Asthma can be a scary diagnosis for a child and their parents. It's a disease that makes it hard to breathe. This happens because airways in the lungs get swollen, smaller and filled with mucus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 13 people have asthma. Molly Bolton is the Asthma Program Nurse Practitioner at Children's of Alabama. She says the common symptoms of asthma include coughing, especially at night time, as well as chest pain or chest tightness, and difficulty breathing or a wheezing, whistling sound when breathing.
Asthma Symptoms
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
There's no cure for asthma, but it can be managed to prevent flare-ups. Bolton says, "Our goal is that children with asthma can run and play and do the things any other child can do." There are multiple treatment measures that can be used in the management of asthma. These include quick relief medicines that help relieve asthma symptoms within minutes and controller medicines that manage asthma by preventing flare-ups. Controller medicine is taken every day, even when a child feels well.
Treatment of Asthma
- Quick relief medicine
- Controller medicine
If you're concerned your child might have asthma, make a note of the symptoms and any "triggers" that are causing the symptoms and share with your child's pediatrician. Notice if flare-ups occur inside or outside, or are they exercise-induced? Bolton advises, "Talk to your pediatrician about the symptoms that are concerning to you. Try to let them know what makes the symptoms worse or better." It may help to keep a journal initially to record these observations.
Bolton says if your child is diagnosed with asthma, a pediatrician will probably recommend seeing your child every three to six months. "Asthma is chronic, long-term and may change over time," she says. By partnering with your child's pediatrician and following their recommendations for management of asthma and avoiding triggers, your child should be able to stay healthy and breathe well.
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