Children with asthma may have memory problems. This is the conclusion reached by the American specialists who correlate the health of the lungs with that of the brain. The findings are based on analysis of a sample of 473 US children who developed asthma early in life.
Chronic respiratory diseases can make the brain sick. Source: archive
According to the authors of the study, the state of breathing appears to affect children’s short-term memory. And the younger the patients, the greater the risks. “This study highlights the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulties in children,” said Professor Simona Ghetti, one of the authors of the research.
“We are becoming increasingly aware that chronic diseases, not just asthma but also diabetes, heart disease and others, can put children at increased risk of cognitive difficulties. We need to understand the factors that could exacerbate or protect against risks,” she also said.
Reduced oxygen supply to the brain triggers long-term conditions
According to American specialists, the main cause of the appearance of cognitive impairments would be the reduced supply of oxygen to the brain. Nicholas Christopher-Hayes, first author of the study, stated that “childhood is a time of rapid improvement in memory and cognition in general. In children with bronchial asthma, this improvement can be slower.”
Memory loss due to this respiratory condition could also have consequences. Specialists have stated that in the case of these patients in the long term, even more serious cognitive problems such as dementia can occur,” said Nicholas Christopher-Hayes. “It may also be a direct effect of asthma symptoms and asthma attacks disrupting learning, or a more subtle effect caused by inflammatory processes in the airways that spill over into the circulation and affect other parts of the body,” says Nick Hopkinson, professor of respiratory medicine and medical director of the charity Asthma + Lung UK.
Considered a chronic disease, asthma is a long-term condition of the upper respiratory tract. They suffer permanent inflammation which, in certain situations, can make breathing difficult. The airways become so narrow that air can no longer move freely.
