Common misconceptions about asthma and the truth

  Common misconception 1: Asthma in children will not cure itself as they get older!  Truth: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. If left untreated, asthma in children will affect their lifelong lung function once irreversible damage to the airway wall structure occurs, i.e., airway remodeling.  A proportion of children with asthma will experience varying degrees of relief of asthma symptoms as they grow and develop, but some of them will still have recurrences in adulthood. Therefore, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of asthma in children are necessary.  Common misconception 2: Occasional cough and shortness of breath in asthma patients are not considered serious.  Truth Explanation: Occasional cough and asthma, which are usually not taken seriously, can be life-threatening in one attack.  Mild symptoms often indicate that the disease is in a developmental stage and therefore require more attention to avoid permanent lung function damage.  Common misconception 3: The absence of symptoms after medication means that asthma is cured.  Truth: Chronic airway inflammation is the real cause of asthma.  After using relieving medication, although the symptoms disappear, airway inflammation can still persist. It is like the tip of an iceberg showing on the surface of the ocean, when in fact there is a much larger iceberg hidden beneath the surface of the water. Medications for airway inflammation should be used to prevent asthma attacks and avoid airway remodeling.