The early symptoms of pediatric asthma are similar to colds and coughs, and many new mothers, due to their lack of medical knowledge, often buy medicine for their children privately, unaware that this often leads to the aggravation of their children’s condition.
There are more than 10 million children suffering from asthma in China, and due to the lack of public awareness of the disease and the serious pollution of the living environment, the number of children suffering from asthma is getting younger and younger, which is a serious blow to both families and society. There is no time to lose to properly understand asthma!
What is childhood asthma?
Bronchial asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness, with recurrent episodes of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness as the main clinical manifestations, often occurring or intensifying at night and/or in the early morning hours. The specific manifestations and severity of respiratory symptoms are time-varying and are often accompanied by variable expiratory airflow limitation.
Bronchial asthma in children is a recurrent respiratory allergic disease that is common in early childhood, mostly in winter and autumn, and is often triggered by climate change or mental agitation. In general, bronchial asthma often has a family history or personal history of allergies, eczema in infants and children, allergic rhinitis, viral, bacterial or mycoplasma infections, inhalation of dust, dander and eating fish and shrimp induce capillary bronchospasm, mucosal edema and increased mucus secretion, resulting in narrowing of the small bronchial tubes and capillary bronchial lumen, causing breathing difficulties.
How can I tell if I have asthma in children?
The diagnosis of asthma is based on respiratory symptoms, signs and pulmonary function tests to confirm the presence of variable expiratory airflow restriction and to exclude other diseases that can cause related symptoms.
1. Recurrent wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness are mostly associated with exposure to allergens, cold air, physical and chemical irritation, respiratory infections, exercise, and hyperventilation (e.g., crying and weeping), and often strike or worsen at night and/or in the early morning.
2. During the attack, a scattered or diffuse, expiratory-phase-dominated croup can be heard in both lungs, with a prolonged expiratory phase.
3.The above signs and symptoms are effective with anti-asthma treatment or resolve on their own.
4.Except wheezing, cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness caused by other diseases.
5.In case of atypical clinical manifestations (such as no obvious wheezing or croup), at least 1 of the following should be present.
(1) confirmed the presence of reversible airflow limitation: positive bronchodilator test: ≥ 12% increase in the first second forceful expiratory volume (FEV1) 15 min after inhalation of a rapid-acting β2 agonist (e.g., salbutamol pressure quantification aerosol 200-400 μg); improvement in pulmonary ventilation after anti-inflammatory therapy: 4-8 weeks of treatment with inhaled glucocorticoids and/or antileukotriene drugs, FEV1 increased by ≥12%;
(2) Positive bronchial excitation test;
(3) Maximal peak expiratory flow (PEF) day-to-day variability (continuous monitoring for 2 weeks) ≥13%.
Asthma can be diagnosed if items 1~4 or 4 and 5 are met.
Triggers of asthma in children:
1.Keeping flowers and pets
Flowers, birds and pets have become a hobby for many families. However, many flowers and plants also have allergenic effects, such as nightshade, jasmine, magnolia, hydrangea, etc. Pigeons, parrots, golden birds, turkeys, cats, dogs and other animals can spread a variety of pathogenic bacteria and parasites, contaminating the air, can cause children to develop bronchial asthma, lung abscess, lung granuloma and other allergic diseases.
2. Consumption of many lethal foods
As the living standard of children has improved, shrimp, crab and shellfish have gained popularity, and the specific proteins in these foods have strong allergenicity, which can easily induce allergic reactions such as asthma. Various fruits and vegetables are available in the opposite season, and the north-south transportation and the entry of a large number of foreign fruits, which, when consumed by children, also increase the chances of triggering asthma.
3.Environmental damage and abnormal temperature rise
The ecological balance of nature has been severely damaged, and the temperature has increased due to the smoke and exhaust from urban factories, domestic gas and motor vehicle exhaust, and the heat released from heating equipment. Children’s tracheal mucous membrane tissue is thin, can not withstand the stimulation of high temperature, and over time will induce asthma.
4.Sickness and drug abuse
Drug abuse is an important factor leading to many diseases including asthma, many drugs themselves can cause asthma, rashes, shock and other allergic reactions, abuse of antibiotics, hormones can also significantly weaken the body’s resistance.
For any disease, we know its symptoms, we can find it in time, the disease to take appropriate measures, which has the possibility to get out of the disease, likewise, more knowledge of the disease, we have more confidence to prevent it, but also in the discovery of their own disease at the same time quickly take the appropriate emergency measures. The same goes for childhood asthma, which is a chronic disease but also requires sufficient awareness and attention!