Any parents with kids who have asthma but don't vaccinate?

[gbailey]

I'm asking because a friend told me her son will have priority in getting the H1N1 vaccine because he has asthma and he needs it more than kids who don't have it. When I asked her why she said because the doctor said so. I just wondered if anyone who doesn't vaccinate has a child with asthma? My friend made it seem like getting this shot is a huge deal for an asthmatic child.

[jeanine123]

My oldest has asthma and was vaccinated until around 15 months old. He did receive one flu shot that year. He is 6 now and hasn't received a shot since. Not even the flu shot. He also will not be receiving the H1N1 vax nor the flu vax this year. I also have asthma and will also decline both those vaxes.

[mysticmomma]

I have asthmatic kids and we don't vax.

[InstinctiveMom]

I do, and my youngest ds does - and we do NOT vax

[34me]

Every member of my family has some degree of asthma but me . Our docs and sometimes even the general public try and push us to get the flu shot. Supposidly people with asthma get "sicker" than those without asthma. I don't buy it. My ds was the only one on his hockey team to not get the flu shot last year and the only one not to get sick. And this week 40% of his school is sick and he is fine. He's my worst asthmatic but after 5-6 years of struggling, his asthma has been well controlled for several years.

[tessie]

Originally Posted by 34me

Supposidly people with asthma get "sicker" than those without asthma.

They do though. If you get something like bronchitis and you have asthma it's likely going to hit you harder than someone without asthma because your lung function is already impaired. And children in particular can deteriorate scarily fast if they have an asthma attack.

Obviously the key thing is to keep asthma well-controlled but vaccination might also be appropriate.

[2boyzmama]

My son doesn't have an asthma diagnosis yet, but he has multiple airway malformations and reactive airway disease that leave him VERY susceptible to respiratory illnesses. His pulmonologist HIGHLY recommends flu shots for kids like my son because the flu really COULD kill him, or at the very least lead to severe complications.

However, my son also has an immune deficiency that means he's more likely to react to the vaccine, and also less likely to build appropriate antibodies. His immunological response to natural illness has not been stellar, and his response to vaccines will likely be less, so despite the risks of him contracting flu, we have still chosen not to vaccinate him.

It's a hard decision, really hard, because everyone else in the family can just ride it out, lay on the couch for a week and be miserable, but my younger son really could have major problems. A rock and a hard place.

If he didn't have the underlying genetic syndrome and immune deficiency, if he only had the airway malformations, I would seriously consider it for him.

[Tee25]

I have asthma and I will not vaccinate myself for the flu, or anything for that matter, because I believe my asthma was caused by vaccinations.

[tessie]

Originally Posted by Tee25

I have asthma and I will not vaccinate myself for the flu, or anything for that matter, because I believe my asthma was caused by vaccinations.

What happened?

[MoonWillow]

My 2yo dd has asthma and we don't vax her.

[Tee25]

Originally Posted by tessie

What happened?

Never had allergies or asthma before 4th grade. Went horseback riding, played with tons of cats ALL the time as a kid. When we moved across the country, before school in 4th grade I got a whole host of different vaxes. Less than 2 months later I was on an inhaler and could not be around horses or any animal...couldn't breathe and just classic allergies!

I'm sure it was a combo of a stressed immune system from the move and the vaxes.

[tessie]

Originally Posted by Tee25

Never had allergies or asthma before 4th grade. Went horseback riding, played with tons of cats ALL the time as a kid. When we moved across the country, before school in 4th grade I got a whole host of different vaxes. Less than 2 months later I was on an inhaler and could not be around horses or any animal...couldn't breathe and just classic allergies!

I'm sure it was a combo of a stressed immune system from the move and the vaxes.

The move is interesting as I find going to a different area can trigger mine. Maybe we get somewhat used to the triggers in our local area?

[Tee25]

Originally Posted by tessie

The move is interesting as I find going to a different area can trigger mine. Maybe we get somewhat used to the triggers in our local area?

True, but then I moved back to the same city...still no improvement. Guess the damage was already done. I don't know, could have been the move, but I am highly suspicious of the vaccinations, or at least a combination.

[sebarnes]

My son has asthma and is not vaxed.

[FreeRangeMama]

My ds has asthma (AND autism) and has never been vaxed. I would never consider vaxing him at all even though he does get much sicker than the rest of us. It doesn't make sense to assault his immune system in order to keep him healthy.

[RachelGS]

My son and I both have asthma and we don't vax. I am quite concerned about H1N1, but don't feel safe with an untested vax in a family with a history of vax reactions.

[ammiga]

Originally Posted by Tee25

I have asthma and I will not vaccinate myself for the flu, or anything for that matter, because I believe my asthma was caused by vaccinations.

[Gitti]

Going from memory -

One Parents study here in Austria, between fully vaccinated and unvaccinated kids (800) showed that out of the vaccinated kids, about 25% have asthma or some sort of allergies, while out of the unvaccinated kids, only 2% have those symptoms.

Don't forget, some unvaccinated kids may have asthma and or allergies deriving via Epigenetics.

[tessie]

Originally Posted by Gitti

Going from memory -

One Parents study here in Austria, between fully vaccinated and unvaccinated kids (800) showed that out of the vaccinated kids, about 25% have asthma or some sort of allergies, while out of the unvaccinated kids, only 2% have those symptoms.

Do you have a link, please? I have not heard of that study before.

Originally Posted by Gitti

Don't forget, some unvaccinated kids may have asthma and or allergies deriving via Epigenetics.

How does that work then?

[ema-adama]

From the conclusion in this study, Gene-Environment Interactions and Airway Disease in Children

Although evidence shows that there is a large genetic component to the development of airway disease in children, inheritance alone does not account for the incidence and prevalence of this disease. Clearly, susceptibility to the development of asthma depends on the interaction of multiple genes, coupled with environmental exposures. Understanding the precise role of environmental exposures in the development of asthma is absolutely critical to reducing the burden of this disease in children.

Underlining mine

The study itself discusses different factors more in depth.