Asthma Symptoms and Treatment in Children

Asthma in children is one of the chronic diseases that has become widespread in recent years. What causes asthma with recurrent high-pitched wheezing? What are the symptoms of asthma in children? Is asthma something that can be treated? The answers to all your questions are in this article!

Asthma in children is one of the chronic diseases that has become widespread in recent years. What causes asthma with recurrent high-pitched wheezing? What are the symptoms of asthma in children? Is asthma something that can be treated? The answers to all your questions are in this article!

What is asthma?

Chronic disease of the breathing tubes that carry air to the lungs is called asthma. There are 2 types as allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma. Allergic asthma in children is a more common type.

What causes asthma in children?

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. Especially in the last 20 years, there has been a large increase in the number of people with asthma among young children and those living in cities. Although it is not known exactly what causes such an increase in asthma, the main causes of asthma are;

• Air pollution,
• exposure to allergens,
• Obesity,
• They are respiratory diseases.

Allergic factors trigger allergic asthma in children. However, it is not necessary for a child to have an allergy to have asthma. Causes that trigger asthma can also cause wheezing in non-allergic children. The main asthma triggers can be listed as follows:

• Exercise,
• Stress,
• Exposure to various household cleaners, such as bleaches
• perfumes,
• Cold weather,
• Cigarette,
• House dust mites, cockroaches, pet dander, pollen and molds,
• some drugs,
• Foods that trigger asthma such as milk, eggs and wheat (nuts, peanuts and fish in older children),
• Gastroesophageal reflux.

Asthma symptoms in children

Asthma symptoms can be different for everyone. One of the most characteristic symptoms of asthma, which mainly affects the lower airways, is wheezing. If you are asking how to know if your child has asthma, here are some tips you can pay attention to:

• Grunt,
• Coughs that worsen at night, after physical activity or exposure to an irritant or allergen
• Shortness of breath,
• A feeling of tightness in the chest.

How is a child diagnosed with asthma?

A child with asthma produces a high-pitched wheeze when exhaling at night or in the early morning. Asthma is usually diagnosed after bronchiolitis develops. Wheezing recurs during a cold after the first attack. Your child may be in good health during these attacks. Usually, the child is diagnosed with asthma after 3 or more episodes of wheezing.

Asthma in infants manifests itself in the first year after birth with wheezing and recurrent wheezing.

At what age does asthma start ? Let’s answer the question. Hereditary and environmental factors play a role in the development of asthma, the condition usually appears in childhood before the age of 5 years. However, asthma can occur at any age.

How is asthma in children?

Asthma is such a diverse disease that some children wheeze without difficulty, while others may experience wheezing and breathing difficulties severe enough to cause an emergency. If the child does not have other allergies such as eczema and there is no other member of the family with asthma, wheezing decreases between the ages of 3 and 6 years.

How to treat asthma in children?

It is not possible to find a definitive solution to asthma. For this reason, with the treatment of asthma, it is tried to offer the child a comfortable life without complaints. Treatment is mostly done to reduce wheezing and prevent relapses.

The first step of this long-term treatment starts with avoiding things that trigger asthma. In the second step, asthma medications are given. First of all, drugs in the form of inhalation inhaler or powder are preferred.

What are the aims of asthma treatment in children?

• To reduce the severity and frequency of attacks, to prevent chronic symptoms of cough and respiratory distress,
• Ensuring the child’s attendance at school,
• To use the lowest possible dose of drugs to reduce the side effects of drugs,
• To ensure that the child grows up as healthy as possible and participates in various activities with their peers,
• Developing a response plan to reduce the need for emergency treatment from an asthma attack,
• Reducing the need for emergency and rescue treatment.

With all these goals in mind, your pediatrician will prescribe you a medication. She may want to refer her to a specialist to evaluate her child’s lungs. It also helps the doctor plan a special home treatment program for your child. This program includes developing a plan for how to administer prescribed medications and treatment, and to avoid allergens and causative agents that may cause your child to wheeze.

What happens if asthma is not treated?

