Monday 11/November/2024 – 08:10 PM
A study from the University of California found that asthma It is linked to memory problems in young children, and research suggests that early onset of the condition may exacerbate memory difficulties.
Asthma is linked to memory problems in young people
According to The Guardian, doctors explained that children with asthma performed worse on memory tasks than children without the lung problem, and poor memory may have long-term consequences, possibly increasing the risk of diseases such as dementia.
After monitoring a sample of 473 children for two years, scientists found that those who developed asthma early on, and who had the disease for a longer period of time, also had slower memory development over time.
“This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulties in children,” said Simona Getty, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis. “We have become increasingly aware that chronic diseases, not just asthma but also diabetes, heart disease, and other , may put children at increased risk of cognitive difficulties.
Statistics related to the study
Previous studies in adults and animals have also found that asthma is linked to an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, both of which affect memory.
Asthma may put children on a path that may increase their risk of later developing something more serious like dementia as adults, said Nicholas Christopher Hayes, a doctoral candidate in psychology at UC Davis and first author of the study.
Although the study did not investigate the mechanism responsible for asthma-related memory difficulties, the researchers cited possible factors such as prolonged inflammation caused by asthma or repeated interruptions in the supply of oxygen to the brain due to asthma attacks.
The study included data from 2,062 children between the ages of nine and ten with asthma, and the smaller sample that followed the children for two years included 473 children.
