COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 3 (UPI) -- Puerto Rican parents are more likely than other parents to report asthma among their children, and researchers have linked the occurrences to mental disorders.
Through nearly 1,900 interviews, Ohio State University researchers found Puerto Rican children whose parents reported they had asthma were more likely to suffer from depression. Children with reported asthma attacks also were more likely to have anxiety disorders.
Puerto Rican children have much higher asthma rates than other children -- as high as 30 percent, compared to 5 to 16 percent in other ethnic groups.
Alexander Ortega, the study's lead author, said the reasons for the higher rates are unclear, but they might involve misdiagnoses resulting from confusing asthma symptoms with those of anxiety and other psychological distress.
Other possibilities are that Puerto Rican families may perceive and interpret asthma symptoms differently, and asthma may exacerbate a child's anxiety, Ortega said.
