Child asthma, mother's depression linked

[The Straight Story]

Child asthma, mother's depression linked


BALTIMORE, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Maternal depression may aggravate a child's asthma but how often a child had symptoms did not seem to affect the mother's symptoms, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore analyzed data from interviews with 262 mothers of African-American children with asthma -- a population disproportionately affected by the inflammatory airway disorder.

The study, in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, found children whose mothers had more depressive symptoms had more frequent asthma symptoms during the six-month study. Conversely, children whose mothers reported fewer depressive symptoms had less frequent asthma symptoms.

Senior investigator Kristin Riekert, a pediatric psychologist and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Adherence Research Center, and colleagues tracked ups and downs in maternal depression as related to the frequency of symptoms among children.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/20/Child-asthma-mothers-depression-linked/UPI-20691258736901/

[BanzaiBonnie]

1. I've heard that asthma

is like crying inside your body. When you can't/don't cry from your eyes, you cry inside. Depression would sure make sense.


Crying serves a purpose, otherwise we would not have the function.