Common cold during pregnancy could result in childhood asthma

Singulair users are likely well aware of all the different ways asthma can develop in the body. Now, researchers are reporting that something as simple as the common cold during a woman's pregnancy could impact her child's likelihood to contract asthma.

Researchers in Germany analyzed and 526 of their older children, administering questionnaires that were completed by the mothers during their pregnancies, between 3 to 12 months after pregnancy and for every other year of the child's life up until the age of 5. The researchers found that the bacterial exposure a mother experiences during her pregnancy can affect the baby's utero environment in the womb, leaving the child more susceptible to allergies or asthma later in life.

Of all the families that were tested, 61 percent of the affected children had a parent who experienced symptoms of asthma, hay fever or atopic dermatitis during the pregnancy. In addition to the baby's surroundings causing disorders, researchers noted that a child has a 75 percent greater chance of developing allergies if both of his or her parents are allergic to something. If neither parent has any signs or traces of allergies or asthma, the chances decreased to 10 to 15 percent.

Dr. Michael Foggs, an allergist and president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which funded the study, felt that the research could help determine the probabilities of a child developing asthma without having to calculate genetics.

"We know that allergy and asthma can develop in the womb since in both diseases," Foggs said in a statement. "But this study sheds light about how a mother's environment during pregnancy can begin affecting the child before birth."

Further steps of asthma prevention
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, currently deals with asthma symptoms, while three out of five children who are born with asthma have had more than one attack in the last 12 months. While we know that the primary indicator of having asthma comes from parents' genetics, there are also a few precautions available that can help deter potential side effects of allergies and asthma. Some of these tips include:

• Avoid smoking or secondhand tobacco inhalation
• Keep away from close contact with flu-infected individuals 
• Receive proper vaccination shots during cold seasons
• Steer clear of heavily air polluted areas

While there is no outright cure for asthma, prescribed medications such as Singulair are great ways to help combat symptoms. You can buy Singulair at a Canadian online pharmacy.