• Question: How do you get asthma from birth? Or just later on in life?

    Asked by katyun to Lyn, Katy, Paul, PB, Ruth on 27 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Peter Balfe

      Peter Balfe answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Asthma is an autoimmune problem which usually develops in childhood. Later onset does occur but is relatively rare. The good news is that for many the symptoms improve during and after puberty.

    • Photo: Ee Lyn Lim

      Ee Lyn Lim answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Hi Katyun! We’ve answered this question before – but maybe you’ve missed it 🙂 I will just paste my answer here again:

      It seems there are a few different types of asthma, and they are caused by different things. Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that can be found in 30% (that’s about 1 in 3) of children with asthma, which means that they were born with asthma, probably because their parents have it too.

      But what about the rest of the children without this mutation? We think asthma can also be caused by breathing bad air (like living next to busy roads in the city, or having parents who smoke), as well as having infections in your throat and lungs, because this damages your windpipes and might cause them to tighten up so you can’t breath. People can get asthma even when they’re teenagers or adults, especially if they smoke!

    • Photo: Paul Waines

      Paul Waines answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Hi katyun

      Asthma (from the greek word for ‘panting’) is a hard condition to predict .

      It can be passed on from parents through their genes (DNA), and this can lead to asthma from birth. Strangely, the type of bacteria (I had to get them in somewhere, being a microbiologist!) that you are first exposed to when you are born can affect your chances of getting asthma!

      However, the environment, and our level of being exposed to things that might aggravate it- car fumes, cigarette smoke etc., can bring it on as we get older, as can certain other medical conditions and stress- so stay calm…

      Any more questions, drop us a line…

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