The Connection between Asthma and Toxic Stress: Insights from the National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress

Children for whom ACEs and asthma co-occur may ultimately require different prevention and intervention strategies due to their ACEs-related physiology.  As more pediatric clinics screen for ACEs, the field needs consensus and management guidelines that address the biological links between adversity and health outcomes. The  National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress (NCATS), in partnership with the Center for Youth Wellness, the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford Medical Center is presenting a free webinar  “The Connection between Asthma and Toxic Stress: Insights from the National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress” on Tuesday, May 12th, 12:00pm-1:00pm PDT. Register here.

This webinar will be recorded and posted on the Center for Youth Wellness onDemand Learning platform.

Goals of Webinar:

• Raise awareness about the science linking Asthma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Toxic Stress
• Introduce the newly-formed National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress (NCATS)
• Present the NCATS Consensus Statements, the first steps in creating clinical management guidelines for asthma in the setting of toxic stress.
• Invite your feedback and collaboration on this topic

Webinar Description:

Currently, there are no standard asthma management guidelines that account for the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on asthma, leaving underserved communities particularly vulnerable to increased risk and severity.  Children for whom ACEs and asthma co-occur may ultimately require different prevention and intervention strategies due to their ACEs-related physiology.  As more pediatric clinics screen for ACEs, the field needs consensus and management guidelines that address the biological links between adversity and health outcomes. 

After the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the links between asthma and adversity including:

1. Pre and postnatal adversity impact on asthma risk and severity.
2. The links between asthma, adversity and co-morbid conditions such as depression, anxiety and obesity.
3. Evidence linking asthma and adversity through disruptions of the neuro-endo-immune pathways.
4. The impact of positive experiences on improving asthma and overall health.

•  Summarize the gaps in current asthma management guidelines as well as asthma and toxic stress literature.
• Identify ways the science of asthma and toxic stress can be used to create future, robust management guidelines

This first webinar of the National Committee of Asthma and Toxic Stress will present the Draft Consensus Statements on Asthma and Toxic Stress: Laying the foundation for future management guidelines.

 WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Doctors; nurses; physician’s assistants; pulmonologists; psychiatrists; psychologists; licensed therapists; social workers; community workers; parents of children with asthma; patients with asthma; anyone working in health care, trauma, human services, and social services from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.

 For questions please contact Katie Rivers @ krivers@centerforyouthwellness.org or Rachel Gilgoff at rgilgoff@centerforyouthwellness.org

 About the National Committee on Asthma and Toxic StressThe National Committee on Asthma and Toxic Stress has recently been formed to address the links between asthma and adversity with the goals of building multidisciplinary, prevention and management guidelines, identifying knowledge gaps, inspiring collaborative research and discussion, and disseminating the critical next steps for advancing this field.

We believe that understanding the intersection of asthma and ACEs physiology can help improve asthma management for all children, especially in communities that experience additional stressors such as poverty, racism, and repeated marginalization. Across the country, asthma afflicts 20.4 million adults and 6.1 million children and is the most common chronic lung disease of childhood according to the CDC’s 2016 National Health Interview Survey. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, approximately 34.8 million children are impacted by ACEs nationwide. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can exacerbate the risk and severity of asthma  (Bhan 2014; Wing 2015; Turyk 2008; Rosa 2018; Sandberg 2000; Wainwright 2007). Data from the 2016 National Survey on Child Health shows that increases in ACEs are associated with increased risk of developing asthma. Of children with no ACEs, 5.7% report having asthma, while 9.2% of children with one ACE reported having asthma, and 14.1% of children with two ACEs have developed asthma (kidsdata.org).