[Medical Q&A] Is childhood asthma a genetic disease? How to prevent it?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Niu Chao, deputy chief physician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University

Asthma in children is a common chronic respiratory disease, characterized by recurrent wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. Asthma in children is related to genetics, but it is not a single-gene genetic disease in the traditional sense. Asthma is a multi-gene genetic disease involving multiple gene loci, some of which may cause abnormal immune system responses and increase the risk of asthma. Familial clustering is an important feature of asthma. If one or both parents have asthma, the risk of their children developing asthma will be relatively high. However, not all people who carry asthma susceptibility genes will develop the disease, and environmental factors also play an important role in the onset of asthma.

Common environmental factors include allergens, air pollution, respiratory infections, etc. Dust mites, pollen, animal hair, dander, etc. are common allergens that may trigger asthma attacks in children. Harmful gases in air pollution, such as car exhaust, industrial waste gas, cigarette smoke, etc., can irritate children's respiratory tract and increase the risk of asthma. In addition, respiratory infections, especially viral infections, can also easily trigger acute asthma attacks.

For children with a family history of asthma, parents should pay more attention to their children's living environment. Keep the room clean, wash bedding, curtains, etc. regularly to reduce the breeding of dust mites; during the pollen transmission season, try to reduce the time children spend outside, especially in the morning and evening when the pollen concentration is high; avoid keeping pets to prevent children from contacting animal hair and dander. At the same time, pay attention to the child's balanced diet and proper physical exercise to enhance the child's physical fitness and immunity and reduce the probability of respiratory infections. The influenza virus is one of the common factors that induce asthma. By getting a flu vaccine, you can improve your child's immunity and reduce the risk of respiratory infections and asthma attacks.