Pediatric asthma, also called childhood asthma, is a lung disease that causes inflammation of the lungs and airways. It is the same condition that affects adults, but children tend to show different symptoms. Childhood asthma is a chronic condition that affects everyday life and can result in constant visits to the hospital and missed school days. It is a common disease that affects approximately 8.4% of children in the U.S., and while there is still no cure, symptoms can be managed and damage to the lungs can be prevented with proper treatment.
How Do I Know if My Child Has Asthma?
Symptoms of asthma can vary from child to child and from episode to episode. Some physical symptoms can worsen without treatment and result in more serious ones. Also, asthma can impact their mental health as it can cause children to avoid playing and doing their regular activities. Some of the most common symptoms include:
- Cough that doesn’t go away
- Frequent cough fits, especially in cold air, after exercise, or at night
- Wheezing or whistling sound when breathing out
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Frequent suspected viral infections
- Delayed recovery from a respiratory infection
- Weakness or fatigue
- Sleeping problems
- Avoid playing
When to Seek Emergency Care
Asthma attacks can be life-threatening. It’s important that you learn to recognize them in order to get medical care as soon as possible. Normally, the previously mentioned symptoms worsen during an asthma episode, and new ones appear. If you notice one of the following symptoms, seek emergency care immediately:
- Severe coughing
- Having trouble finishing a sentence because of shortness of breath
- Using abdominal muscles to breathe
- Blue lips or fingernails
- Chest pain
- Widened nostrils
- The abdomen sinks in under the ribs when they try to breathe
What Causes Childhood Asthma
Studies have identified some risk factors for childhood asthma, although the exact causes are not known. According to experts, a mix of genetics and environmental conditions can trigger the disease, including:
- Family history of asthma
- Family history of allergies
- Infection in the respiratory system
- Allergies to dust mites, mold, pollen, etc.
- Respiratory conditions like rhinitis and sinusitis
- Obesity
- Exposure to tobacco smoke, even before birth
- Living in an area with high levels of air pollution
It is also worth mentioning that asthma is more present in boys and those of African-American and Puerto Rican descent for unknown reasons.
Different triggers give place to different types of asthma. Allergic asthma results from contact with allergens such as dust, pet hair, and pollen. Non-allergic asthma can be triggered by certain medicines, cleaning chemicals, air pollution, or tobacco smoke. Virus-induced asthma is when symptoms and asthma attacks are only present during a viral infection, usually, a common cold. Lastly, exercise-induced asthma only flares up during or after physical activity. It is essential to know what triggers your child’s asthma to design and follow the most appropriate treatment.
Diagnosis
There are a number of conditions that can cause similar symptoms. Your doctor will need to perform a series of tests to discard any other illness and diagnose asthma. Keep in mind that generally only children over 5 years of age are diagnosed due to the complexity of diagnosing asthma. First, they will do a physical exam. It involves checking vital signs, hearing and eyesight functions, weight and height, and respiratory and cardiac activity.
They will inquire about and analyze your child’s and family’s medical history. Your doctor will ask you when your child presents the most severe symptoms, their frequency, previous history of viral infections, allergies, and any related signs or risk factors for asthma. It is helpful for you to take note of this information before you have your appointment so you can give your doctor every pertinent and needed detail. Make a list of your child’s symptoms, family medical history, environmental factors you think are important to mention, and any doubts you have.
They will do more specialized tests to analyze in more depth your child’s medical case. It is very plausible that they will do chest X-rays to better see your child’s lungs and determine whether there are other causes for their asthma-like symptoms. They will probably perform a lung function test called spirometry. It is a quick and painless exam that measures how much air your child’s lungs hold and how fast they can release it. During this test, your child will be asked to take a large breath of air and then breathe out as fast and hard as they can through a tube connected to a computer.
There are complementary exams to identify asthma triggers. They will test for allergies, acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as the presence of these affections can either be confused with asthma or trigger and worsen asthma. Another optional test is the exhaled nitric oxide test. As its name suggests, it measures the level of nitric oxide that is exhaled from a breath. High levels can be evidence of swelling of the lungs’ airways.
All these tests are used not only to diagnose asthma but to point out a guide for the treatment plan.
Treatment
Treatment for childhood asthma needs to be integral and involve several aspects of life. Your medical team will develop a care plan specially designed for your child. It may need a period of adjustments as it is usually adapted according to the response to the treatment. The goal of the treatment is to reduce symptoms; allow your child to live a regular life, including the ability to participate in active playing and exercise, avoid asthma attacks and reduce their severity, and prevent damage to the lungs.
There are three main focuses to treating asthma. First, a plan will be designed to avoid triggers once the causes and type of asthma have been established. The action plan will start by avoiding allergens when possible if blood and skin tests reveal your child has an allergy. Your doctor will suggest treating allergies with medicine or immunotherapy if it is not possible to avoid the allergen, or if the allergy is too severe. The same principle of prevention applies if exercise, cold air, etc. are identified as triggers for asthma.
As for medicine, there are two types that are commonly used: quick-relief medication and long-term control medication. Quick-relief medication will act when your child has an asthma attack. They will ease symptoms by opening your child’s airways reducing inflammation. The idea is for these medicines to be used only during an urgent situation and not to rely permanently on them. This is where long-term control medications come into play. They prevent airways from swelling, control symptoms, and reduce or stop asthma attacks. These medicines generally need to be taken daily.
You need a committed team for asthma treatment to be successful. Constant monitoring, case-by-case adaptations, and comprehensive solutions are key for your child to live a full life, enjoying their days as normal and protecting their respiratory system from future damage. At DFW Family Clinic, we are committed to caring for your child’s health. We have a preventive approach to keep any illness from reaching a severe stage. Here you will find the ideal support and treatment for your child.
Remember that it is extremely important that your child receives complete care as soon as possible to avoid future damage to their lungs. When you schedule an appointment, we will solve all your doubts and design a special action plan to take care of your child’s health.
