PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Researchers find no link between COVID-19 virus and development of asthma in children

The large study also confirmed known risk factors for COVID-19 associated with asthma in children

2024-04-12
(Press-News.org) Philadelphia, April 12, 2024 – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families worried about the long-term effects posed by the SARS-COV-2 virus. Now, researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that a SARS-COV-2 infection likely does not increase the risk of asthma development in pediatric patients. The findings were published today in the journal Pediatrics.

Respiratory viral infections early in life are risk factors for asthma. Since the SARS-COV-2 virus can cause severe lung inflammation and prolonged respiratory symptoms in certain patients, many families were concerned whether COVID-19 might trigger an asthma diagnosis in their children. CHOP established a team to further evaluate these concerns.

More than four years have passed since initial infections were reported in the United States, with testing for COVID-19 performed frequently at the beginning of the pandemic. These circumstances made for the perfect set of circumstances for a large retrospective cohort study.

“During the early days of the pandemic, we could isolate the effects of COVID-19 from other viruses and follow these patients long enough to observe the onset of asthma,” said first study author James P. Senter, MD, MPH, an attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics at CHOP. “We were also testing so frequently that we had a built-in control group to compare asthma symptoms and whether COVID-19 was a critical factor.”

This retrospective cohort study included more than 27,000 pediatric patients who received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for SARS-COV-2 between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. Patients were followed over an 18-month period.

The analysis found that testing positive for SARS-COV-2 had no significant effect on the likelihood of a new asthma diagnosis. However, children with known risk factors for developing pediatric asthma, such as race, food allergies, allergic rhinitis (or hay fever), and preterm birth – were more likely to associate with new SARS-COV-2 diagnoses.

Since the study focused solely on pediatric patients, not adult patients, more research will need to be done to assess patients at different ages and at longer intervals to further confirm there is no relationship between SARS-COV-2 and the development of asthma. Although new variants have emerged since the study was conducted, many of the fundamental elements of the original virus, which seem to reduce the allergic response produced in infected patients, have remained intact in current variants.

“This well-powered study reaffirms risk factors we know contribute to asthma development and provides clinically useful information to pediatricians and providers on the absence of risk of developing asthma as a result of COVID-19,” said senior study author David A. Hill, MD, PhD, an attending physician with the Division of Allergy and Immunology at CHOP. “We are hopeful that this study will put to rest an outstanding question on the minds of many their families.”

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants K23HL136842 and R01 HL162715, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute.

Senter et al, “COVID-19 and Asthma Onset in Children.” Pediatrics. Online April 12, 2024. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-064615.

About Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia:  

A non-profit, charitable organization, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation’s first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit https://www.chop.edu. 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Cell’s ‘garbage disposal’ may have another role: helping neurons near skin sense the environment

Cell’s ‘garbage disposal’ may have another role: helping neurons near skin sense the environment
2024-04-12
The typical job of the proteasome, the garbage disposal of the cell, is to grind down proteins into smaller bits and recycle some of those bits and parts. That’s still the case, for the most part, but, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, studying nerve cells grown in the lab and mice, say that the proteasome’s role may go well beyond that. Its additional role, say the researchers, may shift from trash sorter to signal messenger in dorsal root ganglion neurons — cells that convey sensory signals from nerve cells close to the skin to the central nervous system. Results of their experiments, published April 12 in Cell Reports, show that proteasomes may help those specialized ...

Study reveals potential to reverse lung fibrosis using the body’s own healing technique

2024-04-12
he most common type of lung fibrosis — scarring of the lungs -- is idiopathic, meaning of unknown cause.  Researchers are urgently trying to find ways to prevent or slow idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and related lung conditions, which can cause worsening shortness of breath, dry cough, and extreme fatigue. Average survival following diagnosis of IPF is just three to five years, and the disease has no cure. A recent U-M study from a team led by Sean Fortier, M.D. and Marc Peters-Golden, M.D. of the Division ...

International team co-led by a BSC researcher discovers more than 50 new deep-sea species in one of the most unexplored areas of the planet

International team co-led by a BSC researcher discovers more than 50 new deep-sea species in one of the most unexplored areas of the planet
2024-04-12
An international group of scientists, co-led by researcher Ariadna Mechó of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), observed 160 species on seamounts off the coast of Chile that had not yet been known to live in the region and suspect that at least 50 of these species are new to science. The recent Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition to the underwater mountains of the Salas y Gómez Ridge, a remote and underexplored area that stretches from ...

Cleveland Innovation District partners exceeding many targets set by state and JobsOhio

Cleveland Innovation District partners exceeding many targets set by state and JobsOhio
2024-04-12
CLEVELAND – Since the Cleveland Innovation District launched in 2021, the founding institutions have made significant progress, including exceeding many of the targets set by the Ohio Department of Development and JobsOhio. Collectively, the institutions participating in this $500 million public-private initiative have created more than 2,600 jobs, spent nearly  $1.2 billion on research and innovation, commenced construction of two new research facilities, created dedicated research space comprising more than 550,000 square feet, and awarded more than 7,300 degrees and certificates to support workforce development. “The Cleveland Innovation District’s progress ...

