Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open .
This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulty in children. We are becoming increasingly aware that chronic diseases, not only asthma but also diabetes, heart disease and others may place children at increased risk of cognitive difficulties. We need to understand the factors that might exacerbate or protect against the risks.
" Simona Ghetti, lead author, professor of psychology in the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain in the College of Letters and Science Connecting asthma to memory in children Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the lungs. Attacks are triggered when inflammation causes the airways to tighten, making it hard to breathe. Asthma affects about 260 million people worldwide.
In the United States, roughly 4.6 million children have asthma. "Childhood is a period of rapid improvement in memory and, more generally, cognition.
In children with asthma that improvement may be slower," said Nicholas Christopher-Hayes, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at UC Davis and the study's first author.
This study included data from 2,062 children 9 to 10 years old with asthma to test how the condition might aff.
