Family Health
TREATING ASTHMA:
How You Can Help Your Child Breathe Easier
By Donna Backus, MD
If your child has asthma, you likely recognize the
symptoms of an attack all too well: Your child may have difficulty breathing
or begin to breathe very fast. He may start coughing, make a wheezing or
whistling sound when exhaling, or complain of tightness in his chest.
I’ve witnessed these symptoms in three of my own
children as well as my patients. I know it’s a scary experience, and one you
never get used to. In fact, the more often asthma attacks happen, the more
frightened you may feel, as you worry about your child’s health and wonder
whether he will ever be free of asthma.
We can take some comfort in knowing that many other
parents have the same concerns. Asthma, a chronic inflammatory lung
condition, is the leading cause of chronic illness among children. In 2003,
approximately 6.2 million children under age 18 in the United States had the
diagnosis of asthma, and 4 million of them suffered an asthma attack or
episode.
For some children, asthma results in emergency-room
visits and hospitalizations. In fact, it’s the third leading cause of
hospitalization among children under age 15. Even when it doesn’t send kids
to the hospital, it can disrupt their lives: Asthma accounted for 12.8
million lost school days in 2003, making it the leading cause of school
absenteeism attributable to chronic conditions.
What sets off an attack
Understanding how and why your child’s asthma attacks
happen, and knowing how you can manage his condition with treatment, can
help you feel less scared and more in control.
Asthma triggers range from respiratory infections to
allergens such as pollen, molds, animal dander, feathers, and dust mites,
and airborne irritants such as cigarette smoke and air pollutants. Other
triggers may include certain foods, exposure to cold air or a sudden change
in temperature, exercise, many household and industrial products, scents, or
excitement or stress.
Each person reacts differently to these factors. In an
asthmatic person, the linings become inflamed, the muscles of the airways
tighten, and mucus production increases. As a result, the air passages in
the lungs become narrower and breathing, especially breathing out, becomes
more difficult.
Knowing your child’s asthma triggers and minimizing his
exposure to them is an important step toward controlling his condition.
Learning about treatment is essential, too. The good
news is that most children have mild to moderate asthma, which can be
controlled by treatment at home or at the doctor’s office.
Taking control with medicine
Most people with asthma take two kinds of medicines.
The first kind, a controller medicine, stops the airways from reacting to
asthma triggers and helps control inflammation—the “quiet part” of asthma
that cannot be heard, seen or felt—so the patient can breathe better.
Controller medicines reduce and help prevent some asthma symptoms or
triggers from occurring, but they work only if they are taken every day, as
prescribed by a physician. This ongoing treatment is important because
although children may seem symptom-free for long periods of time, they can
experience acute (sudden onset) or intermittent asthma attacks.
Another kind of asthma medicine is a quick-relief, or
rescue, medicine. This type of medicine is also known as a bronchodilator
and dilates, or opens, the airways, making it easier for the patient to
breathe. Bronchodilators are used for quick relief of symptoms of an asthma
attack.
For your child’s health and safety, it’s essential to
use each type of asthma medicine only the way it’s meant to be used—don’t
use bronchodilators every day for asthma control, and don’t use controller
medicines for quick relief of asthma attacks.
In most cases, asthma attacks are reversible and
controllable. We are fortunate to have effective medications that can
minimize the impact asthma has on our children’s lives, but they work only
if we use them correctly and consistently. We also need to be vigilant about
limiting exposure to asthma triggers and keeping follow-up appointments with
the pediatrician or allergist. Remember: Even when we can’t see or hear
evidence of our children’s asthma, it’s still there and needs to be kept
under control.
Dr. Donna Backus is a pediatrician and has four
children, ages 11, 7, 4 and 9 months, three of whom have been diagnosed with
asthma.
Tips For Battling Asthma During The Fall
In the fall, ragweed and other weed pollens are the
biggest culprits when it comes to triggering breathing problems. These
plants tend to have small, light, and dry pollens that are easily spread to
other areas by wind currents. Outdoor molds can also trigger breathing
problems at this time of year.
Here are some tips for reducing contact with weed
pollens and molds.
• Keep your child indoors as much as possible on hot,
breezy days when pollen counts may be at their highest. Keep car and house
windows closed. Turn on the air conditioning if you need it to keep cool.
• Don’t hang clothing outside to dry. Pollen granules
can collect on the clothing and trigger symptoms when brought inside.
• Don’t let your child play in, rake, or walk through
fall leaves. Mold spores often collect in fallen
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