time as a virus infection, then the child might become sensitised to that allergen instead of being tolerant of it,” he added.

Prof Johnston and a team of scientists at the University of Western Australia in Perth examined about 200 children for five years, recording the viruses they were infected by and when their allergies developed.

The results showed that that children were up to three times more expected to bear asthma at the age of five if they had suffered a severe infection in their airways and developed sensitivity to an allergen within a short period of time in their first year.

However, experts also believe that there is a strong inherent element that may leave children more exposed to this effect, while other research has suggested that pollution and diet also play a significant role.

Asthma attacks are caused by irritation of the airways by dust, pollution or other particles, which causes the muscles in the airway to stiffen and become sore, making it hard to breathe.

Prof Johnston says that it may be possible to trim down the danger of developing asthma by identifying “high risk” children with a family history of allergies and shielding them from the effects of harsh respiratory viruses during babyhood.

Britain has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world with more than 5.2 million asthma patients. Out of this figure, about 1.1 million are children. (ANI)