A third of women experience migraines associated with menstruation, most commonly when premenopausal

2024-04-12
WASHINGTON (April 12, 2024) – A third of the nearly 20 million women who participated in a national health survey report migraines during menstruation, and of them, 11.8 million, or 52.5%, were premenopausal. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and Pfizer, Inc., which makes a migraine medication.  Because of  the underuse of medications to help treat or prevent menstrual migraines, investigators wanted to understand how common menstrual migraines were and which groups of women could most benefit from potential therapies. The study will be presented April 16, at the American Academy of Neurology ...

MD Anderson Research Highlights for April 12, 2024

2024-04-12
HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Recent developments at MD Anderson offer insights into a combination strategy to improve immunotherapy responses, promising trial results for patients with tumors harboring BRAF mutations, a maintenance strategy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia following chemotherapy, a strategy ...

Soft Robotics appoints new Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Mazzolai, PhD

Soft Robotics appoints new Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Mazzolai, PhD
2024-04-12
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is pleased that Barbara Mazzolai, PhD, has been appointed the new Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the bimonthly journal Soft Robotics. Dr. Mazzolai joins Barry Trimmer, PhD, as part of the executive editorial team for the journal. Soft Robotics is the leading robotics journal devoted to the emerging technologies and developments of soft and deformable robots.  The journal’s coverage includes flexible electronics, materials science, computer science, and biomechanics. The journal breaks new ground as the first to answer the urgent need for research on robotic technology that can safely ...

Wiley releases Mass Spectra of Designer Drugs 2024 to accelerate forensics analysis of fentanyls, cannabinoids, and more

2024-04-12
Wiley, one of the world’s largest publishers and a global leader in research and learning, today announced the 2024 release of the Mass Spectra of Designer Drugs. This indispensable spectral database serves as a cornerstone for forensic laboratories worldwide, enabling swift identification of illicit substances. Sourced from both legal and underground literature, it provides access to the latest novel psychoactive substances (NPS) like variants of fentanyl, xylazine, various opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, and more. This annually refreshed database provides access to 35,094 mass spectra representing 26,712 unique ...

Freestanding emergency departments are popular, but do they function as intended?

2024-04-12
By Ann Kellett, Texas A&M University School of Public Health Freestanding emergency departments (EDs) — either satellite branches of hospitals or independently operated facilities — have popped up across the country. Texas has the most, with 338 freestanding EDs as of May 2023, and these facilities handle nearly one quarter of all emergency department visits in the state. Now, a new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health is the first to compare the characteristics of visits to freestanding EDs with visits to traditional hospital-based ...

University of Cincinnati experts present at national neurology conference

University of Cincinnati experts present at national neurology conference
2024-04-12
University of Cincinnati researchers will present abstracts at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting 2024, April 13-18 in Denver, Colorado. Two-component treatment leads to improvement for patients Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare, inherited genetic disease caused by the accumulation of glycogen, the body’s stored form of glucose, in muscles and other organs. Left untreated, the muscle weakness it causes can lead to the loss of the ability to walk and breathing impairment. A research team led by UC’s ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Brian Cleary awarded $2.25 million NIH grant to advance single-cell gene expression research

Gut parasites identified from feces of ancient Mexican people

Remission achievable for 1 in 3 Indian diabetics through intensive app-based lifestyle program

Idiopathic hypersomnia is a rare disease of excessive sleepiness, with patients revealing they never feel rested or awake no matter how much sleep they get, in analysis of online posts

Backyard birders in South Africa may continue to enjoy biodiversity in visiting birds under climate change scenarios, while climate change and declining biodiversity may decrease birding in protected

Ingestible pill developed to diagnose intestinal disorder

‘Chronic lung-transplant rejection has been a black box.’ New study gives answers, drug targets.

Neutrino experiments in US and Japan join forces

Hunting for the chromosomal genes that break the heart

Trial enrollment and survival disparities among patients with advanced epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term risk of atrial fibrillation

Study: Dangerous E. coli strain blocks gut’s defense mechanism to spread infection

No benefit of ketamine for patients hospitalised with depression, clinical trial reports

Ants use a genetic 'bulldozer' to achieve a hyper-specific sense of smell

Scientists pinpoint a key gene behind heart defects in Down syndrome

$6.2M grant will launch UC San Diego REACH Center for Translational Science on Whole Person Health

Bay Area Lyme Foundation opens applications for 2026 Emerging Leader Awards and research grants

A new post-processing route to improve tensile strength and ductility in 3d-printed alloys

JMIR Publications’ Journal of Medical Internet Research invites submissions on Navigating AI-Enabled Uncertainty

Small changes in alcohol intake linked to blood pressure shifts

Natural Japanese and Taiwanese hinoki cypresses genetically differentiated 1 million years ago

GemPharmatech announces research collaboration with leading cancer center to advance antibody discovery

Deciding whether a breathing tube is best for a child

A ‘dead’ 1800s idea rises again... with clues to the mystery of the universe’s missing antimatter

Roboticists reverse engineer zebrafish navigation

FAU historian traces the transformation of U.S. nursing homes into big business

CABI study reveals major inequalities in global One Health research

Reptiles ‘pee’ crystals, and scientists are investigating what they’re made of

Drug prevents congenital heart block recurrence in a high-risk pregnancy

Wiley announces winners of Advanced Science Young Innovator Award

[Press-News.org] Researchers find no link between COVID-19 virus and development of asthma in children
The large study also confirmed known risk factors for COVID-19 associated with asthma in children