I work as a supervisor for one of the two school age care centers on Pearl Harbor- Hickam we have a number of kinders who just entered the facility who have asthma, which I found to be unusual, thinking back to when I was growing up and not knowing anyone with asthma.
I found a research study that followed 1314 children from birth to 13 years old called, Perennial allergen sensitisation early in life and chronic asthma in children: a birth cohort study. The study looked at how indoor perennial allergens affected children and at which ages the effect was greater vs. those who did not have indoor perennial allergens. Indoor perennial allergens are, having dogs, cats, dust mites, etc.
The results of the study were that children with indoor perennial allergens had a greater chance of asthma and depending of the age of exposer chronic asthma throughout their life. “Therefore, the timing of the process seems of importance: the harmful effect of indoor allergen exposure interacting with sensitisation towards these allergens was most pronounced for the first 3 years of life. Adaptive immunity in children matures over the first 6 years of life, but the most important steps towards the development of mature systemic immune responses are taken in the first 1-2 years of life” (Illi, Von Mutius, Lau, Niggemann, & et al., 2006).
This research will help parents know the effects of having animals and dust mites on their child’s health when they are under 6 years old.
Resource:
Illi, S., Von Mutius, E., Lau, S., Niggemann, B., & et al. (2006). Perennial allergen sensitisation in life and chronic asthma in children: a birth cohort study. The Lancet, 368 (9537), 763-70. Retrieved from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete.
