Children With Asthma: What to Do

It is unsettling to come home from a visit to the pediatrician with the realization that your child has asthma. You may be wondering about how this will affect your child's life, and what you can do to help. The good news is that asthma treatments have improved dramatically in recent years, and children with asthma can lead active and healthy lives. Additionally, there are simple steps you can take at home to relieve your child's symptoms and reduce the frequency of her asthma attacks.

Understanding Childhood Asthma

Asthma is an inflammation and constriction of the bronchial tubes, which are the airways of the lungs. It is the most common of children's chronic conditions, affecting almost one out of every 10 children in the United States.
 
Symptoms of childhood asthma are different from those of asthma in adults. While wheezing is the most common asthma symptom in adults, children with asthma are more likely to develop a chronic cough. Here are some common symptoms of asthma in children:
  • breathing difficulty
  • clearing the throat frequently
  • chest tightness
  • coughing
  • fatigue
  • hyperactivity
  • sleep disturbances.

Severe symptoms of childhood asthma requiring immediate medical attention include:

  • blue or gray coloring in lips or fingernails
  • difficulty speaking
  • no relief of symptoms after repeated use of rescue medications
  • seeing the space between child's ribs or base of neck retract when he inhales.
Asthma may also lead to behavioral problems in children, including shyness, depression, or a tendency to fight with other children.

Treating Childhood Asthma

Your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan to help relieve your child's symptoms. For a child with asthma, treatment strategies include:
  • Immunotherapy: If your child's asthma is triggered by allergies, allergy desensitization shots may be prescribed.
  • Long Term Control Medications: These medicines are usually taken every day to control symptoms
  • Quick Relief or Rescue Medications: These are used to bring rapid, short term relief during an attack, or if your pediatrician recommends, before exercise to prevent an attack.
Very young children are often given asthma medications through a nebulizer. A nebulizer is a machine that changes liquid medication into a mist that can be inhaled though a mask.

Making Your Home Safer for Your Child with Asthma

If your child has asthma, you can help make your home safer for him. Some common substances that can trigger asthma attacks and flare-ups include:
  • aerosol sprays such as cleaners or hairsprays
  • certain cleaners
  • cigarette and other tobacco smoke
  • cockroaches
  • dust mites
  • mold
  • perfumes
  • pollen
  • wood smoke.

Your pediatrician will help you figure out what your child's triggers are. Once you know what aggravates your child's asthma, you can take steps to get it out of your house. Here are a few ideas to help create a safe environment for children with asthma:

  • Buy hypoallergenic pillows and comforters instead of down or feathers. You can also purchase special covers for box springs, mattresses and pillows.
  • Close the windows when the pollen count is high.
  • Consider finding another home for your houseplants, as they may have mold in their soil.
  • Dust and vacuum at least once a week.
  • Get rid of any clutter you can't dust regularly.
  • If cockroaches are a problem in your home, make sure you have no crumbs or dirty dishes in your kitchen. Also, get rid of any old boxes, newspapers and paper bags.
  • No one should smoke in your house, even when your children aren't home.
  • Replace carpeting with hard floors such as tile or wood.
  • Run a dehumidifier to dry up mold.
  • Running your air conditioner filters the air and removes many irritating particles.
  • Try to avoid using your fireplace or other wood fires.
  • Use a bleach solution to get rid of visible mold. Bleach fumes can be irritating, so you may want to do this while your child is at school or visiting with friends.
  • Wash your child's bedding regularly in hot water and dry it with high heat.

Leading an Active Life with Asthma

Children with asthma can enjoy an active life and participate in sports. Lots of great athletes have asthma, including some Olympians. If your child has exercise-induced asthma, you and your pediatrician can help her pick a sport less likely to bring on symptoms. Some great sports for kids with asthma include:
  • baseball
  • biking
  • downhill skiing
  • football
  • golf
  • hiking
  • swimming
  • wrestling.
Sports that use short bursts of energy are better tolerated by kids and adults with asthma than those requiring non-stop activity. Doctors recommend warming up before a workout and cooling down afterwards. Your pediatrician may also prescribe an inhaled medication for your child to take 15 minutes before beginning exercise to prevent attacks.
 
Resources
 
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (2009). Asthma. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma/DS00021.
 
The Children's Hospital (2009). Behavioral problems often present in children with asthma. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from The Children's Hospital Web site: http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/wellness/info/news/47573.aspx.
 
The Nemours Foundation (2009). Your house: How to make it asthma-safe. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from the KidsHealth For Kids Web site: http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/allergy/house_asthma.html.