(September 18, 2008 - Insidermedicine) Having a runny nose, even if it’s not due to allergies, is linked with an increased risk for developing asthma in adulthood, according to research published in The Lancet.

Here are some facts about asthma:

•    It is a chronic disease of the airways that carry air in and out of the lungs.

•    Symptoms of asthma including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.

•    There is no cure for asthma, but there are several treatments. Some treatments help reduce the likelihood of having an asthma attack while others treat the symptoms when they occur.

Researchers from the INSERM Epidemiology Team used information from the European Community Health Survey to identify over 6,400 adults who did not suffer from asthma at the outset. These individuals were diagnosed for the presence of a stuffy, runny nose, a condition known as rhinitis, and underwent skin testing for signs of allergy.

After adjusting for factors that might affect asthma rates, such as sex, weight, and where one lives, having allergies was linked with a 63% increased risk of asthma, but having rhinitis was linked with more than two-and-a-half times the risk, and having allergies and rhinitis was linked with 3.5 times the risk.

Today’s research highlights the association between a stuffy nose, and the development of asthma in adulthood. These findings suggest that perhaps preventing or treating stuffy noses could help reduce asthma rates.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.