The coronavirus pandemic may have actually helped some kids avoid a long-term lung disease.

According to a new Rutgers study that published in Respiratory Research, new diagnoses of asthma among minors decreased by 52% during the first year of the pandemic, compared to the previous three years.

Researchers analyzed nationwide data related to privately insured children. The Rutgers study is believed to be the first to present this trend in the U.S. — a study out of Japan showed similar findings there.

"Asthma is a chronic disease, but we know it has certain triggers, and one of those triggers is viruses," said Daniel Horton, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Rutgers.

Wearing masks and separated from other children to protect themselves from COVID-19, kids were also getting fewer regular colds during much of 2020, Horton said.

Genetics and allergens can also be a cause of asthma in children. The disease most often presents itself during childhood when one's immune system is still developing.

Researchers can't entirely link the drop in diagnoses with lesser rates of disease. Horton noted that the pandemic caused huge disruptions in health care access — fewer parents may have sought care for symptoms due to the threat of COVID-19.

But separate research, Horton said, showed that children who already had asthma pre-pandemic were dealing with fewer health issues during 2020, and there were fewer hospitalizations related to asthma compared to previous years.

"We need to learn more about what's happened more recently, and whether rates of asthma diagnosis have returned to what they were before," Horton said.

More than 167,000 New Jersey children have asthma, according to the state Department of Health.

Because of the findings, and the mere fact that routine viruses can trigger asthma, Horton said parents would be wise to mask their children when they're dealing with symptomatic colds, to protect other kids who have asthma or are at risk for getting asthma.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

How much your school district gets under Murphy's proposed 2024 budget

Gov. Phil Murphy's porposed 2024 budget includes $1 billion in new spending for school funding including pre-K funding, pension and benefits, and an additional $832 million in K-12 aid, which is listed below by county and district.

Biggest NJ company layoff notices in 2022 and 2023

In some cases, workers may be offered back their jobs or transfers to different locations. 

Here’s a look at more than a dozen of the biggest announcements within two years.

More From Cat Country 107.3