If asthma is not treated, it negatively affects growth and development in children. Not taking asthma medications correctly also hinders the development of your child. Children with asthma usually enter puberty later than their peers, but asthma does not have a negative effect on height growth and bone development.

What are the good things for asthma?

The most important part of asthma treatment is to stay away from factors that can initiate asthma attacks. For this, you should know well these substances that cause an asthma attack. What is good for an asthmatic child, what you need to pay attention to, let’s look together:

• You should take care not to smoke in the environment where your child is and in the house.
• If your child has allergies, having a pet at home triggers the situation.
• You should not use sprays, scented detergents and perfumes at home.
• You should not use feather pillows, blankets and synthetic bedding materials.
• You should not have rugs, carpets, furniture, pillows and cushions in the children’s room.
• You should ventilate the house often.
• You should have the processes such as whitewashing, painting and insecticide done when the child is not at home.
• Just like in allergic rhinitis , asthma attacks are triggered during periods of increased pollen, so you should keep doors and windows closed in the house.
• During periods when the amount of pollen is high, you should ensure that your child takes allergy medications before their complaints start.
• You should not take your child out on days when the weather is dry and windy.
• When there is a smell of frying or cooking at home, you should definitely ventilate.
• You should be careful not to overdo it when your child is exercising outdoors.
• If your child’s body is very allergic, you can use an allergy mask when you go out.
• After spending time outside, you should take a shower to get rid of allergens in your skin and hair.
• You should keep the humidity in the house low.

Is there any herbal treatment for asthma?

We said that there is no direct cure for asthma. However, it has been observed that some herbal teas and foods are good for asthma patients.

Lemon juice, which is a powerful antioxidant, is among the things that are good for asthma. It is effective against asthma attacks because it fights harmful substances that fill the lungs. It also strengthens the lungs and helps them breathe more easily. You can mix half a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice with a glass of water and give it to your child before meals.

Except this; Herbal teas such as lavender, black cumin, rosemary, andaz and nettle are also good for asthma cough and shortness of breath.

How should an asthmatic child be fed?

One of the most curious subjects of mothers with asthmatic children is nutrition. Inadequate and unbalanced nutrition plays a role in the formation of respiratory system diseases, as in many diseases. Therefore, nutrition is of great importance in the care of children with asthma. So, what foods should you feed your child?

breast milk

One of the biggest enemies of asthma in babies is breast milk. For the first 6 months, the only food of the baby should be breast milk. There is a significant protection against asthma until the age of 6, especially in children who are breastfed for the first 4 months.

Omega-3

Omega-3s are abundant in oily fish such as mackerel, tuna and salmon that live in cold waters. Foods such as flaxseed, hazelnuts and walnuts also contain some Omega-3. Especially in children, against the onset of asthma, you should definitely include foods containing Omega-3 in your little one’s nutrition list.

antioxidant vitamins

Vitamins A, C, and E are thought to be effective in children with asthma. Green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, meat and eggs are foods rich in vitamin E. Vitamin A is found in fish oil, liver, milk and egg yolk. Fresh vegetables and fruits in yellow, orange and green colors are the most important sources of vitamin C. You should include plenty of these foods in your child’s nutrition program.

In which situations is asthma dangerous?

• If your child has severe respiratory distress and is getting worse,
• If he is breathing rapidly, there is pulling in the chest wall while breathing and he is moaning heavily when exhaling,
• If his mouth and fingertips are bruised,
• Behaving irritably, unexpectedly sleepy or confused
• If there is pain in the chest while breathing,
• If you have excessive palpitations and rapid heart rate,
• If there is fever, persistent cough and wheezing that does not respond to treatment,
• If vomiting and not taking oral medication,
• You should contact your pediatrician immediately if he is having trouble talking or sleeping because of wheezing, coughing or difficulty breathing.

In addition to these, let’s give a footnote: The child with asthma can do activities such as playing outside or exercising with other children. However, if you see any of the asthma symptoms in your child during these activities, you should definitely talk to your pediatrician.