A study by scientists at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has concluded that childhood abuse is a factor which influences chances that a person develops asthma. The researchers found that children in Puerto Rico who endure physical or sexual abuse are twice as likely to suffer from asthma as in their youth than those who do not face maltreatment.

The presence or absence of childhood abuse was shown to be more important for the development of asthma than the family's social status. Unfortunately, around 25 percent of Puerto Rican children are diagnosed with asthma during childhood. White, non-Hispanic children have a 13 percent chance of being diagnosed, while black children are facing a 16 percent chance.

The problem might be caused by a hormone called cortisol, which is frequently depleted in children who faced abuse. The hormone's functions include reducing inflammation, thus it might influence asthma and other types of inflammations. Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone often referred to as the "stress hormone."

There's also the possibility that children were more likely to be abused because they had asthma. Overall, the study found that 20 percent of those who admitted past abuse suffered from asthma, compared to 11.5 percent of those who were not abused.

In mid-August, a study found that boys are more likely than girls to beat asthma by adolescence. Despite the fact that boys are more predisposed to childhood asthma, the study showed that more boys than girls grew out of the condition during puberty.