Childhood Asthma

Managing Childhood Asthma.

Childhood asthma can be a minor annoyance or an extremely serious health problem. No one really seems to know the exact cause of the condition, but we do know some factors that can irritate or influence the severity of the asthma. Let's take a quick look at the disease and its symptoms and what can be done to help sufferers of childhood asthma. Asthma is a disease in which the bronchial tubes leading to the lungs swell and become inflamed, thus making breathing more difficult. Some children are "pre-disposed" to developing asthma, because it seems to run in families. Also, if allergies are present, these also can be a contributing factor as to whether or not a child develops asthma. In addition to these conditions, one must also consider environmental factors such as smoke, pollen and pollution, which are known to irritate an already asthmatic condition. Exercise has also been known to bring on childhood asthma attacks.

If your child is audibly wheezing, has a tight cough, and appears to have difficulty breathing, there is cause for concern. The wheezing sound is somewhat like a whistle, and occurs on the exhaled breath. Sometimes you can hear it better if you listen with your ear at your child's middle lower back. Childhood asthma can be serious, so it is best to see a doctor and get a proper diagnosis. If your doctor and/or tests confirm that you are dealing with childhood asthma, what steps can you take to help your child? Obviously, you need to understand what medicines your child takes and make sure that he takes them on schedule. Most childhood asthma sufferers take some kind of daily corticosteroid which is inhaled, as a preventive medication. Also, should an asthma attack occur, he may need a different type of inhaler or medicine.

It is vital that you keep track of these medications and note how well they are working for your child. In controlling childhood asthma it is also important to eliminate known allergens, whether food-related- or environmental. As an example, our son awoke with asthma attacks 4 or 5 times nightly until we farmed out our 2 dogs and steam-cleaned all the carpeting. He slept through the night peacefully after that. Hopefully, you can remove most allergens without such drastic measures! childhood asthma can be challenging, but with good medical help, the right medications, and a plan in place, it can be managed so that you and your child will stay on top of it.