NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Boys may be more likelythan girls to have childhood asthma, but they are also more likelyto grow out of it during adolescence, a new study shows.

Results of the study released Friday help solve the mystery ofage and sex differences in the natural history of childhood asthma,the lead researcher told Reuters Health.

“Persistence of airway responsiveness — commonly referred to astwitchy airways — is a major reason why asthma in girls maypersist (or develop) past the onset of puberty,” Dr. Kelan G.Tantisira, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard MedicalSchool in Boston, told Reuters Health.

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