Learning about your child's asthma
ASTHMA IN CHILDREN

also read about:

• Asthma Topics and LINKS
• Pediatric Asthma Care at HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL

Asthma is the most common chronic health problem of childhood, affecting at least one child in every twelve. While this condition is becoming more prevalent in every age group - the overall incidence has doubled in the last fifteen years - children under the age of five are in the fastest growing group.

Nonetheless, there is good news for asthma sufferers. A few simple health habits combined with the judicious use of medication can keep almost every child’s asthma under excellent control. Evolving “expert guidelines” provide you and your your doctor with a roadmap to maximizing wellness and minimizing any side-effects of treatment. With good preventive care, children should be able to stay in school and in sports - and out of the ER or the hospital.

What do you need to know to care for your child's asthma?

Signs and symptoms. Not everyone who wheezes has asthma. More importantly, the airway blockage that happens in asthma may cause symptoms that are hard to recognize, especially in younger children. Although cough is caused by many conditions besides asthma, a cough that doesn’t go away may mean that asthma is not well controlled.
What’s happening inside the airways that makes the wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath that occur with an asthma attack? Both squeezing (bronchoconstriction) and swelling (inflammation) of the bronchial tubes contribute to asthma symptoms, often requiring separate treatment.
Why asthma happens. Experts currently believe that asthma is the result of heredity and environment. Frequently one or both parents will have either asthma, or a related problem such as hay fever or eczema. A variety of well-known “triggers” act on sensitive airways to cause asthma symptoms. These include cigarette smoke, pollutants, chemicals, viral infections, sinusitis, animal dander, dust, mold, pollen and other allergens.
Recognizing good asthma care and being a partner in your child’s care.

Good asthma care has these features:

1. It is tailored to the severity of your child's asthma. If your child has only an occasional cough or wheeze, for example, your doctor may suggest avoiding those things that trigger symptoms and an inhaler on an as-needed basis.
2. It emphases prevention. Children who have a cough that "never goes away" or need their symptom-relieving inhaler more than twice a week probably need an separate every-day medication (orally or inhaled) to keep their airways healthy and free from inflammation. Such medications reduce the need for short-acting "rescue" medications like albuterol, reduce the likelihood that you'll need to go to the ER or be admitted to the hospital, and keep lungs healthy for the future. Children getting good preventive asthma care see their doctor more often for "healthy asthma checkups" than because they're coughing and can't breathe.
3. It encourages you to participate in your child's care. Every child with chronic asthma needs an Asthma Care Plan. Ideally, this should be written out by your doctor and reviewed regularly. It should include things to avoid (triggers) and things to do (exercise if your child's not wheezing, take preventive medications, and monitor your child's health. Children beyond the age of 6 to 8 years can help do this with the aid of a peak flow meter.)
You should know about the green, yellow, and red zones in childhood asthma and what your doctor advises doing in each instance.

Here's what one boy's asthma care looks like…but remember, since asthma care is best tailored to severity, your care plan might look very different

The Green Zone

Take your preventive medicine every day (canister marked "Flovent®," two puffs two times a day with your spacer), avoid cats and cigarette smoke, record your peak flow every morning (best of three tries) and see the doctor every two months for an asthma check-up. Call us during regular hours with any questions.

The Yellow Zone

This means a mild "attack": take your fast-acting inhaler (marked Ventolin ®) - two puffs up to every four hours for up to one day - but keep up your preventive medication! Call the office within twenty-four hours for further instructions if the "attack" continues. If symptoms worsen, go to the Red zone plan.

The Red Zone

Means a severe episode: take your fast-acting inhaler (two to four puffs with your spacer) and prednisone (two tablets one time), call our emergency office number, leave a message with the nurse and go directly to the Emergency Room.

Working with your healthcare provider, you and your child can become asthma smart, reduce symptoms, keep young lungs healthy, and take control of childhood asthma!

ASTHMA SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION

Pediatric asthma care at HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL

• Department of Pediatrics
. Respiratory Care Services

. Pediatric Emergency Services
• Pediatric Inpatient Unit
• The PACE (Pediatric Asthma Care & Education) Committee

More about asthma and children

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Watch a cool asthma movie from the AAAI