Autumn Babies More Likely To Get Asthma

Babies born during the fall have a higher risk of asthma than other children, a new study says.

The study reviewed records of more than 95,000 children in Tennessee and found that, no matter when they were born, babies who get a significant chest infection during infancy were more likely to have asthma later. But the risk was greatest for fall babies.

The researchers noted that those born in fall come just before the peak of cold and flu season.

"Birth during this time conferred a nearly 30 percent increase in odds of developing asthma," said Dr. Tina V. Hartert of Vanderbilt University.

She said, however, that the risk of going from a chest infection to asthma is also influenced by genetics.

"However, if this association were due only to genetic factors, there would be a seasonal effect on infection but not on asthma ... Instead, we have shown that there is variation in the risk of developing asthma by the timing of birth."

The research was published in the first issue for December of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a publication of the American Thoracic Society. Full text is available online.