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Cockroaches trigger asthma in children

asthmaCockroaches have been identified as a trigger of different asthma among children in New York.

In some environments, 19 per cent, or nearly 1 in 5 children suffer from asthma. As in other conditions, asthma is only about 3 percent. Traffic, industrial incinerators and sources of air pollution in open spaces have all been charged in the past.

However, researchers at Columbia University found that children living in environments with high rates of asthma are twice as likely to carry the cockroach protein antibodies in their blood - a sign that the children had been exposed to the insect and eventually are allergic to cockroaches.

In addition, the houses in the neighbourhood with high asthma rates contain allergens more products by cockroaches in house dust.

This study provides "additional evidence that exposure to cockroaches is a part of this story," study author Matthew Perzanowski said.

"Cockroach allergens actually contribute to the differences in prevalence of asthma, even in urban environments such as New York City".

For the study published in the "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology', Perzanowski and his team visited seven and eight year children 239 homes." Half of them live in areas with high rates of asthma.

Previous studies have linked increased poverty asthma among children. However, to eliminate the influence of income or results, the authors included only families with same middle income insurance programs. The goal is to ensure that they have the same income and access to health care. Apparently, more than half of children have asthma.

During the visit, researchers from dust of bed for children, and then took blood samples to look for antibodies against different allergens associated with asthma, including dogs, cats, rats, mites and proteins of the cockroach.

Almost 1/4 children in an environment with high asthma rates seem to be allergic to cockroaches, compared with 1 in 10 children who live in areas that asthma is less common.

Cockroaches leave proteins which are inhaled by humans and can become allergic to it. Then in turn will increase the chance that they will develop asthma, said Perzanowski.

Homes in communities that suffer from high asthma also had levels more elevated cockroach allergens, and associated with allergens rats and cats.

In addition, children who are allergic to cockroaches and rats are more likely to have asthma, writes Joanne Sordillo laboratory Channing of Brigham and women's Boston hospital, who examined the results of Reuters Health.

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