More and more parents find that their children are always coughing and wheezing repeatedly, and even have difficulty in breathing, which affects normal activities, and when they come to the hospital, the doctor does some tests and says that the child has asthma. Many parents panic when they hear that their children have asthma. Can this disease be cured? What can be done? Today, we will give you some tips about asthma and answer some of the most common questions parents ask during disease consultations.
I. What is asthma in children?
Asthma (bronchial asthma) is the most common chronic respiratory disease of childhood, and it is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. It is usually characterized by recurrent episodes of cough, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath, which tend to flare up or worsen at night and/or early in the morning. There is a clear genetic predisposition to asthma, and children with asthma and allergic diseases in their immediate family are more likely to develop asthma.
Some children have triggers for asthma attacks. Possible triggers include certain foods (seafood, milk, eggs, peanuts, etc.), certain inhalants (animal hair, spring flurries, pollen, fungi or dust mites, etc.), strenuous exercise and hyperventilation, cold air, medications, respiratory infections, etc. There are also some children who cannot find a clear trigger.
Second, how is asthma diagnosed?
The diagnosis of asthma is mainly based on the criteria of the Global Initiative for Asthma Control (GINA), an internationally accepted guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. It includes: history of wheezing or long-term non-cold cough, physical examination by a physician (most notably auscultation), exclusion of other possible diseases (usually requires ancillary tests such as chest x-ray), pulmonary function tests + excitation (diastolic) tests, and allergen tests if available (helps to find common allergens and avoid exposure in life), and then confirm or exclude the diagnosis. The most important of these is the pulmonary function test. During the confirmation of the diagnosis and the follow-up of the treatment process, the child needs several pulmonary function tests to assist in the diagnosis of asthma and the adjustment of the treatment plan.
C. How is asthma treated?
Please remember the most important point: asthma is a chronic disease that requires long, continuous, standardized medication treatment and follow-up! In our clinical work, we notice that parents are usually not very receptive to the reality when they are told that their children have asthma, or they have a certain fear of long-term medication and follow-up because they are busy at work, their children are at school, etc. Also some parents send their children to the hospital for treatment when they have an asthma attack, find that the wheezing can be relieved quickly, assume that the disease is no big deal, and then bring it home until the next attack, causing the child’s condition to get worse one at a time. All of this is very bad!
Since childhood asthma is usually allergic asthma and responds better to first-line drugs for asthma treatment, many children can control acute attacks after standardized medication, and then with comprehensive treatment, most of them can control the development of the disease, and children with asthma can live a healthy life and grow up happily as normal children. In addition, 2/3 of childhood asthma symptoms can almost completely disappear around puberty. Therefore it is important to have confidence in your child’s disease and treatment!
Depending on your child’s condition, your doctor will give different medications. Asthma treatment is divided into treatment for acute attacks and chronic remission.
The most commonly used in the acute phase is salbutamol aerosol. If parents bring their child to the hospital, the doctor may give systemic hormones to control inflammation depending on the condition.
In chronic remission, medications are used to prevent or control attacks. The most commonly used medications are inhaled glucocorticoids, usually budesonide, fluticasone, beclomethasone, etc.
Treatment period: Generally asthma medications are used for short periods of months and long periods of years. The doctor will adjust the dosage or stop the medication according to the improvement of the child’s condition.
IV. How to prevent seizures? What should I pay attention to?
If your child is allergic to animal hair, don’t have dogs or cats; if your child is allergic to pollen, go to places where there is a lot of pollen in spring. Good cleaning of bedding and sofas at home and avoiding too much strenuous exercise can help prevent asthma attacks in children.
Again, once asthma is diagnosed, long-term, standardized, and continuous medication is needed! We have seen many parents who do not standardize the medication, treating asthma as a cold, taking some anti-inflammatory drugs today and drinking some Chinese medicine tomorrow, and their children’s condition is getting heavier and heavier; or some parents take three months’ medication in the clinic and their children’s condition is under control, so they do not come back to review and take the medication again; or the medication is not regular and quantitative, resulting in a relapse not long after. The other point is that most asthma medications are inhalers, so how to use them correctly is also a very critical point. The other thing is regular follow-up, the doctor told 3 months review or half year review, usually the drug is also given this course of treatment, do not come back to review the drug is no longer available. Also the review is the most critical process for the doctor to assess the child’s condition and give adjustment to the medication.
Frequently Asked Questions.
1.Is there any side effect of long-term asthma medication?
The medication for asthma in childhood is formulated according to international standards and will not have a major impact on the normal growth and development of the child. Instead, it is the untreated recurrent asthma attacks that cause breathing difficulties, poor sleep and reluctance to move around that can affect growth and development and normal life. At the same time, repeated attacks of asthma can be harmful to the development of the child’s lungs.
2.What is the most important follow-up for asthma?
The most important thing is to have standardized diagnosis, treatment and follow-up in a qualified pediatric asthma specialist or respiratory department.
3.What can parents do?
Parents should be patient, meticulous, not impatient and not anxious. Asthma is a chronic disease, which is a burden to the family, but as long as they insist on the correct and patient use of medication, most children can recover completely. The second is to have a correct understanding of the disease of asthma, in the asthma center, we will carry out the popularization of the disease and education, see today’s popular knowledge, I believe you also have a better understanding of asthma, in the standardization of medication at the same time, do a good job of aggravation care, there is also very important, the child in the environment, do not smoke. It is best for family members to quit smoking, which will also help the child a lot.
The incidence of asthma in children is increasing year by year in China, strengthen the knowledge and awareness of asthma, standardize the consultation, reasonable use of drugs, good care, I believe that children with asthma will be just as happy, carefree and thrive!