Things You Should Know About Asthma In Young Children
 | Many children under the age of eighteen are suffering from asthma. In most instances, symptoms develop by the age of six, although cases of toddlers having asthma are not exactly rare as well. Curiously, asthma is more common in developed countries. Experts are unsure why exactly. What they are sure of though is that asthma runs in families. If a parent suffers from asthma and certain allergies, there is high likelihood of their children having asthma as well. Causes of asthma in babies Aside from familial predisposition, there are several causes that can trigger asthma in a baby. For instance, if a baby is exposed to cigarette smoke either before or after birth, there is high likelihood of him or her developing asthma. Viral infections can also cause asthma in infants and children. Research suggests that babies born during seasons of the year when respiratory viral infections are more prevent have a higher risk of suffering from asthma. Symptoms The most common symptoms of asthma among infants and young children are wheezing or noisy breathing, trouble sucking or refusal to eat, lethargy, and rapid respiratory rate. Chest indrawing, where the lower ribs on both sides of the chest are pulled in when he or she inhales, is also abnormal and a sign that the child is having difficulty breathing. If this happens, you should seek emergency medical care immediately. Other symptoms that require emergency care include pale skin and lips, or bluish fingernails. How to detect asthma in babies Diagnosing asthma in babies is quite tricky because there are several illnesses that have similar symptoms, like croup and bronchiolitis. At the same time, babies under 6 months have floppy airways, which often cause some turbulence in the airflow, hence the wheezing sound. This is the reason why doctors usually only consider a diagnosis of asthma after the child turns 12 months old. Unlike adults who can perform a special breathing test known as spirometry, there is no special test to diagnose asthma in a baby. Doctors instead review clinical history by asking questions about what symptoms your baby presents, when and for how long. They will also auscultate your baby’s chest to check for abnormal breath sounds. They will also likely give medications to relieve the symptoms, to check for therapeutic response. How is asthma in infants and children treated? Various medications are available to treat asthma, and these are used across different age groups, only the dosages and formulations are method of administration may vary. For children, asthma medicines are delivered using an inhaler or through a nebulizer, which lets the baby breathe in a fine mist of medication through a face mask. |
