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It seems that the incidence of asthma in children is on the rise – especially in low income neighborhoods in urban areas. And it`s not only pollutants and other chemicals that trigger the attacks.

The link between air pollution and asthma is well-established. However, researchers at the American Lung Association thought there may be other factors that makes people, especially in specific areas, susceptible to environmental pollutants, they therefore looked into the role that social stressors play in asthma onset.

Their results show that traffic related air pollution is a strong predictor of asthma onset, but even more so among children with previous history of violence exposure.

These findings indicate that diagnosing asthma in children shouldn`t be restricted to physical and laboratory findings only. And that for asthma management, we shouldn`t depend on medications and dietary restrictions only. The social environment in which a child lives in (family, school, neighborhood) should also be taken into consideration. Only then can we truly determine what really triggers asthma attacks.

Source:
American Lung Association. The Promise of Research. Special Edition 2008.

Tags: asthma, pollution, social stressors, violence