Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children in Australia. It accounts for a significant proportion of acute hospital admissions and absent days from school. However despite its frequency, there is no clear definition of asthma in children. It is difficult to determine the rates of asthma in kids because many kids will get symptoms of cough and wheeze which isn't necessarily asthma. Doctors may be cautious in giving your child the label of asthma as this may mean other diseases of the airways may be overlooked
No one really knows why more and more children are developing asthma. Some experts suggest that children are being exposed to more and more allergens such as dust, air pollution, and second-hand smoke. These factors all are triggers of asthma. Others suspect that children are not exposed to enough childhood illnesses to build up their immune system. It appears that a disorder of the immune system where the body fails to make enough protective antibodies may play a role in causing asthma.
Causes of Asthma in Children
The cause of asthma is not fully understood, but it is thought that it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Asthma often runs in families and you can inherit the susceptibility to asthma, which is then triggered by certain factors in the environment. However, symptoms may sometimes occur for no apparent reason. Environmental factors that may trigger asthma include exposure to air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, and certain substances that can cause allergic reactions (allergens) such as pollen and animal fur.
An acute asthma attack usually occurs at the time of a cough and cold caused by a viral infection. Wheezing in children is most often caused by colds rather than by asthma.
Treatment of Asthma in Children
The first steps in treating asthma are to diagnose the disease, and then to recognize the early signs of an asthma attack. If the symptoms are mild or occur infrequently (less than twice a week during the daytime or less than twice per month at night), a bronchodilator drug such as an albuterol inhaler or nebulizer may be all that is needed. However, since most children will have symptoms more often even though they are mild, a daily controller medication such as a corticosteroid in a nebulizer or inhaler, or an oral medication such as montelucast should be prescribed.
Plethysmography test measures lung capacity and lung volumes (the amount of air the lung can hold). Patients with chronic persistent asthma may have lungs that are over-inflated; over-inflation is diagnosed when a patient has increased lung capacity detected by this test.
A device called a 'spacer' can help your child to use their inhaler correctly. A spacer is a long tube which clips onto the inhaler. At the other end of the tube is a mouthpiece to breathe in and out of. It is easier to use because it enables your child to activate the inhaler, and then inhale in two separate steps. Children as young as three can learn to use an inhaler with a spacer. And for babies and very young children, a face mask can be attached. Using a spacer also reduces the risk of getting a sore throat from using a steroid inhaler.
Manage your child's medications. List your child's asthma medications and when to take them — including daily control medications and as-needed rescue medications. Make sure you know what medications you have on hand, where they are and how to use them. If your child has a nebulizer to administer medication in mist form, the asthma action plan should include instructions for when to use it.
