Fact: Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease in children
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood asthma affects millions of children across the globe. However, it is more like asthma in adults, except the fact that children are affected differently. Childhood Asthma affects the quality of life of the children and causes missed school days due to persistent hospitalizations and emergency clinical trials.
In childhood asthma, the lungs and airways become infected and inflamed due to one or more provocations. Respiratory infections, cold, exposure to dust or pollen grains are some of the conditions that likely increase the risk of asthma in children.
In many, untreated asthma can cause serious asthma attacks. There are treatment approaches that can help keep signs under control and prevent lung damage. But there is no cure for childhood asthma in allopathy, and symptoms may continue into adulthood.
An allergist can also help in the recovery process. He will provide support and care so that your child can live an active life.
Signs and symptoms
Not all children with asthma will have signs and symptoms. Your child might have only one or more indications, such as a persistent cough or chest congestion.
In most cases, the signs appear when children turn five. This is so because the bronchial tubes in the children- the path that allows air to enter in and out of the lungs, are small and slender. Bacterial and viral infections, head colds, chest colds can lead to inflammation, thereby blocking the airways. As the child may not recognize these signs, even parents and doctors may find it hard to diagnose the child with asthma.
Signs and symptoms of asthma in children include:
- A chronic cough that doesn’t go away
- Coughing fits that happen mostly during play or exercise or while talking or laughing or crying or at night
- Cough that gets worse after a viral infection
- Stopping to catch breath during activities like play
- Trouble sleeping because of coughing or breathing problems
- Chest tightness or pain
- Wheezing, a whistling sound when breathing in or out
- Seesaw motions in their chest (retractions)
- Breathlessness
- Tight neck and chest muscles
- Bereaved energy because of which your child feels tired throughout the day
- Trouble eating or grunting while eating (in infants) or poor appetite
Your child’s specialist should check out for the causes of breathlessness in them. Likely, periodic or chronic wheezing or coughing or other asthma-like signs can indicate bacterial or viral infectious bronchitis or respiratory problems.
Only tests may not be helpful in the diagnosis of asthma in children younger than 5.
When to see a doctor
Consult your doctor if you suspect the signs of asthma in your child. Early treatment will help control the signs and prevent the advancement of the disease. If your child has asthma, he might be complaining about chest tightness or shortness, or breathlessness. or sleeplessness due to persistent coughing at night.
Repeated episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia shall not be ignored.
Listen for their coughing sound when your child is asleep, playing, crying, laughing, or talking.
Emergency medical care
A severe asthma attack may ask for immediate medical care. Look for the signs like:
- Making use of stomach muscles to breathe
- Inability to speak just because of breathlessness
- Chest and sides that pull in as they breathe
- Severe wheezing/coughing
- Inability to walk or talk
- Blue lips or fingernails
- Fast heartbeat
- Sweating more than usual
- Pain in the chest
Causes
Researchers have still not been able to figure out the exact cause of childhood asthma. They believe both genetic and environmental factors to be the culprit in the occurrence of childhood asthma.
Like mentioned, the lungs of the children are sensitive to external triggers such as dust or environmental pollution, or infections. These triggers may disrupt the function of the lungs, making the bronchial tubes in the children inflame or swelled, muscles around the tubes tighten. In response to the inflammation process, there is an increased production of mucous in the lungs. When the reaction to these triggers is quite severe, the result could be an asthma attack.
Potent reasons hamper the efficiency of lungs to function well, including:
- Allergens, either from the food or environment such as dust or pollen grains
- Many respiratory infections and colds contribute to asthmatic attacks
- Smoke from the cigarette, including secondhand smoke
- Air pollution
- Exposure to cold air or sudden changes in temperature
- Overdoing exercise
- Stress
Risk factors
Several risk factors also contribute to the development of asthma in children.
- Respiratory infections during infancy
- Conditions such as eczema or hay fever
- If the mother was exposed to secondhand smoking during pregnancy
- Living in metropolitan areas
- Exposure to certain chemicals
- Obesity
- A family history of asthma
Diagnosis
Asthma can be hard to diagnose in the early ages. The doctor begins with doing a physical examination of the child’s health and medical history.
Additional diagnostic tests are needed to rule out the cause of the symptoms.
Lung function tests. Doctors begin the tests by using an instrument to check the amount of air inhaled and exhaled by the child. The test is helpful in learning about breathing patterns to rule out asthma, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and COPD.
Another test to measure lung is brochoprovocation. Using spirometry, the test checks for the vulnerability of lungs to certain nagging activities.
Exhaled nitric oxide test. If the doctor is uncertain of asthma, additional testing is recommended. The test calculates the level of nitric oxide in the inhaled breath.
For children below five years, making conclusions on diagnosis is quite tough for doctors. Sometimes, the diagnosis is even harder later on when your child has turned five.
Allergy tests for allergic asthma
The doctor does some allergic tests to learn if your child seems to have asthma due to allergies.
Allergy tests are carried out by a skin test- the skin is punctured with common allergy-provoking substances, such as dander, dust mites, mold, to name a few, and observed for signs of allergy.
Prevention
Being careful about your child’s lifestyle can help prevent asthma attacks in the future. Here are some tips:
- Limit exposure to asthma triggers.
- Don’t allow smoking around him or her.
- Encourage your child to be physically active.
- Make frequent visits to the doctor when necessary.
- Help them maintain a healthy weight.
- Prevent acid reflux.
Ayurvedic treatment for childhood asthma
As per Ayurveda, childhood asthma can be of two types: Beejdosha (genetic) or Sahaja (acquired).
Treating Beejdosha (having a family history of asthma) can be difficult, whereas Sahaja, acquired causes can be easily cured.
Imbalanced Kapha dosha can also trigger asthma, but that sort of asthma naturally goes away after a certain age.
Kapha is held responsible for many health and disease in humans. Kapha is a heavy, dense, thick, sticky substance in nature. If Kapha aggravates, there are chances that fluid may start to accumulate in the lungs, which, when dries up, become mucous. This leads to blockage of bronchioles and results in asthmatic signs.