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Living May 2001 Issue > Daily Management is Key
to Asthma Control
Daily
Management is Key to Asthma Control
Budding
trees, swirling pollen, playing outside: these are signs
of spring. Asthma attacks are not. At any time of year,
asthma attacks should not be considered a normal part
of life. By taking care of asthma every day, children
can get off the roller coaster of good times and bad
times and, in most cases, totally avoid severe attacks
of coughing, wheezing and labored breathing.
While
asthma is fairly common in children – it affects about
15 percent of children in the Chicago area – the disease
is manageable. Just like teeth must be brushed every
day, asthma needs daily care. The most important thing
parents need to know is that “there is hope,” said Annick
Gaye, M.D., specialist in allergy and asthma at the
Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University
Medical Center. Effective medications are available
to manage asthma and new and improved medications are
being developed all the time. Gaye recommended that
parents look to their child’s primary care physician
for diagnosis and treatment.
Asthma
can develop at any time, but is often identified in
the toddler years. About a third of children grow out
of the disease by the time they reach adulthood. That
group most likely developed asthma as the result of
a respiratory infection. The two-thirds of children
who will have asthma for life usually also suffer from
allergies.
Parents
can help their child’s physician diagnose asthma by
keeping careful track of the child’s symptoms. Watch
for:
•
Chronic cough
•
Cough that leads to vomiting
•
Cough that disturbs sleep
•
Shortness of breath during exercise or while
laughing or crying
•
Fast breathing
•
Chronic runny nose
•
The need to rest after walking a short distance
•
Long-lasting colds
•
Chest tightness or pain
In
young children, diagnosing asthma is sometimes a process
of elimination, especially since children younger than
6 usually cannot cooperate with the diagnostic breath
tests. Blood tests, X-rays, CAT scans and sweat tests
may be used to rule out other diseases, such as cystic
fibrosis, pneumonia or gastroesophageal disease. Skin
tests for allergy can be done at a very early age and,
if positive, may indicate the likelihood of asthma.
However, “for many children, medication trial leads
to diagnosis,” Gaye said. In other words, if all signs
point to asthma, and the medication relieves the symptoms,
then asthma is diagnosed.
Medication
does not cure, it only controls asthma, but even children
with mild cases usually need medication to manage their
symptoms. Just as important is paying attention to and
avoiding things that trigger flare-ups in each particular
child. For some children, that might be allergens like
dust mites and irritants like perfumes and second-hand
smoke. For others, it might be running outside on a cold
day. In some children, anxiety can trigger an attack.
A good partnership among parent, child and physician also
are important to successful treatment. When the asthma
is under control, the child can keep up with his or her
friends and breathe easier.
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