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Asthma 101
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Treatment of Asthma in Children 5-12
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Controlling Asthma During Pregnancy
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Living With Indoor Allergies
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Fast Fact: How Safe are Inhaled Steroids in Children with Asthma?
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Treating Asthma During Pregnancy: Choosing the Right Medicine
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Fast Fact: What Goals can be Achieved in Treating Asthma?
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Asthma in Adolescents: Dealing With New Challenges
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How to Avoid Asthma Attacks
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Asthma in Kids Under 5
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Pregnancy and Asthma: Communicating With Your Doctor
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Nutritional concerns
Some children have reportedly experienced improved symptoms by limiting dairy products and sugar in the diet. Some studies show that vitamin C helps improve asthma symptoms.
Food additives may trigger asthma symptoms in some children, although this is rare. If the parent suspects that certain foods trigger asthma symptoms in the child, the pediatrician may recommend keeping a food diary for a few weeks to identify problematic foods. Allergy skin testing may be recommended to rule out foods that may trigger asthma symptoms.
Prognosis
Although there is no cure for asthma, it can be treated and managed. Most patients with asthma respond well and are able to lead relatively normal lives when the best drug or combination of drugs is found. Asthma should not be a progressive, disabling disease; a child with asthma can have normal or near-normal lung function with the proper treatment.
Some children stop having attacks as they grow and their airways get bigger. About 50 percent of children have less frequent and less severe attacks as they grow older. However, symptoms can recur when the child reaches his or her thirties or forties.
A small number of patients will have progressively more difficulty breathing. These patients have an increased risk of respiratory failure, and they must receive intensive treatment. Asthma can be a deadly disease if it is not managed properly; an estimated 5,000 people die each year from asthma or its complications.
Prevention
Prolonged breastfeeding in infants for six to 12 months has been shown to reduce the child's likelihood for developing persistent asthma.
Minimizing exposure to allergens
There are a number of ways parents can reduce or prevent a child's exposure to the common allergens and irritants that provoke asthmatic attacks:
- If the child is sensitive to a family pet, the pet should be removed or kept out of the child's bedroom (with the bedroom door closed). The pet should be kept away from carpets and upholstered furniture. All products made from feathers should be removed. An air filter should be used on air ducts in the child's room.
- To reduce exposure to house dust mites, wall-to-wall carpeting should be removed, humidity should be kept down, and special pillow and mattress covers should be used. The number of stuffed toys should be reduced, and they should be washed in hot water weekly. Bedding should also be washing weekly in hot water, and dried in a dryer on the hot setting. The child should not be allowed to sleep on upholstered furniture. Carpets should be removed from the child's bedroom.
KEY TERMS
Acute—Refers to a disease or symptom that has a sudden onset and lasts a relatively short period of time.
Allergen—A foreign substance that provokes an immune reaction or allergic response in some sensitive people but not in most others.
Allergy—A hypersensitivity reaction in response to exposure to a specific substance.
Alveoli—The tiny air sacs clustered at the ends of the bronchioles in the lungs in which oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange takes place.
Anti-inflammatory—A class of drugs, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids, used to relieve swelling, pain, and other symptoms of inflammation.
Atopy—A state that makes persons more likely to develop allergic reactions of any type, including the inflammation and airway narrowing typical of asthma.
Bronchial tubes—The major airways to the lungs and their main branches.
Bronchioles—Small airways extending from the bronchi into the lobes of the lungs.
Bronchospasm—The tightening of the muscle bands that surround the airways, causing the airways to narrow.
Dander—Loose scales shed from the fur or feathers of household pets and other animals. Dander can cause allergic reactions in susceptible people.
Dust mites—Tiny insects, unable to be seen without a microscope, that are present in carpet, stuffed animals, upholstered furniture, and bedding, including pillows, mattresses, quilts, and other bed covers. Dust mites are one of the most common asthma triggers. They grow best in areas with high humidity.
Hypersensitivity—A condition characterized by an excessive response by the body to a foreign substance. In hypersensitive individuals even a tiny amount of allergen can cause a severe allergic reaction.
Inflammation—Pain, redness, swelling, and heat that develop in response to tissue irritation or injury. It usually is caused by the immune system's response to the body's contact with a foreign substance, such as an allergen or pathogen.
Peak flow measurement—Measurement of the maximum rate of airflow attained during a forced vital capacity determination.
Pollen—A fine, powdery substance released by plants and trees; an allergen.
Spirometry—A test using an instrument called a spirometer that measures how much and how fast the air is moving in and out of a patient's lungs. Spirometry can help a physician diagnose a range of respiratory diseases, monitor the progress of a disease, or assess a patient's response to treatment.
Trigger—Any situation or substance that causes asthma symptoms to start or become worse.
- If cockroach allergen is causing asthma attacks, the roaches should be killed (using poison, traps, or boric
- Indoor air may be kept clean by vacuuming carpets once or twice a week (with the child absent), avoiding humidifiers, and using air conditioning during warm weather (so that windows remain closed).
- To reduce exposure to mold, indoor humidity should be decreased to less than 50 percent, leaky faucets and pipes should be repaired, and vaporizers avoided.
- Family members should quit smoking and others should not be allowed to smoke in the house or near the child.
- The child should not exercise outdoors when air pollution levels are high.
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Author Info: David A. Cramer M.D., Angela M. Costello, Thomson Gale, Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health, 2006 |
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