How to know if a child has asthma?

Today we touch on a serious topic and it is about childhood asthma, a disease that affects around 10% of children, and of that amount, 85% usually have allergic causes . A disease that puts hundreds of parents in trouble every day until they get used to living with it and the child grows up knowing how to react to his asthma attacks and knowing how to take care of himself and knowing his limits, for the sake of his health .

What is it

Asthma is a disease of the lungs and is not something temporary like a cold or otitis, it is a chronic lung disease, that is, forever. This disease affects the respiratory tract , in such a way that the ducts through which our air travels from the mouth to the lungs (and vice versa) are affected, creating whistles, coughing, and a feeling of suffocation.

When these symptoms, which we will detail in the next section, get angry, it is known as an asca attack or asthmatic crisis. There are no definitive remedies, only palliatives for the rest of the patient’s life. A condition that is sometimes not easy to live with, since it affects many aspects such as smoke, chlorine in swimming pools, cold, heat, some odors such as perfumes, playing sports, hyperventilating in a panic or anxiety attack, etc.

Asthma in children begins before the age of 5 and initially makes them spend many hours outside of school and inside a hospital, although it depends on the severity, symptoms and causes. Detecting it early helps a lot.

Symptoms

The symptoms are clear, but perhaps not all parents are clear about it, which is why we want to use this section to point out one by one the most common symptoms that are identified with asthma in children or in pediatric age.

• Chest pressure.
• feeling of suffocation
• Respiratory problems.
• Many puffs of air.
• Cough, especially at night and when waking up.
• Feeling of low energy and tiredness.
• Irritability for not understanding what is happening to him.
• Wheezing when exhaling.
• Difficult to suck.
• Difficult to eat.
• Dark spots under the eyes.

These are the most common symptoms of childhood asthma, and they can be so mild that they are sometimes overlooked. If in doubt, we recommend seeing a specialist, especially if we notice that the child cannot close his mouth when eating and we notice wheezing in his lungs.

Possible causes

There are different causes for a child to develop asthma in pediatric age. As we have already anticipated, 85% of children with asthma are due to allergies, so the vast majority of causes come from common allergies.

In fact, asthma attacks happen when the child is unknowingly exposed to a trigger, for example, cat hair, dust , humidity, pollen, cold, tobacco smoke, etc.

The children most likely to suffer from asthma at an early age are those who are conditioned by genetics, exposed to second-hand smoke, have other diseases such as allergies, etc.

• dust mites
• Dust when removing weeds or windy days.
• Mildew damp stains.
• Pollen.
• Pests like cockroaches, mice, worms, etc.
• Breathe cold air.
• Medicines.
• Colds and flus that affect the respiratory system.
• Dirty air.
• Smoke from barbecues, tobacco, fire, etc.

Diagnosis and treatment

Asthma in children is diagnosed using the child’s own medical history, and information from the biological parents; doing chest x-rays to see the lungs; doing tests such as spirometry to see lung capacity; blood tests and allergy tests.

If the child is too young to understand the lung testing process, the solution is to temporarily administer asthma medication and see if symptoms subside or business as usual. But with X-rays, tests, and other tests, doctors usually diagnose fairly quickly if it’s asthma, allergy, or another respiratory complication.

The key is to administer an effective treatment, but above all to avoid risk factors such as smoke. There are quick-relief medications like Ventolin and controller medications. It will be the professionals who prescribe each one according to age, health status, severity, exposure to triggers, comfort for the child or parents, etc.

Tips to consider

If we have a child with childhood asthma in our family, the first thing is to make us aware of the seriousness of the matter. This is not a minor injury, a quick-fix problem, or a joke. It is a problem that causes a lot of frustration and pain in children and parents.

• Do not smoke in front of the patient.
• Protect you from the cold wind.
• Avoid walking on windy days.
• Wear a mask.
• Do not be near a source of smoke.
• Avoid contact with the vacuum cleaner.
• Flee from polluted urban centers.
• If we go to someone’s house, tell them how to proceed.
• Avoid physical efforts.
• Do not swim in pools with high levels of chlorine.
• Do not walk along beaches, mountains and forests on windy days.
• If you ride a bike, motorcycle, car, try to cover your mouth with a mask or special material that filters particles.
• Avoid vacuuming ingredients such as icing sugar, cinnamon, and other ingredients used for decoration.
• Chew well to avoid choking.
• Parents should receive courses to know how to act in case of asthma attacks, choking, choking, colds with mucus, etc. and all those high-risk situations in children.
• If there are pets at home, do not rub them in the child’s face.
• Always keep the home clean.
• At the slightest sign of moisture, remedy.
• Do exercises to strengthen your lungs without putting you at risk.