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Climate Tied to Asthma, Eczema Rates in Kids |
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TUESDAY, June 22 (HealthDayNews) -- Changes in weather may influence rates of asthma and eczema in children, says a study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The study of nearly 670,000 children concluded that season-to-season variations in temperature, humidity, altitude, and latitude all affected asthma and eczema rates.
Researchers at the University of Ulm, Germany, analyzed data collected between 1992 and 1996 from children ages 6-7 and ages 12-13 in more than 50 countries. The study found that, in Western Europe, every 10 percent increase in indoor humidity was associated with a 2.7 percent increase in asthma rates for both age groups.
House dust mites, a major allergen for asthmatics, thrive in moist air. Humidity also encourages the growth of mold, a possible respiratory irritant.
Lower rates of asthma were identified in areas where the average outdoor humidity drops below 50 percent for at least one month a year. Lower rates of asthma were also associated with higher altitude and greater seasonal temperature variations.
Higher rates of eczema were associated with increasing latitude, while lower eczema rates were associated with higher outdoor temperatures.
This link between climate and asthma and eczema suggests that climate change caused by global warming may influence rates of these diseases in the future, the study authors wrote.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about asthma.
(SOURCE: BMJ Specialist Journals, news release, June 21, 2004)
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