Understanding Asthma in Children

Understanding asthma in children is very important. There is nothing scarier than seeing your child having difficulty breathing. And the worst thing about it is there is not a lot you can do. Asthma is a common problem in children; in fact, it is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of children have asthma. Asthma is a condition in which a person’s airways become swollen and narrower making it hard to breath. The air cannot get in and out of the lungs which results in difficulties breathing, tightness in the chest and wheezing. This can be a scary thing to experience if you are a child as well as a parent. Below are some things to keep in mind if your child is diagnosed with asthma or if you are concerned he may have it.

A child with asthma may breathe perfectly normal and only experience problems breathing during an attack or an asthma flare-up. If a child does not take asthma medication during a flare-up, the experience can be much worse and a lot scarier. In some instances, a child will need to go to the hospital or you may need to call an ambulance. After a flare up the lungs and airways will return back to normal but it may take a few days.

Asthma can be detected in infants, toddlers and school aged children. Many adults have asthma but often if you are diagnosed with asthma as a child, you will eventually grow out of it. It is unknown why some people are prone to asthma flare-ups and others are not. There is a genetic connection, however.

Knowing Asthma Triggers

Knowing the various triggers for an asthma attack is the best way to avoid it or to be prepared with proper medication. Some common causes of flare ups include:

• Dust mites
• Mould
• Pollen from trees, grass and weeds
• Fur from animals such as cats and dogs
• perfume
• Cigarette smoke
• Chalk dust
• Cold air
• Cold and flus
• Exercise (exercise induced asthma)

Treating Asthma

Avoiding the triggers is one way to prevent asthma but there is also medication that can help. There are different forms of medication including rescue medicine and controller medicine. Most medications come in the form of an inhaler and will come in a mist form. A child will breathe into the inhaler and the mist will enter his lungs. Many inhalers will also come with a spacer, a piece that attaches to the inhaler and holds the mist in one piece. Rescue medicine will need to be taken during a flare up while controller medicine will be used every day in the hopes to prevent a flare up from happening. Another important device is the peak flow meter which allows you to monitor your child’s breathing to determine if he will need medicine or not.

If you know that your child will be around something that is known to trigger an asthma attack then it is a good idea to have him take the medication beforehand. For example, if your child has exercise induced asthma then having him take the medicine before the race or game can help.

If you notice that your child does have difficulty breathing in certain instances, is wheezing or complains of tightness in the chest, then see your doctor as soon as possible. They will be able to determine what the cause is and what the best medicine and treatment option is for your child.

If your child’s symptoms worsen despite any of these suggested remedies please seek immediate medical attention – call the emergency services on 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department we have some hotlines and suggested websites for further information and advice  https://www.stayathomemum.com.au/my-kids/babies/important-hotlines-websites/

We also recommend these websites if you are looking for further information:

http://www.kidswithasthma.com.au/

http://www.nationalasthma.org.au/home
SAHM takes no responsibility for any illness, injury or death caused by misuse of this information.  All information provided is correct at time of publication.