PracticeUpdate Conference Series: ERS 2018

ChildrenWith Asthma Less Likely to Finish School Persistent asthma froma young age predisposes patients to leave high school or college. P atients who suffer persistent asthma from a young age are more likely to leave school at age 16 years. Those

Children with early-onset, persistent asthma were 3.5 times more likely than those without asthma to leave school at age 16 years, with basic education only. They were also twice as likely to drop out of university before completing 3 years of study. In terms of career, children with early- onset, persistent asthma were less than half as likely to enter nonmanual occupations, including clerk, nursing assistant, police officer, musician, and foreman. Dr. Schyllert said, “This study suggests that children diagnosed with asthma when young who continue to suffer with the condition as they grow up have worse life chances when it comes to their education and their future jobs. “We can’t tell from this study exactly why this is the case. Other research indicates that children with asthma have lower school attendance. This might lead to asthmatic children being unable to remain in school. It could also be that those with poorly controlled symptoms are less inclined to enter certain occupa- tions, especially those requiring stamina or exposure to possible asthma triggers such as dust or vapors.” Dr. Schyllert and colleagues will continue studying the link between asthma and socioeconomic status. He hopes to fol- low-up with the same group in another 10 years when subjects will be 35 years of age. He would also like to study a similar cohort born 10 years later to determine whether any changes occur over time. “I’d like to continue following these indi- viduals in their adult life to see if there are any differences between asthmatics and nonasthmatics as they grow older,” Dr. Schyllert said. He added, “Though asthma can be treated effectively with inhaled medications such as corticosteroids and bronchodilators, sticking to a treatment regime can be difficult, especially for teenagers. “Until we know more about out why child- hood asthma affects education and job prospects, the key message for families is try to ensure that children stick to their asthma treatment and speak to their doc- tor if symptoms are not controlled.”

who attend university are more likely to drop out early, results of a prospective longitudinal study show. Christian Schyllert, MD, of Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, suggested that when these children grow up, they are less likely to work in certain nonmanual occupations such as police officer, clerk, or foreman. The results suggest that children with asthma are disadvantaged in education and in their future job prospects. Dr. Schyllert said, in an ERS press release, “Asthma is one of themost common chronic diseases among children. We know it can interfere with daily life and affect school attendance. We know a lot less, however, about the impact childhood asthma exerts on subsequent life chances in adulthood. “My main interest,” he continued, “is to investigate if and how asthma affects soci- oeconomic status. While the results may not lead to any great changes or current treatment of asthma, our findings prompt further research about how childhood asthma affects life as a young adult.” Children residing in three districts in Sweden were studied. In 1996, all those aged 7–8 years were invited and 97% agreed to participate. They were seen again at age 11–12, 19, and 27–28 years. By 2015, researchers were still in contact with 2291 (59%) of the children. At the start of the study and at each follow-up, researchers noted whether children suffered from asthma. This meant they had been diagnosed with the con- dition by a doctor, suffered wheezing, or had taken asthma medication during the previous 12 months. Children were considered to have early- onset, persistent asthma if they were first diagnosed before the age of 12 years and were still suffering from asthma at 19 years of age. Researchers then compared this infor- mation with data on when children left school and which occupations they entered. They considered other factors such as sex, body weight, and smoking, which could have exerted an influence on education and work.

Dr. Christian Schyllert

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ERS 2018 • PRACTICEUPDATE CONFERENCE SERIES 19