Your 7-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with asthma. Your pediatrician is giving you plenty of information, but you worry you’ll miss important details. This article should help fill in the gaps.
“Asthma is the most common reason children are admitted to St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” says Gordon R. Bloomberg, MD, allergist on the medical staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, “but it doesn’t have to be. If parents partner with their child’s pediatrician, have a written plan of action explaining prevention methods and steps that should be taken during an asthma attack, and see their pediatrician for regular visits, it is possible to control asthma, keeping children in school and out of the emergency department.”
Step #1: Diagnosis
Common symptoms associated with asthma include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and fast, loud breathing. Breathlessness and tightness in the chest or coughing during play are particularly important. If your child experiences these symptoms, talk to his pediatrician about your concerns. If your child does not respond promptly to therapy, her pediatrician may recommend visiting an allergist to determine what triggers may be causing her symptoms.
For children older than age 5, physicians use a spirometer—a medical device that tests how much air your child can blow out of her lungs after a deep breath—and symptom history to help make a diagnosis of asthma. If your child is younger than age 5, your pediatrician may test medications to see if symptoms lessen with regular use.
Step #2: Information
For parents whose child has just received an asthma diagnosis, understanding the condition is essential. The basics of asthma are simple—it’s caused by inflammation in the airways leading to the lungs, and it’s manageable, but not curable.
“Most asthma cases can be controlled through preventive measures, such as avoiding conditions that worsen symptoms, daily controller medication and medication management,” says Dr. Bloomberg. “There is no reason why a child with well-controlled asthma can’t enjoy being active or playing sports.”
Step #3: Treatment
Education, adherence, monitoring and a written asthma action plan are all key to treating asthma. Beyond regular monitoring and prevention of allergy triggers, your child’s pediatrician will likely prescribe two types of asthma medication: a quick-relief medication to relieve symptom flare-ups and a daily, long-term medication to prevent symptoms and attacks.
If your child does experience symptoms of an asthma attack, knowing when to take appropriate medications or use a rescue inhaler becomes vital. By working with your child’s pediatrician, you can create an individualized treatment strategy to help your child stay healthy and reduce the frequency of such attacks.
Step #4: Quality of Life
With inhalers, medications, written action plans and frequent conversations with your child’s pediatrician, managing asthma may seem complicated. The efforts are well worth it when your child can play outside with her friends and get back to being a child.
“One of the main goals of asthma treatment in children is to allow them to experience a normal childhood,” says Dr. Bloomberg. “We want them to be able to attend school regularly, participate in sports and not worry about their condition all the time. This is possible through open communication with your physician, parental involvement and lots of love and patience with your child.”
For a referral to an asthma specialist, please call 314.454.KIDS (5437) or toll free 800.678.KIDS.