Childhood Asthma is asthma in children. The lungs and airways are small and narrow in children. They get infected when the child has chest cold, and head cold, or is exposed to allergens like dust, pollen, smoke, toxins released through air pollution. They cause the lungs to get inflamed and because the immunity power of children is low, the attack may necessitate visits to the hospital frequently.

Symptoms of Childhood Asthma

Every child’s immunity is different. Some children with asthma experience only a few symptoms. But some children go through:

• Recurring cough and cold
• Shortness of breath
• Cough spells triggered by exercise or activity that causes rapid body movement, or while laughing and crying
• Rapid breathing
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble while eating
• Trouble while sleeping due to breathing problems

Diagnosis of Asthma in Children

The diagnosis of asthma in children above five is done through chest X-ray and spirometry – a lung test that measures the airflow in the lungs and airways.

It is difficult to diagnose asthma in infants or kids of age two to four. The spirometry tests cannot be run on them and they will not know how to express the discomfort in the chest area. In such cases, parents need to be careful and keep an eye on any persistent symptoms. In such cases an allergist is of great help. An allergist carries a skin test or blood test to identify allergens that trigger asthma in a child. He along with the pediatrician can then recommend medicines to control the occurrences of symptoms of asthma. An allergy test can be run on kids of all ages.

We, at Brundavan Women and Childcare can perform skin tests and blood tests to identify asthma triggers in kids.

Treatment for Childhood Asthma

The treatment for asthma in children depends upon the severity and frequency of the symptoms. There are two types of medicines that control the asthma attack and gradually prevent its recurrence.

• Quick-relief – These medicines give a quick response to the asthma attack symptoms. Inhalers are one of the quick-relief medicines helpful in asthma attacks.
• Long-term control – The long term control medicines are taken to prevent the inflammation of airways and lungs. The child should be given these medicines regularly without fail.

Kids are administered these medicines using an inhaler with a spacer that ensures the medication reaches the lungs. A nebulizer can also be used to deliver medicines directly to the lungs. It is a device with a compressor, tubes, and a face mask. It changes the liquid medicines to mist. The child gets the medicine by breathing the mist through the face mask. These treatments can be given several times a day.

No treatment stops asthma forever. The prescribed medicines can control the occurrences of the symptoms. Hence, the symptoms in children should be treated immediately. If left untreated, they can cause more serious health issues in the growing child.

Brundavan Women and Child care have a team of pediatric pulmonologists who treat asthma in children with utmost care and concern.

Allergies in Children

Allergies are most common in children. It is a way of the body’s defense against a substance that is normal in other people. The immune system in the child takes it as an invader and starts producing antibodies.

The allergens like dust mites, animal dander, and pollen can cause allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Some skin allergies and food allergies can trigger asthma too. The kids with a family of allergies have a higher chance of getting allergy-induced asthma. Limiting exposure to such allergies is a way of preventing asthma attacks. Other treatments of allergies are as follows.

• Leukotriene modifier – It is a medication that can reduce allergic rhinitis and asthma symptoms.
• Allergy shots – These injections contain a tiny amount of the allergens that trigger asthma symptoms. The immune system builds up a tolerance system to the allergens gradually.

Brundavan Women and Child care have pediatric allergists who are well-trained and are great with kids. They treat kids with ease and help them express their difficulties.