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Measles may help to prevent asthma

 

April 19, 2000 — An early case of the measles may help
some people avoid asthma, according to new research published.


“What we found was that if they had measles before the age of three they were less likely to have asthma, so there was some sort of protective effect,” said Dr. David Godden of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Godden and his colleagues made a 30-year study of a variety of bacteria, antibodies and a range of infections in more than 300 people. Measles was the only one that came up with an association with asthma. “There does seem to be some association between having measles and protecting against asthma. No one knows whether there is a cause and effect relationship. It is an association. If there is a cause and effect nobody knows what the mechanism is,” he added.

STUDY DETAILS
The study was unique because it followed people without childhood respiratory problems in 1964 to see if they developed the illness in middle age when they were assessed again in 1994. In addition to the association with measles, the scientists also found new evidence to support earlier studies showing that the number of siblings also seems to have a protective effect against asthma. “It is known that if you come from a large family you are less likely to develop allergic disease,” said Godden, whose research is published in the latest edition of the journal, Thorax. But he emphasized that the two effects are independent and the number of people in the study was too small to show any cumulative or additive benefits.

EARLY INFECTION
Scientists suspect that being exposed to many infections early in life switches the immune system away from developing allergic responses. Godden said it was likely asthma was caused by a variety of factors, including diet. He noted that the dramatic increase in asthma in Scotland corresponded to a decline in the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables in peoples’ diets over the past 30 years.

Asthma is one of the fastest growing diseases with cases increasing by up to 50 percent every 10 years. An estimated 150 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. The illness causes an inflammation of the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. Triggers such as colds, cigarette smoke, pollen, dust mites and animals can cause an asthma attack.