NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The risk of developingasthma is doubled in children who have suffered physical or sexualabuse, new research in Puerto Rico shows.

“Our findings highlight the importance of screening for asthmaamong victims of childhood abuse, and to be aware of thepossibility of physical or sexual abuse among children withasthma,” write Dr. Juan C. Celedon of Harvard Medical School inBoston and his colleagues, noting that their study is the first tofind a link between child abuse and asthma.

Several studies have found higher rates of asthma among PuertoRicans living on the US mainland than among whites, blacks or otherLatinos, the researchers note in the American Journal ofRespiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Research conducted afterSeptember 11, as well as studies in Vietnam vets, has also suggestthat Puerto Rican individuals may suffer greater emotional distresswhen exposed to violence, they add.