Everything You Need To Know About Childhood Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the lungs' bronchial tubes become inflamed. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, approximately 15 million Americans have asthma, of which five million are younger than 18 years of age. In order to keep your child’s permanent health problems at bay, it’s vital that you tend to their respiratory problems early on. Therefore, learning everything about asthma, its effects, and treatment is the key step in offering your little one an easier life with the disease.

Symptoms

Shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness are the main symptoms of asthma. Children who have

asthmatic symptoms should first be checked for possible inhaled objects, viral infections and bacterial infections that are usually followed by a high fever. An asthma attack can further include rapid heart rate and sweating. Changes in weather, stress, exposure to irritants, viral infections, and exercise have the tendency to worsen all of the asthmatic symptoms.

Causes

While doctors can’t say with certainty what the causes of asthma are, they believe that the combination of environmental triggers and genetic factors may be responsible for this condition. Considering allergies and asthma are closely connected, children who suffer from allergies are more likely to develop asthma. Allergic asthma is triggered by inhaling dust mites, or more precisely mite feces that contain strong allergens. Animal dander, molds, and pollen are also main allergic asthma triggers. One of the environmental factors that can cause asthma is exposure to cigarette smoke. Whether a mother smokes during pregnancy or the child is exposed to cigarette smoke for a long time, the risk of asthma increases. Air pollution and cleaning products can also trigger asthma.

Prevention and treatment

Prevention is vital when it comes to asthma patients, so you should try your best to keep your child away from any possible asthma triggers. Keep your home dust-free at all times, because dust is the biggest source of dust mites. Use air purifiers, vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters and don’t forget to keep air conditioners clean. Check out air purifier ratings website, find something that fits your needs, and offer your family the ultimate protection from allergens. Aside from medications, identifying and avoiding asthma triggers is the best way to deal with asthma. With inhalers or bronchodilators, you can quickly relieve severe asthma attacks. It’s also important that you try to minimize the long-term damage of the inflammatory response with long-term medications. Not only will this enhance the overall function and well-being of your child, but it will also reduce the risk of serious exacerbations. Inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta2-agonists should be enough to keep asthma under control. Immunization is one way to treat asthma early on. A series of pneumococcal conjugate vaccinations can help children between two months and two years of age keep the condition at bay.

Risk factors

Some of the risk factors that have been associated with asthma include low birth weight, because infants whose lungs haven’t developed enough are at a higher risk of lung problems, including asthma. 50 percent of patients who have gastroesophageal reflux disease suffer from asthma as well, but it’s not clear whether they are caused by similar factors or which condition causes the other.

Avoid environmental triggers

Keep your pets outside of the house, wash them at least once a week to keep the allergens at bay, and keep stuffed toys away from the bed. Wash sheets and blankets every week at the highest temperature, don’t sleep on a cloth covered furniture, and encase pillows and mattresses in special dust mite proof covers. Also, try to reduce humidity in your home by fixing all the leaks, dehumidifying the basement, and cleaning any moldy surfaces.

According to statistics, asthma is the leading chronic disease in children. If your child has asthma, it’s vital that you know how to help them control it and make their life easier. Keep your home dust-free, don’t expose your children to allergens whenever possible and try to keep asthma under control as best as you can.