How to diagnose asthma in children

Asthma in children under the age of 5 is a matter of concern. It is not a rare disease and early diagnosis is important. Common signs of asthma in children are:

1. Recurring bronchitis
2. Wheezing
3. Discomfort in the chest
4. Coughing
5. Trouble breathing

While some children have persistent yet mild symptoms, some children have severe attacks at times. Seasonal allergies and smoke make the symptoms worse.

What to notice?
While feeding an infant, if you notice that your child is facing shortness of breath, it might be a symptom of asthma. In a toddler, if your notice a decreased desire to run and play, or easy fatigue, then this could be a symptom of asthma. Asthma attacks for many children under the age of 5 are worsened when they catch cold or have any other respiratory infections. All these, if noticed should not be ignored and your child's pediatrician should be consulted.

The above mentioned symptoms were mild. Some children have it worse and the attacks can be life-threatening, needing immediate treatment. If your child is under the age of 5 and you see them doing one of the following, contact emergency services immediately:

1. Trouble in speaking because they have restricted breathing
2. When they are breathing in, the effort is so much that the abdomen is getting sucked in
3. Gasping for air.

Diagnosing asthma in a child can be tricky as symptoms like coughing, wheezing, etc can be for other conditions also. Once a child is a little older and if the symptoms persist, breathing and lung function tests are taken to gauge the situation. 

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on consult.

From lybrate: if you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over whatsapp, facebook and other media.


How To Diagnose Asthma In Children, Before It Attacks?

Asthma is an inflammatory disease, which affects the airways of your lungs (respiratory tract that pumps oxygen into the lungs). It is long term in nature. It is characterized by shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. It occurs a few times a day or a few times a week depending on the person it affects. Sometimes it worsens during the night.

What triggers Asthma?

Airborne particles such as dust mites, mould spores, pollen and cockroach waste.
Infections in the respiratory system such as a common cold.
Cold air can also trigger asthma.
Physical or outdoor activities which make you pant such as running, skipping, jogging and jumping can cause shortness of breath, thus triggering asthma.
Pollutants and irritants in air such as smoke.
Some medications can also trigger asthma.
Stress and nervous attacks (panic attacks) also trigger asthma.
How to manage asthma better by changing your lifestyle:

Try to avoid keeping animals in your houses such as dogs, cats and rabbits. Many times animal fur, waste, urine and saliva contains particles which can cause allergic reactions and make you cough uncontrollably. This, in turn, triggers asthma attacks. If you have pets try keeping them away from your bedroom.
Dust mites also cause allergies which trigger asthma. So wash your carpets, rugs, bed-linen and pillowcases in hot water.
Bugs and insects such as cockroaches are not only unhygienic but can also trigger asthma. Cockroach droppings near your bed, kitchen and food are dangerous and you should call an exterminator to get rid of these bugs.
Sometimes, the heavy fragrance also aggravates your respiratory tract and triggers shortness of breath. Avoid using heavy perfumes, deodorants and room fresheners.
Pollution also triggers asthma. Dust particles come out from the vehicles and mix with the air. If this air is inhaled, it might trigger uncontrollable asthma. So try to cover your mouth with a cloth when you step out of your house.
Asthma can be very severe and can bring many hurdles in your day to day activities. Changing your lifestyle and certain habits can reduce asthma to a great extent.

Lifestyle Changes to Manage Asthma Better

Asthma, the long term inflammatory disease, affects the airways of lungs. A number of symptoms, including obstruction of air flow into the lungs, which can cause breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, allergic reactions and swelling of the tubes, points to it. The causes include genes as well as pollution in the environment which is resulting in an increasing number of cases. The diagnosis is usually done with a spirometry and the treatment is a long term process. 

Women who suffer from asthma have to be especially vigilant during pregnancy as it can lead to a number of complications including less air passage to the foetus. This can result in a slow rate of development and certain anomalies in extreme cases. So how can a pregnant lady manage asthma? here are a few tips:

 Involve pulmologist: to begin with, the obstetrician and the pulmonologist must both be well aware of the situation. The pulmonologist must be given detailed information with regards to allergies as well as past treatment and medical history so that the treatment is done systematically to prevent an asthmatic attack and any complications to the foetus. 
 Lung function: during pregnancy, the doctor must monitor lung function carefully with monthly check ups to ensure that the right amount of oxygen is reaching the foetus. This is done because the severity of asthma changes in most women during pregnancy. A spriometry or peak flow metre can be used to measure the lung function. Also, the foetal movements must be monitored on a monthly basis, or rather, once every 28 days, to be more specific. 
 Influenza: flu is a common outcome of asthma, especially when it becomes severe during pregnancy. The onset of flu or influenza must be prevented at all costs with the help of a flu vaccine that will be effective at least for a season at a time. It is a pregnancy safe injection. 
 Triggers: there are many things that may trigger an asthmatic attack or an allergic reaction that can lead to the same. Ensure that you do not suffer from these triggers by avoiding dust, pollen, tobacco smoke and varied other substances that can lead to choking and wheezing. 
 Medication: one must ask the doctor about pregnancy safe inhaled corticosteroids that one can take during pregnancy if and when the need arises.

 It is recommended to take medication for asthma during pregnancy only after a consultation with the doctor. Also, do not reduce the dose of the medicine unless your doctor has recommended a change.

How to Deal With Asthma During Pregnancy

What is Allergic Asthma?

