Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood, affecting 7 million children in America (nearly 10% of all children!). About 80% of children with asthma have developed the symptoms by age 5.
What is Asthma? Asthma, by definition, is Recurrent Reversible Wheezing, meaning that the child has had at least several episodes of wheezing that have been improved by medicines like albuterol. For most children, the symptoms are relatively rare and mild to moderate. Some signs that a child is more prone to having asthma is having eczema in the first months of life, wheezing with viral upper respiratory infections (colds) in the first year of life, and a family history of asthma in parents or siblings.
Physicians tend to describe a child's asthma as intermittant or chronic, and mild/moderate/severe. What do these categories mean? What really matters is control, not severity.
Here are parental resources to help you, from the first use of an inhaler, to preparing for an Asthma Clinic visit:.
Asthma Gadget Resources:
- Devices that help deliver asthma medicines (basic information about inhalers, nebulizer and peak flow meters)
- Asthma Gadgets: How to use a Mask and Spacer (VIDEO)
- Asthma Gadgets: How to use spacer without a mask (VIDEO)
- Peak flow Instructions
Confused about Medications? You are not alone.
Medications Used to Treat Asthma
- Quick-relief medicines should be used only when there are active syptoms. The most commonly used rescue asthma medicine is albuterol ( generic albuterol solution for the nebulizer, Ventolin® or ProAir® for the inhaler).
- Long-term controller medicines are usually inhaled corticosteroids.
Preparing for a visit for Asthma:
At the start of a visit with a child with asthma, we will have you complete an Asthma Control Test survey. Here are the surveys available for home download:
Where can I find more information?
From HealthyChildren.org: