Asthma Attack in Families

The tendency for people's airways to be hypersensitive is inborn: we inherit this through our genes. Unfortunately, because a combination of genes, rather than a single gene, is involved, it is unlikely that gene therapy will provide an early cure.

We know that asthma tends to run in families that are prone to allergy (atopy). This means that some family members will be affected by asthma, while others may suffer from other allergies such as hay fever, perennial rhinitis (constant inflammation of the lining of the nose) and eczema.

In other words, we inherit a tendency to react to allergens rather than a specific disease. If you or your partner has asthma, there is an increased risk that your children will also be asthmatic, although this is not inevitable.

We tend to think of asthma as being a childhood problem, but it can occur at any age. We may live with our own asthma trigger for years until we suddenly and dramatically develop a sensitivity. Why some people develop asthma so much later than others is not yet known.

Asthma in the over-forties often follows a severe chest infection. In fact, the condition is often misdiagnosed as a return of the infection or a new infection, and it may be some time before the correct treatment is given. Often, some adults who develop asthma late in life report having had a number of chest infections as children.

It is now widely thought that these were probably asthma attacks and that they were mistakenly diagnosed at the time. Asthma can 'go quiet' for many years before flaring up again in later life.

Asthma in families
A tendency to develop allergic asthma and other allergies sometimes runs in a family. Children born to these families are more likely than average to develop asthma, eczema or hay fever. The chances of a child with one asthmatic parent developing asthma are doubled; if both parents are asthmatic, the chances are quadrupled for their children. Allergic parents should try to follow these simple guidelines:

- Try to breastfeed your baby as long as possible(even up to one year), and while you are nursing avoid the foods to which you have been allergic.
- If you are bottlefeeding, it might be a good idea to choose a low-allergy formula.
- Only introduce new foods one at a time, and wait for your child's reaction.
- Do not introduce citrus fruits until nine months.
- Do not offer eggs, cow's milk or wheat until the first birthday.
Talk to your doctor or health visitor about your child's diet, and seek their advice.