Runny nose in a child may be bothersome at that moment, but it may protect him against asthma in the long run. Research shows that children who have certain infectious diseases like viral infections during childhood are less likely to develop asthma when they grow up.
A study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that children who suffer from viral infections like a runny nose and herpes infection, are less likely to get asthma than others. The protection factor is increased if the infection occurs in the child's first year of life. Children who had (1 episode of a runny nose in the first year were about two times more likely to have a wheezing problem at the age of seven years than those children who had had 2 or more such episodes.
The research model was set to observe the effects of respiratory and other infections on the chance of contracting asthma in later life. The categories of infectious diseases comprised of lower respiratory tract infections, viral infections (runny nose and herpes type) and other infections (including bacterial, fungal and gastrointestinal infections). The findings suggested that while other infections had no appreciable effect on asthma diagnosis at age 7 years, infections of the lower respiratory tract increased the chances considerably. Children who have had measles during childhood are also less likely to develop asthma later on.
A distinction was made in the study among the categories of viral infections and those of the lower respiratory tract. While the former was found to lower the chances of asthma diagnosis in later life, the latter were found to increase them. The researchers reasoned that lower respiratory tract infections predict asthma rather than cause it. this simply means that children who are likely to develop asthma show certain symptoms of infection of the respiratory tract.
Thus the next time your baby has a runny nose, relax. It may just be beneficial for you and your child in the long term. Sometimes good things really do come in small packages.
The British Medical Journal, 2001; 322:376-377
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