哮喘属美国儿童的常见病，约有9％的学龄期儿童患有哮喘，其中又以家境贫穷和居住在城市的儿童发病较高。最近发表的文献表明，婴儿期经常暴露于霉菌者日后易患哮喘。这是研究人员对176名婴儿进行为期7年随访后所获得的结果，即至7岁时其中18％的孩子出现哮喘，这些孩子的哮喘发病率较很少暴露于霉菌者高出三倍多。上述结果提示，婴幼儿期暴露于霉菌感染者随着年龄的增大极易患哮喘，值得关注啊！

Kids exposed to mold as babies were three times more likely to develop the lung condition

By Robert Preidt

FRIDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to household mold in infancy greatly increases a child's risk of developing asthma, a new study says.

Researchers analyzed seven years of data collected from 176 children who were followed from infancy as part of the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study. The children were considered at high risk of developing asthma because of family medical history.

By age 7, 18 percent of the children developed asthma.

Children who lived in homes with mold during infancy were three times more likely to develop asthma by age 7 than those who weren't exposed to mold when they were infants.

"Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development," lead author Tiina Reponen, a professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, said in a university news release. "Genetic factors are also important to consider in asthma risk, since infants whose parents have an allergy or asthma are at the greatest risk of developing asthma."

"This study should motivate expectant parents, especially if they have a family history of allergy or asthma, to correct water damage and reduce the mold burden in their homes to protect the respiratory health of their children," Reponen added.

The study appears in the August issue of the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Overall, about 9 percent of school-aged children in the United States develop asthma, but research has shown that rates are higher among children in poor, urban families.

SOURCE: University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, news release, Aug. 4, 2011