Would you know if your child has asthma? For unknown reasons, the incidence of asthma in children is steadily increasing.
While asthma symptoms can begin at any age, most children experience symptoms by age 5. What is asthma? It is important to note that not all children with asthma wheeze. Does your child have any of these symptoms? A young child who has frequent wheezing with colds or respiratory infections is more likely to have asthma if: A parent has asthma. The child shows signs of allergies, including the allergic skin condition eczema. The child wheezes even when he or she doesn't have a cold or other infection.
Diagnosing Asthma There is no specific test for asthma. Click here to download the American Thoracic Society's Patient Information Series on Pulmonary Function Testing in Children To help your pediatrician make a correct diagnosis, be prepared with information. Other common triggers include: Pollen, dust mites, cockroaches and pet dander; cat dander is worse than dog. Inhaling cigarette smoke or having contact with someone who has smoked cigarettes cigarette smoke permeates clothing.
Chemicals including household cleaners, citronella candles and bug sprays. Colognes and scented lotions are triggers. Pool chlorine can be a problem; indoor pools should be avoided as the chlorine is enclosed in the building. Private pools are much better than public, because public pools tend to have much more chlorine in them. Beach swimming is better than pool swimming.
Stress: Even family stress can contribute to your child's asthma! Cold and windy weather. Also, your child should have their inhaler on hand. Exercise-induced asthma may be caused by rapid movement of air into the lungs before it is warmed and humidified. Most kids who wheeze as infants outgrow it and don't have asthma when they get older. So doctors usually can't make an asthma diagnosis until children are older, by about age 4 or 5. In the meantime, doctors will treat any asthma-like symptoms.
They may prescribe asthma medicines , but probably won't officially diagnose a child with asthma unless symptoms continue.
Share your concerns with your child's doctor, and ask about possible asthma if your daughter has:. The doctor may ask if your child has breathing problems in different circumstances, such as during a cold or when exposed to:. As a result, infants or young children with viral respiratory infections should be monitored for the signs and symptoms of asthma discussed below. Children are at a higher risk for wheezing in the first years of life if they are born prematurely; if their mother smoked during pregnancy; if they have a family history of asthma or allergies; or they have a personal history of eczema.
Infants and children who wheeze once often wheeze again. Young children who have wheezed before should be carefully monitored for symptoms and signs of asthma when they have respiratory viral illnesses. Look for other asthma symptoms such as those listed here in addition to the increase in respiratory rate. Asthma symptoms can quickly develop into a serious medical condition, especially in infants and toddlers. Parents may not be aware that asthma symptoms are becoming serious, possibly leading to a medical emergency.
If your child demonstrates any of the symptoms listed below, seek medical treatment immediately! Do other illnesses or conditions have the same symptoms as asthma in very young children? Newborns, infants, and toddlers can exhibit asthma-like symptoms of wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing with a number of different diseases, illnesses, or conditions.
These include:. Your pediatrician or an asthma specialist can assess your child to determine the underlying cause of the asthma- like symptoms. Toddlers and preschool aged children often continue to be fairly active in spite of increasing chest tightness or difficulty breathing.
Diagnosing asthma in very young children is difficult. Since they are not able to communicate, they cannot describe how they are feeling. To help your pediatrician make a correct diagnosis, you must be able to provide information as follows:. Pulmonary lung function tests are routinely used in older children and adults to help confirm an asthma diagnosis but these tests are very hard to do with young children.
In addition, blood tests, allergy testing, and x-rays may be done to gather additional information. Using all this data, your physician then can make the best diagnosis. Sometimes parents are referred to a pediatric allergist or pulmonologist lung specialist for specialized testing or treatment.
Babies and toddlers can take most asthma medications prescribed for older children and adults. The dosage, of course, is lower and the way the medication is given is different. In general, inhaled medications are preferred for asthma treatment because they act more rapidly to reduce symptoms and produce fewer side effects.
Medications to treat asthma symptoms in infants and toddlers are often given in a tasty liquid form, by using a nebulizer with a facemask, or by using an inhaler with a spacer and facemask.
Nebulizer treatments take about 10 minutes and are usually given several times each day until symptoms decrease. Nebulized medications are given to infants and young children using a facemask. Exact causes of asthma can be difficult to pinpoint. Allergies and triggers in the environment can cause asthma symptoms and an asthma flare-up, and genetics can also play a role.
But the exact reasons why people develop asthma remain unclear. Childhood asthma and adult-onset asthma share many of the same triggers. For all people with asthma, exposure to one of the following triggers may cause an asthma attack, though different people have different triggers:. Children diagnosed with asthma are more likely to have intermittent symptoms, though some children have daily symptoms. Allergens can set off an asthma attack. Children are typically more sensitive to allergens and more prone to an asthma attack because their bodies are still developing.
Children diagnosed with asthma may find that their asthma symptoms almost completely disappear or are less severe during puberty, but they may recur later in life. The American Lung Association also states that secondhand smoke is particularly dangerous for children.
An estimated , to 1 million children with asthma have their condition worsened by secondhand smoke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC state that children with asthma are more likely to have routine office, emergency, and urgent care visits than adults with asthma.
With adults, symptoms are typically persistent. Daily treatment is often required in order to keep asthma symptoms and flare-ups under control.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America , at least 30 percent of adult asthma cases are triggered by allergies. Among adults who develop asthma, women are more likely than men to develop it after age 20, and obesity increases the risk of developing it. Death resulting from an asthma attack is rare and mainly occurs in adults over the age of 65, according to the CDC.
There are quick-relief and long-term control medications for both children and adults with asthma.
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