Household changes can reduce asthma in children

By Rhonda Rowland
CNN Medical Correspondent

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- Removing allergens from the home could reduce the number of young children who develop asthma by almost 40 percent. A study published in the journal Pediatrics shows if household risk factors were eliminated, more than 500,000 children under age 6 would not have the disease.

The cost of asthma caused by household allergens is estimated to be more than $402 million a year.

"I am convinced residential housing is a major neglected risk factor for childhood asthma," said Dr. Bruce Lanphear, of Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. "This is where children spend most of their time, in the home."

According to the study, allergies to pets and owning a pet are by far the greatest risk factors for developing asthma. Environmental tobacco smoke is the second-largest contributor, followed by inappropriate use of a gas stove or oven (like for heating the home).

"The message to families with young children is to reduce or eliminate second-hand smoke in the home," said Lanphear, "and especially if the mother has a history of asthma and allergies, they need to carefully consider having a pet in the home."

Although none of these risk factors have been shown to definitively cause asthma, a number of studies have consistently shown them to be associated with the disease. In this study, household exposures appear to be a stronger risk factor for developing asthma than a parent with a history of the disease.

"From a public health perspective, we think so little of housing as being a major contributor to asthma," said Lanphear.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, affecting more than 4 million in the United States. Between 1980 and 1993, the number of asthma cases increased 75 percent, with the largest increase seen in children under age 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every year asthma leads to more than 3 million clinic visits, 550,000 emergency room visits and 150,000 hospitalizations. About 150 children under the age of 15 die from asthma each year.

The new study evaluated data on 8,257 children under 6 who participated in a national health survey between 1988 and 1994 -- about 6 percent had been diagnosed with asthma. The data was collected by the CDC.

Lanphear found African American children had a 60 percent higher rate of asthma than Caucasian children. Poverty was not a risk factor in this study.

"Clearly, many cases of asthma could be prevented," said Lanphear.

The data he examined did not include information on exposure to dust mites or cockroaches, two other known household risk factors for asthma.

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American Academy of Pediatrics - Child Health & Safety Information
Pediatrics
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Online
American Lung Association -- Asthma in Children
Asthma - A Parent's Guide

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