New study links childhood asthma to higher risk of cognitive challenges later in life
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has found that children who develop asthma before the age of 12 may be at greater risk of cognitive challenges, particularly in memory.
Asthma is a widespread chronic condition affecting approximately 4.6 million children in the United States. Characterized by airway inflammation that causes difficulty breathing, asthma often emerges in early childhood, with symptoms potentially impacting overall health and development.
The study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing research project that began in 2015 and includes about 11,800 children aged 9 to 10. The study compared children who reported asthma at the beginning of the project and those who developed it later to examine episodic memory performance, a cognitive function critical for recalling experiences and emotions. (Related: Natural and effective remedies for asthma.)
"This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulty in children," Simona Ghetti, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Center for Mind and Brain and lead author of the study, said in a press statement.
The study analyzed data from over 2,069 children aged nine to 10, and matched asthmatic children among children without asthma based on factors like age, sex and other health conditions to ensure a fair comparison. The study assessed how asthma affects episodic memory and other cognitive measures.
The researchers discovered that children with asthma scored lower on episodic memory tests than their peers without the chronic respiratory condition. Meanwhile, in a smaller sample of nearly 500 children tracked for more than two years, the researchers observed that children with an earlier onset of asthma showed slower memory development over time.
"Childhood is a period of rapid improvement in memory and, more generally, cognition," said first study author Nicholas Christopher-Hayes, a doctoral candidate in psychology at UC Davis. "In children with asthma that improvement may be slower."
Children with asthma also at risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in later life
Aside from affecting memory during childhood, the study also discovered that asthma-related memory deficits could have lasting effects, potentially increasing the risk of cognitive decline in later life.
The researchers cited prior studies linking asthma with a heightened risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older adults.
"Asthma might set children on a trajectory that could increase their risk to later develop something more serious like dementia as adults," Christopher-Hayes said.
While the study did not pinpoint specific mechanisms underlying these memory difficulties, the researchers highlighted several possibilities, such as chronic inflammation and the effects of restricted oxygen supply to the brain during asthma attacks. Additionally, asthma medications, particularly corticosteroids, commonly used to treat asthma symptoms, may affect the functioning of the brain's memory centers like the hippocampus.
Ghetti concluded that children with asthma may be at increased risk for memory difficulties that start during childhood rather than appearing solely as later-life cognitive challenges.
Watch this video to learn more natural treatments for asthma.
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