Asthma is a chronic illness that concerns airway inflammation and constriction of breathing. It is classified as very common among children, with millions of new cases diagnosed every year in the United States. Childhood asthma can severely affect a child’s life daily in many ways, like physical activities, sleep, and how they feel about themselves.
Asthma Causes In Children
Several factors are known to contribute to childhood asthma, one of the most important being heredity. The presence of a family member who has or had asthma gives a slighter chance of a child having asthma. This provides a clue to the involvement of inherited traits in the immune system and the sensitivity of the airways.
Another major factor that predisposes children to asthma is environmental triggers. Common allergens include pollen, dust mites, mold, and pet dander a way to be triggered to have asthma symptoms. Exposure to such things as tobacco smoke, vehicle emissions, and industrial pollutants can enhance and possibly stimulate asthma in children. Recurrent respiratory infections in early childhood increase the risk, given that they cause inflammation and damage to the airways.
Some others include prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke, and this puts the child at higher odds of developing asthma. Respiratory infections in a child during infancy and early childhood, such as the respiratory syncytial virus, damage the child’s lungs and airways. It causes vulnerability of the lungs to asthma in such children. Some other factors that may cause a child to become asthmatic include some occupational exposure of the parents. If the parent is exposed to working in areas where there is too much dust or chemicals, this is transferred to the child and increases the child’s chances of developing asthma.
Childhood Asthma Symptoms
Childhood asthma begets symptoms of various sorts that have the potential to interfere with the putting into execution of daily activities and which may detract from the child’s quality of life. Some major symptoms include coughing persistently, especially at night or early in the morning, and with exercise. Another typical sign is wheezing while breathing out, signified by a whistling sound. Some other major symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, where the child finds it hard to breathe in a normal way, and chest tightness, where a child feels a pressing sensation in the chest.
Clinical presentation varies considerably depending on the age of the child. Symptoms for asthma in infants encompass rapid breathing, frequent cough, and not feeding well, as it interferes with breathing. As a parent watches a toddler play and exercise, they will notice wheezing and coughing and frequent respiratory infections. In older children, the triad will often include shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough, which often persists and can become a limiting factor for attending school and being active.
Carefully explain to the caretakers the need to urgently respond to signs of an acute asthmatic attack. Severe asthmatic attacks are an emergency, and symptoms include significantly worsened difficulty in breathing that is forcing the child to speak in incomplete sentences, a very fast breathing rate, and the chest and neck muscles working very hard to suck in air. Cyanosis involving the lips and fingernails is a very critical sign and symptom, revealing a life-threatening lack of oxygen. The parent or caregiver needs to seek immediate attention in such a situation.
Childhood Asthma Diagnosis
Childhood asthma is diagnosed most comprehensively, beginning with a detailed history and physical examination of the patient. History will include probing on how the child is presenting with the symptoms, the prevalence, and degree of severity of the asthmatic attacks, the family history as regards asthma or any other allergic diseases, and several environmental factors like exposure to tobacco smoke and environmental pollution. This gives an insight into different patterns of the child’s symptoms and the causative factors.
The physical examination will include listening to the child’s chest with a stethoscope, and looking out for wheezes or abnormal sounds while breathing. He may also identify signs indicating allergies, like nasal congestion or skin rashes that can be associated with asthma.
The main tests used in the confirmation of the condition of asthma include spirometry, the test measuring the quantity of air a child can force exhale after taking a deep breath, and how fast the air can be exhaled. The test is used in appraising the airflow obstruction. Another useful test is the peak flow measurement. This test measures the ability of the child to maximize the expulsion of air from the lungs. Allergy tests can be done to detect specific allergens that can trigger symptoms of asthma. The tests coupled with findings through history and physical examination serve to diagnose asthma and to come up with an effective management plan.
Management And Treatment
Effective management and treatment of childhood asthma include medications and lifestyle changes. Medications generally come in two varieties: quick relief and long-term control. Quick-relief medications work to provide rapid relief of asthma signs by acting quickly to relax the surrounding muscles of the airways. Long-term control medications are taken either daily to prevent symptoms or to control the chronic inflammation of the airways.
The most vital ways to minimize risks are through lifestyle and environmental control. Avoidance tips include reducing exposure to allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, and mold. Watching the exposure to home smoke, and chemical smells, and encouraging purified air in the home are some avoidance techniques. Encouraging lifestyles that are conducive to being active in a clean environment and an allergen-free, clean living environment with regular washing of bed linens and stuffed toys are also encouraged. Physical activity is encouraged but should be monitored so that the child does not become overexerted to the point that an asthma episode is triggered.
An asthma action plan is key in controlling sudden asthma attacks. This would go on to outline points like when to take help or when to use quick-relief medications in an asthma flare-up. An action plan for asthma ensures that parents, caregivers, and children are prepared for emergencies and can be informed about the symptoms and mechanisms to follow to prevent severe attacks.
The control of asthma has to be periodically assessed by a trusted healthcare provider, like a family nurse practitioner who has completed the requisite online MSN-FNP program, who could provide total comprehensive care and can alter the plan of treatment if necessary.
Wrapping Up
An understanding of the management of childhood asthma will involve understanding the causes, identification of symptoms early enough, and pursuing a plan of treatment that includes medication and ways of changing the life of the child and its environment. The major points to bear in one’s mind are that it causes asthma when one is exposed to genetic and environmental factors; common and dangerous symptoms are recognized, and proper diagnosis should be effected by both medical history and medical tests. Medication change in one’s way of life and change in its environment is the most effective management. There is also a need to have an asthma action plan for emergencies.
