Asthma symptoms are the same in children and adults. Asthma can be more difficult to diagnose in children. Many childhood respiratory infections can mimic the symptoms of asthma.
Asthma & Children
Asthma is a common condition in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one in 11 children have asthma. If your child coughs a lot, especially when playing or laughing, or has chronic wheezing asthma may be the problem. Consult your pediatrician, who will diagnose the condition and develop a treatment plan, which could include an asthma inhaler, one or more bronchodilators or an anti-inflammatory medicine. Some children grow out of asthma as teenagers, while others have asthmatic symptoms all of their lives. Learn more about childhood asthma with expert advice from Sharecare.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 2 AnswersManaging asthma in kids can be a challenge considering almost half of kids (adults, too) who need regular dosing of inhaled corticosteroids don't take what they need at least 25% of the time.
The great news is I've got answers! Turns out that most teens actually enjoy getting reminders about their asthma self-care if they're delivered as digital taps on the shoulder -- TCOY (take care of yourself -- if you didn't know.) As Alicia Keys and Beyonce croon in "Put It in a Love Song," "Just text me on my cell phone!"
One study found that 93% of teens who were getting text message reminders about their asthma medication said it changed -- for the better -- how they handled their asthma. Automated "robo" calls from pharmacists and doctors with reminders about taking medications and other health-related tips also work better than anything we've had before. Many of these services deliver a patient-education text, and it turns out kids like to get that, too.
The very best way to improve your son's asthma control is to help him make his own wake-up messages that he programs into his cell phone. (For kids 15 years old and younger, encourage them to program their iPod. Cell phones aren't great for developing brains.) Your son can record the reminders, mix in music, set the alarm to deliver them, and -- presto change-o! -- you have a kid who's tuned in to his own asthma control.
When kids control the timing and content of their own reminders, they feel independent -- and that lets you relax. The ADEPT study that looked at the benefits of using technology to increase teens' use of their asthma medicine found that peer support and musical clues increase adherence to the asthma-control routine from 40% to 70% (not perfect, but a whole lot better).
Here's one more tip, Mom: You can improve your own asthma-control habits, too. Get tuned in to your health maintenance organization's (HMO's) or pharmacy's automatic call system that reminds you to pick up your son's asthma prescriptions. -
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Darria Gillespie, MD , Emergency Medicine, answeredNo, it doesn’t appear that going to day care either increases or decreases a child’s risk of developing asthma. Some studies show that recurrent wheezing may be more common in children age 12-15 months who are in daycare, but that is likely due to their increased exposure to viruses, and not asthma itself.
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See All 2 AnswersMost children with asthma do not get proper treatment. In the majority of cases, this is because they do not receive their controller medicine.
Controller medicines for asthma are meant to limit the asthma attacks. You take these medicines every day, even when you feel good. Often children do not receive their controller when they feel good which means they are a set up for another asthma attack. This means they end of using more of the rescue asthma medicine. The whole goal of the controller medicine is to need the rescue medicine as little as possible which is a sign that your asthma is under good control.
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Inhalers for asthma come in two main types, rescue and controller. If the inhaler is a controller medicine, it should be used every day to keep the asthma under control. If the inhaler is a rescue medicine, it should be used when a child has asthma symptoms.
Among other things, acute asthma symptoms can include daytime or nighttime cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, trouble breathing, wheezing or shortness of breath. If your child's asthma is showing these signs, continue using your child's daily controller medication and start using the rescue medication. If you are not sure which inhaler is the controller and which is the rescue, please call your child's doctor.
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MDLIVE answeredNo, antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Asthma is not a disease of infection but rather a hypersensitive immune response. Antibiotics do not last very long in the body once given so there could not be a way for it to induce an immune reaction so severe enough that it would alter the immune response permanently. Thus, antibiotics do not and cannot cause asthma. -
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RealAge answeredSee All 3 Answers
Carrying extra weight impacts lung function in a variety of ways, and recent studies make a strong case for a link between obesity and asthma. The rates of asthma and respiratory problems in children have risen right along with the rates of child obesity and being overweight. What’s worse, researchers believe the link between asthma and obesity could become a vicious circle for kids due to the restrictions in activity levels that result from being asthmatic. Asthma has been linked to other lifestyle factors, such as environmental pollutants, such as secondhand smoke.
From Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children by Jennifer Trachtenberg.
Find out more about this book:
Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredIf your child suffers from asthma, prevention is half the battle. Some actions you should take:
No smoking, and get rid of all allergy triggers.- Keep pets out of your child's bedroom -- or even better, out of the house.
- Stay calm. When your child is having trouble during an asthma attack, it's easy to panic. But your losing control only exacerbates your child's stress response, further constricting his airways. Having a clear plan for how to respond will help ease some of your anxiety.
- See the Animals. If you live near a zoo, take your child there before she turns six months old. While she won't remember the poop-playing monkeys or the sleep-all-day lions, her immune system will. The zoo is filled with a particular type of antigen called endotoxin, which will actually help your child build up her immunity army. Similarly, if you can visit a working farm before your child is six months, you'll reap the same benefits.
- Get Up and Go. Children who hang out in front of the TV for two hours a day seem to double their risk of developing asthma. The theory is that TV watching takes the place of physical activity. While the relationships between the behaviors and asthma aren't fully known, researchers believe there's a link between lack of physical activity and a change in the structure and function of the lungs.
- And go swimming: Seems like swimming does an excellent job of lessening asthma symptoms in children, although some kids do have reactions to the chlorine.
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Dr. Paul M. Ehrlich, MD , Allergy & Immunology, answeredSee All 2 AnswersAsthma and allergy referral guidelines have been developed by a joint committee of the two leading, relevant academic institutions: The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The guidelines state that referral to an allergist for asthma treatment is indicated under the following conditions, which includes:
- When the patient's asthma is unstable. Uncontrolled asthma may be associated with widely variable pulmonary functions and possibly high morbidity and mortality. Early comprehensive intervention may prevent these unfortunate events. Such intervention should include development of a long-term treatment plan.
- When the patient's response to treatment is limited, incomplete, or very slow, and poor control interferes with the patient's quality of life
- When, in spite of taking anti-inflammatory medications regularly, the patient must use an inhaled beta-agonist such as albuterol frequently, exclusive of its use in exercise-induced asthma. Albuterol simulates beta-2 neurotransmitters and relaxes the bronchial muscles.
- If there is a need for frequent adjustments of therapy because of unstable asthma
- For identification of allergens or other environmental factors that may be causing the patient's disease. Patients with asthma must have access to a thorough etiologic evaluation. (Etiologic is a fancy name for the process of determining the cause of a disorder. For example, an etiologic evaluation of an allergy might reveal that there is a cat at home.)
- When allergen immunotherapy is a consideration
- When the patient and the primary caregiver need intensive education in the role of allergens and other environmental factors
- When family dynamics interfere with patient care and/or there is a need for further family education about asthma
- When a patient has a chronic cough that is refractory, or irresponsive, to usual therapy
- When coexisting illnesses and/or their treatment complicate the management of asthma
- When the patient has recurrent absences from school or work due to asthma
- When the patient is experiencing continuing, nocturnal episodes of asthma