Childhood Asthma
Childhood asthma is a common condition which results in fast breathing, noisy breathing or difficulty in breathing. It often starts in childhood and is more common in those children with skin allergies and family history of asthma or allergies. Most of the children grow out of asthma. It is important to understand this condition as well as its management as it is a potentially life - threatening condition. On the contrary, if well controlled, your child leads a near normal lifestyle with normal activity and normal food intake, and leads a life without restrictions.
Symptoms
- Noisy breathing or wheezing, which often is heard as a whistling sound
- Breathlessness
- Repeated episodes of cough
- Bouts of cough
- Tightness of chest
When should you consult your pediatric pulmonologist / pediatrician?
Do consult your pediatric pulmonologist / doctor if your child suffers from recurrent episodes of breathlessness or coughing, especially with any of the below:
- Associated skin allergies
- Family history of allergies / asthma
- Coughs and colds which persist beyond one week
- Sleep disturbances, snoring which may indicate an associated allergic rhinitis
- Poor weight gain / excess weight gain
How is asthma diagnosed?
No investigations are usually required to diagnose asthma as it is a clinical diagnosis. The best way to confirm the diagnose is to see the response to bronchodilator therapy. In case the child responds to bronchodilators, it is most likely asthma. Spirometry or lung function test is usually done as a baseline investigation to document the baseline lung functions. Reversibility of readings after inhaled bronchodilators, confirms the diagnosis, in case the baseline readings are suggestive of a obstructive disorder.
In case of doubt, certain tests may be required like:
- FeNO - fractional exhaled nitric oxide
- Blood tests like IgE levels
- Allergy tests
- Radiology in case of doubt of diagnosis
Treatment
The treatment of asthma is inhaled bronchodilators and anti – inflammatory medications like steroids. Two types of inhaled medications are given:
- Reliever treatment – for immediate relief from symptoms
- Preventer treatment – for preventing acute attacks or exacerbations and maintaining control
In certain cases, oral tablets may be required, while in others injections are also needed.
Do consult with your pediatric pulmonologist in case your child has any symptoms of asthma.