LIVEWELL MINUTE: Asthma and Children
More than 15 million people have asthma in the United States with approximately 18 percent of children suffering from Asthmatic episodes.
Ricardo Flores, MD Pediatric Pulmonologist at Blank Children s Hospital says, “Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that cause airways to tighten and narrow. It can rapidly lead to chest tightness, severe cough and shortness of breath. At times, it can be so severe emergency care is needed.”
Anyone can have asthma, including infants and adolescents. It is important to note that individuals do not outgrow asthma even though the symptoms may lessen with age. Asthma can develop at any age or after a viral illness. The tendency to develop asthma is often inherited. Diagnosing asthma can be tricky and time-consuming because different children with asthma have different patterns of symptoms.
When working to diagnose asthma, your child s doctor will consider the following:
- Family s asthma and allergy history
- Physical evaluation including chest x-rays, blood tests and allergy skin tests.
Dr. Flores tells us, “Parents need to provide as much information as possible about their child s signs and symptoms and what triggers an asthma episode. Typical triggers include exercise, allergies, viral infections and smoke.”
