Asthma Treatment in Children

Asthma is a chronic disease entails by inflammation in bronchi. Bronchi are the small pipes in which air passes in and out of the lungs. If a child has asthma, bronchi are inflamed and irritated.

The inflammation causes bronchi to narrow that impede air flow freely into the lungs, making it difficult to inhale.

Children with asthma have trouble breathing and wheeze particularly at night. The membranes in small branches of bronchi swell that makes breathing a struggle.

While the air is flowing into the lungs it makes a wheezing. Young children wheezing may be caused by a viral infection.

A sudden boost of symptoms is called an asthma attack. People with asthma suffer from the strong sensitivity of the lungs to various irritants called triggers.

When the kid gets in touch with the trigger, his bronchi get narrow. This makes it difficult to hale and entails wheezing, and make the chest feel tight.

Triggers may be respiratory infections, allergens, irritants, weather, physical activity, and even negative emotions. An allergen means any subject causing an allergic reaction.

Allergens can be food, pet fur dander, molds, mold spores, dust, and pollen of plants. Children may inherit the tendency to allergies from their parents.

About 80% of people with asthma suffer from allergy and if it isn’t the cause of disease, this can even deteriorate the symptoms.

Irritants can be smoking, cold, perfumes, sprays, and air pollutants. It can cause inflammation in the lungs and result in exacerbation of asthma.

Asthma attacks can be caused by such factors as a change in weather conditions. Some physical activities can cause asthma attacks. Many children can get asthma exacerbation if they feel uneasy.

There are two kinds of medicines for asthma treatment: quick-relief medicines to remove symptoms and long-term control medicines to preclude symptoms.

Relievers or bronchodilators are drugs that relax the muscles of bronchi. They relieve the symptoms of wheeze, cough, and breathlessness.

Bronchodilators act to expand bronchi by relaxing bronchial smooth muscle. They include beta-adrenergic agonists, methylxanthines, and anticholinergics.

Preventers or anti-inflammatory act over a long time and reduce or interrupt the inflammation within the bronchi.

These drugs include inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn sodium, and other anti-inflammatory compounds.

Every kid with asthma needs to be under the doctor's control and personal plan to control his condition.