Asthma & Allergies Health Information

A Guide to Childhood Asthma

What is asthma?

Asthma makes it hard for your child to breathe - it causes swelling and inflammation in the airways that lead to the lungs. When asthma flares up, the airways tighten and become narrower. This keeps the air from passing through easily and makes it hard for your child to breathe. Such flare ups are also called asthma attacks or exacerbations.

Asthma can affect children in many different ways. Some only have asthma attacks during allergy season, when they breathe in cold air, or when they exercise. Others have many bad attacks that send them to the doctor on a frequent basis.   Even if your child has few asthma attacks, you still need to treat the asthma. If the swelling and irritation in your child’s airways isn't controlled, asthma could lower their quality of life, prevent them from exercising, and increase their risk of going to the hospital.

 
Even though asthma is a lifelong disease, treatment can control it and keep your child healthy. Many children with asthma play sports and live very healthy, active lives.

What causes asthma?

Health experts do not know exactly what causes asthma but there are some things we do know;

• Asthma runs in families.
• It is much more common in people with allergies, though not everyone with allergies contracts asthma. And not everyone with asthma has allergies.
• Pollution may cause asthma or make it worse.

• Wheeze (making a loud or soft whistling noise that occurs when the airways narrow)
• Cough a lot
• Feel tightness in the chest
• Feel short of breath
• Have trouble sleeping because of coughing and wheezing
• Quickly get tired during exercise
• Many children with asthma have symptoms that are worse at night

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Control asthma on a long term basis. To do this, use a daily asthma treatment plan. This is a written plan that tells you which medicine your child needs to take. It also helps you track your child’s symptoms and know how well the treatment is working. Many children take controller medicine—usually an inhaled corticosteroid—every day. Taking controller medicine every day helps reduce the swelling of the airways and prevent attacks. As part of their asthma management, your child may be given a peak flow meter, so that you can monitor their symptoms and the effects of treatment.

• Infections of the airways and chest. Upper respiratory infections, affecting the upper airways, are often caused by viruses, and they are a common trigger of asthma. In some children, fungi, bacteria, and parasites may also be responsible for infection.
• Allergens, such as pollen, dust mites, and animal fur, or feathers.
• Airborne irritants, such as cigarette smoke, chemical fumes and atmospheric pollution.
• Medicines, such as the class of painkillers known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the most well known of which are aspirin and ibuprofen. Children who are under 16 years of age should not be given aspirin.
• Emotional factors, such as stress, or laughing.
• Foods containing sulphites. Sulphites are naturally occurring substances found in some food and drink. They are also sometimes used as a food preservative. Food and drink that are high in sulphites include concentrated fruit juice, jam, shrimp and many processed or pre-cooked meals. Although certain foods may trigger the symptoms of asthma, it is very rare for diet to actually cause the condition.
• Exercise. Ask your healthcare professional about using an inhaler before exercise if this is a trigger for your child’s asthma.

Asthma UK