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Understanding Asthma

by Scarlett_Capelli

Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects 17 million
Americans. Of this group, almost 6 million are children. In other
words, approximately two out of every ten children suffer from
this condition. If you feel that your child may have asthma, it
will help you to decide on an effective treatment program if you
first understand what asthma is and what symptoms it produces.

Asthma is defined as a chronic (long term) inflammatory disease
of the airways. When the airways (known as bronchi) become
irritated or inflamed, they narrow and cause the sufferer to gasp
to wheeze and have difficulty catching his breath. During this
�attack,� the muscle tissues that are found in the walls of the
bronchi begin to spasm, causing the cells that line the airway to
swell and secrete mucus. The combination of the two processes
causes the airway to narrow, making breathing difficult. The
victim�s airways will either open up on their own or in response
to a variety of treatments. The condition causes the airways to
become highly responsive and narrowing occurs when the airway is
exposed to certain stimuli such as cold air, exercise, dust,
pollutants, stress, and anxiety.

There are other symptoms of asthma other than the obvious
wheezing. Some children suffer from slight occurrences of
shortness of breath. Others may feel pain in their chest or begin
coughing. In some cases, the child�s back or neck will begin
itching right before an asthma attack. Most children will tire
easily and become irritated before an attack is about to begin.
In the case of an infant, the baby may have feeding problems,
grunting while he is eating when his asthma is beginning to
bother him.

Due to the variety of symptoms exhibited by different children,
only your child�s physician can determine if your child is
suffering from asthma. Some youngsters are in high risk groups to
develop the condition. A child who has a variety of allergies or
suffers from numerous respiratory infections may be more prone to
develop asthma. Children who had a low birth weight or whose
mother smoked or was exposed to smoking during her pregnancy are
high risk for the condition. Children who are exposed to
cigarette smoke regularly are more prone to develop it. Asthma
also seems to be hereditary, so any child who has a family member
who suffers from asthma is more likely to also develop it. If
your child falls in to one of these high risk categories, you
should inform your family doctor. This information will insure
that he doctor will check your child regularly for any asthma
symptoms.

When determining the treatment program for a child suffering
from asthma, your doctor will first determine the category that
your child�s symptoms fall into. There are several of these
groups that are rated according to the frequency and severity of
the asthma symptoms. From the mildest to the most severe they are
as follows: mild intermittent (twice or less times a week), mild
persistent (more than twice a week but not daily), moderate
persistent (daily), and severe persistent (continually throughout
the day). By determining the severity of your child�s condition,
his doctor can recommend an effective treatment program.

Asthma is a controllable condition as long as your child follows
his treatment program and avoids stimuli that may affect him
adversely. In almost all cases, an asthma attack will pass and is
not fatal. In the case of a severe attack, however, medical help
should be called. One consolation is that most children outgrow
asthma as they reach adulthood.

As a parent of an asthmatic child, you will need to teach your
child the things that he should avoid as well as the warning
signs that an attack may be coming on. If your child is age
appropriate, you should make sure that he knows how to take his
medication on his own. The combination of education and
medication should enable your child to enjoy a normal, happy
childhood.

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