MEN WHO SMOKE CAN GIVE UNBORN CHILDREN ASTHMA

It is usually said that the lifestyle habits we cultivate while young can have a huge impact on our health in the future but new studies show that not only can such lifestyle choices affect us, they can also affect unborn offspring in the future. One such study suggests that men who smoke before becoming parents may put their children at increased risk for asthma.

Asthma is a disease affecting the airways (these carry air to and from the lungs). People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.

The inside walls of an asthmatic’s airways are swollen or inflamed and this swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases one’s susceptibility to an allergic reaction.

As inflammation causes the airways to become narrower, less air can pass through them, both to and from the lungs. Symptoms of the narrowing include wheezing (a hissing sound while breathing), chest tightness, breathing problems, and coughing. Asthmatics usually experience these symptoms most frequently during the night and early morning and they can come on suddenly and can be mild, moderate or severe.

According to the United Kingdom NHS, although the cause of asthma is unknown, a number of things can increase one’s chances of developing the condition. These include a family history of asthma or other related allergic conditions (known as atopic conditions) such as eczema, food allergy or hay fever; having another atopic condition; having bronchitis (a common childhood lung infection) as a child; childhood exposure to tobacco smoke, particularly if the mother also smoked during pregnancy; being born prematurely, especially if such a child needed a ventilator to support breathing after birth; having a low birth weight as a result of restricted growth within the womb. Some people may also be at risk of developing asthma through their jobs.

A new risk factor has been discovered and that is the fact that men who smoke before becoming parents may put their children at increased risk for asthma.

Researchers analyzed the smoking habits of more than 13,000 men and women and then looked at the incidence of asthma in their children. The result showed that asthma was much more common in children whose fathers were smokers before conception. It was discovered that a child’s risk of asthma is likely to increase if the father smoked before the age of 15, and risk grew the longer the father smoked.

Moreover, findings showed an association between a man’s smoking history and asthma risk in his children, although the causes and effect have not been proven but it is stated that it is risky.

What about mom’s smoking history?

There was no association between a mother being a smoker prior to conception and a child’s risk of asthma, according to the study that was presented at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Munich, Germany. However, there have been previous studies establishing the fact that a woman smoking while pregnant can increase the risk of health problems in her baby. Some of these are lower amount of oxygen available to the growing baby, increase in the baby’s heart rate, increase in the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth, increase in the risk that the baby is born prematurely and/or born with low birth weight, increase in the baby’s risk of developing respiratory (lung) problems, increased risks of birth defects as well as increase in the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDs).

“This study is important as it is the first study looking at how a father’s smoking habit pre-conception can affect the respiratory health of his children,” Dr Cecile Svanes of the University of Bergen in Norway said in a European Lung Foundation news release.

Presently, there is no cure for asthma, but treatments are available that can enable a patient lead a normal, active life.

Moreover, those who suffer from asthma can prevent an attack by taking some precautionary steps. Mr. Adekunle Ajayi, a herbal specialist, who spoke with the Saturday Tribune, stated that an asthma attack can be prevented. He disclosed that an asthma patient should avoid known triggers such as smoke and should stay in areas that are highly ventilated.

Although the use of inhalers is the most popular and presumably the fastest source of first-aid treatment during an attack, he adds that there are drugs that can also proffer relief and some are actually faster than inhalers.

However, there are also herbal therapies that can prevent an asthma attack. “Some of these herbal therapies include the use of emile leaf, ginger, bitter kola as well as sufficient intake of water. This would aid fast relief and also help to clear the irritant that can cause persistent cough,” Mr Ajayi stated.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/component/k2/item/24007-men-who-smoke-can-give-unborn-children-asthma