Asthma is one of the leading diseases that children suffer from. Mostly children start suffering from asthma before the age of five.
What Causes Asthma?
The most common reason for a child to develop asthma is allergy. This means that allergies in infancy often lead to asthma. There are other reasons for a child to develop asthma. Some of these are low birth weight, family history, respiratory infections and exposure to tobacco smoke. It is also more common for boys to become affected by this ailment than girls.
It is not known why more children are developing asthma than before. One alternative is that decreasing amount of mothers breastfeeding their child might be the reason. This is because the immune system benefits from the mothers milk.
Symptoms of Asthma in Children
- Coughing
- No energy
- Rapid breathing
- Wheezing
- Chest pain
Treatment
There are several medications for allergy asthma. The best way to treat the illness, however, is to prevent the child from being exposed to the allergen. Therefore, it is advisable to pinpoint the exact allergen and take measures to protect the child from it.
If medications are required, one option is to use medicines like Advair in order to reduce inflammation in the airways.
Bronchoconstriction can be treated with medication that relaxes the muscles in the airways. Bronchodilators are used for this purpose.
Medications for asthma are best used with an inhaler. The inhaler turns liquid medicine into mist that can be breathed in. The amount of medication has to be adjusted to a level that is proper for the child, according to the age and size of the child. The severity of the asthma must also taken into account in what medicine to use and how much to use it. Therefore, a doctor is best able to provide help in treating the child because they will choose the treatment according to individual needs.
