Asthma In Children
What Is Asthma?
Asthma can be quite common in children although half of all children will grow out of it. The main symptoms of asthma include:
- coughing
- tightness of the chest
- breathlessness
- these conditions are often worse at night
Unfortunately if asthma is left untreated it can cause permanent scarring of the airways. In extreme cases a severe asthma attack can be fatal.
What Causes Asthma?
Asthma is caused by the narrowing of the bronchioles in the lungs. In children who develop asthma these airways become irritated and inflamed. When this happens the bronchioles become narrower making it difficult for the air to flow in and out of the lungs. This can be caused by an allergic reaction to irritants or triggered by a cold or virus.
Unfortunately in young babies and toddlers it can be difficult to tell whether they are having problems with breathing. Asthma in children under 18 months can be quite difficult to diagnose. If you suspect there maybe a problem get medical.
Why Do Some Children Get Asthma?
In children, boys are more likely to get asthma than girls and black children are more likely to get it than white children. Unfortunately asthma tends to run in families, so children can inherit the tendency to be affected.
What Other Risk Factors Are There?
Other factors thought to affect a child's risk of developing asthma include:
- cigarette smoking in pregnancy
- passive smoking
- breastfeeding may reduce your child’s risk. (Click on this link to read our related article about Breastfeeding)
What Symptoms Will I See If My Child Has An Asthma Attack?
All of these symptoms can vary from mild to moderate or severe but include:
- coughing which may cause your child to vomit
- wheezing
- breathes faster and struggles to get air
- tightness in the chest
- disturbed sleep
What Might Trigger An Asthma Attack?
There are many things that may trigger an asthma attack and these include:
- House-Dust mites
- infections
- animals
- exercise
How Will Asthma Be Diagnosed?
Normally it is your GP who will determine whether or not your child is suffering from asthma. There are many ways to determine asthma and they include:
- performing a detailed medical examination
- by using a peak flow meter which checks your child’s lung function
- occasionally x-rays might be used
How Do I Treat Asthma?
There are many different treatments available to you and your child. All of the treatments aim to reduce the frequency, severity and length of your child’s asthma attack. These treatments include:
- inhalers
- other medicine
Inhalers
Contain a gas that propels the correct dose of medication when the top is pressed. This is inhaled into the airways. There are two basic types of inhaler medicines:
- relievers
- preventers
- nebuliser
Relievers
Relievers are used when asthma symptoms occur and help to make breathing easier for your child. They contain medicines like salbutamol and terbutaline (bronchodilators), these help to widen the airways and ease the symptoms of asthma. There are two types of relievers, short-acting or long-acting.
If your child’s asthma is not under control using a regular steroid and occasional use of a short acting reliever, you may have to look at adding a long-acting reliever (salmeterol or fomoterol).
Preventers
Preventers are used daily to prevent asthma symptoms from occurring. They usually contain a steroid medicine that helps to reduce the inflammation of the airways.
There are not normally side effects if your child is on a normal dose. Unfortunately it can take up to six weeks for the full effect of preventer medicines to build up. Preventers are usually a brown, orange or red colour.
Do not be concerned if your child needs an inhaler, children as young as three can learn to use one. For those under three you can obtain a special face mask.
Other medicines
If your child suffers from severe attacks of asthma, they can be treated with a course of steroid tablets, such as prednisolone
Nebulisers
A nebuliser is a device that turns a medicine into a vapour, and is used with a face mask or mouthpiece. It is used for giving large doses of inhaled medicine, usually in hospital, but may also be used at home instead of an inhaler to treat children under the age of two years.
Asthma Management
Asthma needs to be managed by dealing with the things that make it worse. Identifying and avoiding the things that trigger asthma are an essential part of the overall treatment plan.
Keeping a diary to record anything that triggers asthma can help to identify any patterns. The older your child becomes the more they are able to understand and help with their own asthma management.
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