Xiao Gang is 10 years old and works very hard in school, and his classmates and teachers like him. But he just can’t be rated as the third best student every year. Because he often coughs, sometimes there is a sibilant sound when he exhales, making him very uncomfortable and unable to go to school. The cough is even worse in physical education class, so his sports performance is always very poor. For this reason, Xiaogang and his parents were very distressed. Xiao Gang’s parents were very concerned about their child’s illness and had visited almost all the major hospitals in the city, but the child still had a cough and wheezing every day. Cao Ling of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the Capital Institute of Pediatrics, the day Xiao Gang and his parents were introduced by a friend to the asthma clinic at the Capital Institute of Pediatrics. The doctor there told them that Xiaogang had asthma, not a common cold or bronchitis. Xiao Gang’s mother asked, “Can a child this young get asthma? The doctor said that people of any age can get asthma, from a baby just a few weeks old to an old man over 80 years old. Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in the world today, and there are 300 million asthma patients worldwide. The prevalence of asthma has increased in the last 20 years in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and the situation is similar in China. 2013 epidemiological survey of childhood asthma in China showed that the prevalence in children was 3.0%, an increase of about 50% from 10 years ago and 200% from 20 years ago. Asthma is hereditary, and asthma, infantile eczema, urticaria and allergic rhinitis are known as atopic diseases. If one parent has one of these diseases, 25-35% of the offspring will also have atopic diseases. If both parents have atopic diseases, the rate of atopic diseases in the offspring rises to 40-60%, and if both parents have the same atopic disease, 50-80% of the offspring will be affected. However, not all children with asthma have a genetic history, and some people without a genetic history can get asthma. It is now thought that this may be related to viral infections, low birth weight, maternal smoking during pregnancy and environmental pollution. Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs. With asthma the airways become inflamed and the lining of the airways swell, making them narrow and making breathing difficult. Inflammation of the airways in asthma patients is not the same thing as bronchitis, which is generally referred to as a bacterial or viral infection. The inflammation of bronchitis is quickly cured, whereas the inflammation of asthma lasts for a long time and is ineffective when treated with antibiotics, or anti-inflammatory drugs as they are often called. The airways of people with asthma are highly sensitive and many things can cause a reaction in the airways, leading to coughing, wheezing, seizures and difficulty breathing. Factors that cause asthma attacks include: 1. Respiratory infections: A large number of studies have shown that viral respiratory infections are important triggers of asthma attacks in children, while Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae infections may also cause asthma attacks. 2. Allergens: The most important allergens that cause asthma are dust mites, house dust, mold, pollen (Artemisia, ragweed), feathers, silk, etc., proteins in food, such as milk, Food allergies are common in infancy and gradually decrease after 4 to 5 years of age. 3. Non-specific irritants: such as dust, smoke (including cigarettes and mosquito incense), odors (industrial irritant gases, cooking oil odor and oil and knee smell), etc. Sometimes inhalation of cold air can also trigger an asthma attack.4. Climate: children are sensitive to climate change, such as a sudden cold temperature or lower air pressure, can often trigger an asthma attack, therefore, generally in spring and autumn, the onset of children significantly increased. 5. mental factors: asthma is also often affected by emotions, such as crying and laughing or anger and fear can cause an asthma attack. 6. Exercise: Exercise can often stimulate asthma, also known as sports asthma, mostly in older children, strenuous and continuous (more than 5-10 minutes) running is most likely to induce asthma. 7. drugs: such as aspirin, anti-inflammatory pain, mefenamic acid, etc. There are also drugs that act on the heart, such as insulin, insulin and others can block beta receptors and cause asthma, and drug allergies can often trigger asthma attacks. Xiaogang’s father said, “No wonder we gave Xiaogang so many anti-inflammatory drugs, but he still coughs all the time, I thought it was because he had a bad constitution and always had a cold. Doctor, what should I do now? Is the child’s asthma not going to get better?” The doctor said that asthma can be controlled. Asthma experts both internationally and in China now mainly use inhalation therapy to treat asthma because the drugs inhaled in this way act directly on the patient’s airways, so they can have a strong effect with very few drugs and avoid the side effects of drugs. This approach includes a whole range of treatment options, and with this treatment, the condition of almost all children with asthma can be well controlled. The child’s growth and development are not affected, and they can participate in sports as normal children, and even become athletes. A few weeks later, Kong had no coughing and wheezing and was able to go to school and gym class with other children, and the family was very happy. However, the asthma specialist reminded them that asthma is a chronic disease that requires a long period of treatment, so they should not be in a hurry, but should adhere to the medication as prescribed by the doctor and avoid exposure to factors that can trigger asthma attacks. You can first get an allergen test at the hospital to determine if there are any allergens, and if there are, try to avoid contact. Allergen testing in children is usually done by skin prick, which is a simple and highly specific test. It is a simple and highly specific test that can be used to find out the patient’s allergens, the sensitivity status of the muscle, and the preventive measures such as avoidance, avoidance and replacement of the identified allergens. For example, dust mite is a common allergen that causes asthma, and mites eat small pieces of dander shed from the human body. Therefore, to remove mites will try not to lay carpets. Mites love humidity, when the humidity is 50%, it will stop its activity and reproduction, and when the humidity is low, they will die. Mites are also very afraid of light, so bedding should be placed in the sun more often. Mold mainly exists next to damp sinks, bathrooms and frosts, etc. These places should be cleaned up in time and kept dry. Pollen is mainly found in spring and autumn, with tree pollen in spring and grass pollen in autumn. Patients who are allergic to pollen should avoid places with lush grass during pollen season and should pay attention to the pollen situation forecast and wear a mask when traveling if necessary. Patients with asthma should try not to do continuous strenuous running in sports, and choose swimming as a better option. If you pay attention to the above problems, plus take the medication as instructed, you will definitely overcome asthma. The asthma expert reminds parents that if your child has one of the following symptoms, please take your child to the asthma clinic of the Capital Institute of Pediatrics. 1. wheezing, that is, a sibilant sound when breathing out, especially when accompanied by eczema, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, hives, drug allergies and food allergies. 2. 2. coughing for more than 1 month without satisfactory antibiotic treatment. 3. coughing repeatedly and persistently. 4. coughing and wheezing easily after exercise, weather changes, and at night. 5. frequent colds, runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, and itchy eyes.