Bacteria linked to asthma attacks in children
Scientists at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre (DPAC) at the University of Copenhagen and the Gentofte Hospital have discovered that bacterial infections could cause asthma attacks.
"We found a significant relationship between bacterial infections and acute asthma attacks — above and beyond the expected relationship between viral infections and attacks," said Hans Bisgaard, professor of paediatrics at the DPAC.
The study examined 361 children between the ages of four weeks and three years to determine the presence of viral and bacterial infections during severe asthma attacks.
The results concluded that the number of attacks was just as high in children with bacterial respiratory infections as in those with viral infections.
"This indicated that bacteria could exacerbate asthma symptoms even if they aren't infected with a virus," Bisgaard said.
"The findings opened up an entirely new method for treating severe asthma attacks. We cannot treat viral infections, but scientists would now look into whether treatment with antibiotics could help children when they have an asthma attack and are also suffering from a bacterial infection.
"Being able to use antibiotics to treat asthma attacks in children would be revolutionary," Bisgaard added.
The effects of antibiotics in treating asthma attacks will now be examined in a large-scale, clinical study by the DPAC.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.