There is increasing evidence linking childhood asthma to anxiety later on in life. Children with asthma are 2 to 3 times more likely to struggle with anxiety as adults. But the reasons why are still not fully understood.
A recent study from Pennsylvania State University may be one step closer to understanding this connection. They found that prolonged inflammation of the airways, commonly seen in asthmatics, changes areas of the brain that are associated with anxiety.
Of course struggling for breath in the midst of an asthma attack will cause anxiety in the short term. But even when the allergen is removed and asthma attacks stop, children show signs of inflammation in the airways, that continues into adulthood. Scientists believe this long term inflammation causes changes in the brain, leading to anxiety in later years.
If you’d like to read more on this study, click HERE.
