Schooldays.ie - Ireland's Online Resource for Parents & Teachers

Parenting & Education in Ireland

Schooldays.ie - Ireland's Online Resource for Parents & Teachers

Parenting & Education

× Home Parents Associations About Us
.
Log in Register Forgot password? ×

What causes Asthma in Children?



Alarmingly, Ireland has the fourth highest instances of asthma in the world with nearly 10% of our population suffering. Almost one person dies a week from asthma in Ireland with nearly 5000 admitted to hospital per year. The rates of asthma among children are very high with 18.9% of 13 to 15yrs have asthma and 38.5% of 13 - 15yrs reporting wheezing.

The causes of asthma are unclear with some reasons attributed to genetics, while others are believed to be caused by environmental factors such as pollution, dust, smoke, pollen or immunity issues.

What is Asthma

Asthma can affect any children and symptoms can range from mild to severe. It is a respiratory condition that affects the lungs. The airways within the respiratory system become over sensitive and react to allergens causing them to narrow and becoming clogged with sticky mucus that restricts air coming in and out of the lungs, preventing you from breathing normally.

Why do children get asthma

Adults are more likely to develop asthma when they are children and it can affect more than one member of a family. Children who develop asthma can never be cured but they can dramatically reduce their symptoms with treatment and these may reduce as they get older. Experts believe that modern living and environmental are the reasons for the rise in asthma cases. Developing an overly sensitive immune system generally plays a role. Some other factors thought to be involved are:

    • Inherited traits/genetics
    • An airway infection at a young age.
    • Exposure to pollution, cigarette smoke, dust, pollen.
    • Diet
    • Poverty
Some experts believe that modern children may develop over-sensitive immunity because of their lack of exposure to common illnesses that help build healthy immune systems. If the immune system is compromised, it does not build enough protective antibodies that may contribute to allergies.

Modern living has seen homes become more and more germ free preventing children from accessing ‘helpful’ bacteria. Plus, modern children are more likely to be indoors around dust and pets, have a less active lifestyle, and have a worse diet than previous generations. Although not completely linked, these are some of the factors for hypersensitive immunity.


For more on Asthma see Asthma Symptoms and Treatments.

;