* The number of young children who have breathing disorders has increased significantly over the past decade, according to a report in the medical journal The Lancet. Researchers from Leicester Royal Infirmary and Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland, found a 'substantial overall increase' in wheezing and asthma-related breathing problems in young children aged one to five living in Leicestershire from 1990 to 1998. The increase could not be accounted for by familial and household risk factors because such factors declined over the years studied.
* The number of young children who have breathing disorders has increased significantly over the past decade, according to a report in the medical journal The Lancet.
Researchers from Leicester Royal Infirmary and Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland, found a 'substantial overall increase' in wheezing and asthma-related breathing problems in young children aged one to five living in Leicestershire from 1990 to 1998. The increase could not be accounted for by familial and household risk factors because such factors declined over the years studied.
Co-investigator Professor Mike Silverman of Leicester Royal Infirmary said both teams intended to conduct further research and if their findings are verified, it would imply that a 'fundamental change' had taken place in young children's responsiveness to environmental triggers in the UK.
