Health Analysis Paper - Pediatric Asthma

Pediatric Asthma

The popular article I chose comes from TIME Magazine. It is titled “Asthma & Allergies Genetic Test Could Predict Which Kids Will Have Lasting Asthma Symptoms” by (Sefferlin, 2013). This article is founded on genetic testing that can determine if a child diagnosed with pediatric asthma, could eventually grow out of it as an adult. “About one in 11 children suffers from Asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)” (Sefferlin, 2013). Many of the children diagnosed will continue to suffer from this disorder well into or even throughout their adulthood. This study has been going on for 40 years with successful results. First a child is tested and receives a genetic risk score. If the score is high based on the 15 variants tested this child is at risk of having Asthma as an adult.  The doctors can then began intensive treatment to lower the risk of the patient having this lung ailment long-term.

This subject is very near to my heart because my son was diagnosed with Asthma at the age of 2. He is currently 9 years old and continues to suffer with Asthma flare-ups. He is usually hospitalized during season changes due to it being impossible to control his Asthma with an inhaler, breathing machine or prescription steroid at home. Just knowing I could get him tested to determine if he would have Asthma into adulthood is astounding. If he is predetermined to suffer from Asthma long-term he can then be able to receive intensive treatment to lower his adulthood risk. Learning that this illness is not based on family history is a relief. His dad, although not severely, suffers from adulthood Asthma. Reading this article gives a glimmer of hope in the case that he may not doomed terminally with Asthma.

This article is not considered scholarly because first off, it has not been peer reviewed. It is also not set up like a scholarly article would be. It does not contain an abstract, introduction or conclusion of results. This article was written by a journalist or freelance writer, scholarly reviews are researched and written by researchers, professors, and scholars. Finally scholarly articles are published by universities, scholarly presses and academic/research organizations. This Time Magazine article is commercially published in a monthly publication.

Pediatric Asthma

In this scholarly article titled “The developmental trajectory of pediatric asthma in 3- to-10-year-olds” (Pingsheng Wu, 2012).  I was given a great deal of research to determine the sequential course of childhood or pediatric Asthma. This study took place over a period of several years in Tennessee. The researchers first used the same method used by US Medicaid systems to diagnose the children with asthma ranging from non-existent to severe. They then continuously monitored these children with follow up appointments to determine if the trajectory would change. Studies showed “20% of children that had not shown any symptoms of Asthma for the first 9 years of life was diagnosed by the age of 10” (Pingsheng Wu, 2012).