Allergic asthma is the condition in which the symptoms of an asthmatic attack appear after exposure to certain allergens. 90% of the cases of asthma in children are allergy driven, while in adults, the percentage is said to be around 50%.

An allergy happens when an individual's immune system exhibits massive reaction or fights vigorously against substances like pollen, dust, animal dander or certain other minute particles which are actually not harmful to the body but are considered so by the immune system.

Symptomatic changes in cases of allergic asthma:

If the symptoms of an asthma attack occur only when you are subjected to these triggers or irritant particles, your case is allergy driven.

In such cases, the airway reacts aggressively to the entry of such allergens.

The airway muscles tighten up and inflammation is observed.

Breathing becomes painful and compromised, and mucus accumulation sets in very quickly.

Coughing is a common phenomenon, as the body tries to expel the mucus accumulated.

The allergens mentioned above are not the only triggering agents. Basically, anything that causes irritation could trigger an allergy and an asthmatic attack thereafter. Symptoms in the case of allergy driven asthma are more or less the same as seen in other asthmatic cases.

Confirming the cause of asthma as allergic or not:

The doctor would give you a much better clarification on whether you're asthma is allergy driven or not. There are pretty much two ways to decipher the same:

One is to administer a tiny amount of allergen to the skin and making a note of the reaction to that. Whether the reaction is a normal one or an aggressive one would tell if an individual has an allergy or not.

Specific IgE test may be done to confirm the cause, or to test the presence of an allergic reaction in the individual.

All your queries pertaining to allergic asthma and asthma, in general, are more than welcome.

What is Allergic Asthma?

Asthma is a respiratory disorder, which is characterized by the narrowing down and inflammation of the inner lining of the airways of the lung, resulting in excessive secretion of mucous. The airways are responsible for the passage of air from and to the lungs. Asthma can affect any person of any age group; however, the symptoms of the condition can vary. The symptoms of asthma include severe pain in the chest, coughing and problems in breathing, interruption in sleep due to breathing problems and a croaking sound during exhalation. Asthma, in most cases, tends to be chronic and can exist throughout your life with eventual changes in the nature of attack.

The most common causes of asthma are:

    Common cold and allergies from dust particles, smoke and minute insects might be catalysts for asthma.
    Suffering from severe anxiety might also cause asthma.
    Asthma might occur as a result of physical exercise and as a side effect of some medications such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

As of now, asthma is incurable. But medications can control the symptoms. Homeopathic preparations can also be useful for the treatment of asthma. Some common homeopathic remedies are as follows:
1. Arsenic album: If the symptoms include severe episodes of stress and nervousness, immense thirst but the inability to drink much water, severe attacks at night and intense pain in the upper right portion of the chest, Arsenic Album might be very useful to cure the problem.
2. Nux Vomica: If the attack is primarily caused because of gastric disorders or sudden outbursts of anger along with symptoms of dry cough, headaches and stomach aches, Nux Vomica might be used as a remedial medicine.
3. Carbo Veg: Carbo veg can be recommended if the symptoms include a pale face at the time of attack along with cold feet and hands and an itchy sensation in the larynx.
4. Kali bichromicum and Moschus: If the attacks become worse in the morning accompanied by yellow mucus discharge, the above mentioned homeopathic preparations are recommended.

Asthma: Breathing Made Easy with Homeopathy

Has your child been coughing frequently? Is the cough chronic in nature, making your child breathe rapidly and does he/she complain about a tightened chest? These symptoms signify that your child is having asthma. Asthma is a medical condition characterized by paroxysmal wheezing respiration dyspnoea. It is common in children and an affected child experiences difficulty in breathing, and a whizzing sound is produced, especially during expiration. Asthma may lead to severe health complications and needs immediate diagnosis and treatment.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of asthma is based on the symptoms, medical history and a physical examination of the child.

The different modes of asthma diagnosis are as follows:

    Medical history and symptoms: You must tell the doctor about any history of breathing trouble with your child or whether there are chances of other inherited health conditions. You must explain your child's symptoms properly, which may include coughing, wheezing, chest pain or tightness and others if observed.
    Physical examination: A physical exam will be carried out in your child where the doctor will listen to his heart and lungs, and look for eye or nose allergies.
    Medical tests: A chest X-ray of the child has to be carried out, along with a simple lung function test known as spirometry. This test measures the amount of air present in the lungs and determines how fast it can be exhaled. Spirometry enables a doctor to determine the severity of the asthma. Some other tests are also carried out for the identification of asthma triggers. They include allergy skin testing, blood tests and X-rays to know if sinus infections are affecting the asthma. An asthma test determines the amount of nitric oxide in your child's breath.

Treatment: Based on your child's severity of asthma symptoms and his medical history, the doctor will provide you with an action plan to treat the same. This action plan explains all the medications your child requires, the dosage and schedule of the medicines. The plan also includes points on what to do when the asthma worsens and when an emergency treatment is required. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to children who require bronchodilator medication. All asthma medicines used by adults can be used in case of children but in lower dosages.

You should give the asthma medications to your child using a home nebulizer or a breathing machine. A nebulizer delivers asthma drugs by transforming them from liquid to a mist. The child gets the drug by breathing it via a face mask.

In order to control and manage asthma in children, they must avoid the triggers and should keep away from any source of smoke. A doctor must be consulted to know about the best diagnosis and treatment methods.

Asthma in Children: Diagnosis and Treatment

Don't wait any longer, manage your Asthma Management online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Asthma Management - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES