Childhood Asthma

Most cases of childhood asthma will be diagnosed before your child reaches school age. These early asthma attacks are often triggered by viruses, though as your child ages the triggers will often change. In fact, in late childhood, asthma is often triggered by allergies (we've discussed the relationship between allergies and asthma in another section of the website).

Regardless of the trigger, childhood asthma creates a serious concern for most parents.

As a parent, you're familiar with all those signs and symptoms that tell you your child may not be feeling well. Headaches. The sniffles. A sore throat. Fatigue. The younger your child the more challenging it can be to determine what's going on. And this is what sometimes makes diagnosing asthma difficult. Its symptoms at this early age can sometimes be mistaken for the common cold or for bronchitis or just a nasty cough.

Let's see if we can help.

The Symptoms

The symptoms of childhood asthma can be quite different from those of adult asthma. They can also be quite similar. The most frequent signs include coughing, with or without wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and tightness in the chest.

Here are some more subtle signs to keep an eye out for. If your child has recently had a cold but the cough seems to be lingering, pay attention. If that cough, or if any of the above symptoms appear to grow worse with changes in the weather, laughing or crying, or strong perfumes or odors, or if they become worse at night, then it's time to take your child to see the pediatrician. Your child needs to be evaluated.

The advantage of working closely with your pediatrician is that measures taken in the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma can pay off big time down the road. If you catch asthma early, with the proper care, your child will have a much better chance at leading a normal, active life.

Treatment

Your pediatrician will recommend the best approach to controlling your child's asthma. Most often, he or she will suggest a medication that can be administered in the form of a mist. For a young child, these medications are generally administed using a nebulizer, which is a machine that creates a medicinal mist that's inhaled through a mouthpiece or a facemask. The process usually requires five or ten minutes in all.

The good news is that childhood asthma generally responds well to treatment. An asthmatic child will still have the opportunity to grow up to be a strong, healthy adult.

 At A Glance

• Most cases of childhood asthma will be diagnosed before your child reaches school age.
• The most frequent signs include coughing, with or without wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and tightness in the chest.
• The good news is that childhood asthma generally responds well to treatment.