Asthma in Children: A Common as Well as Chronic Condition

April 7, 2008

Asthma is a common problem that is found in people of all age groups. Whether children or adults, asthma can be life threatening for both and extra care should be taken if the problem persists for a longer period. Before beginning with childhood asthma, it is very imperative to know first what is asthma.

The Deadly Disease:

Asthma can be deadly and life threading and a, fatal disease. Asthma also referred as an asthma episode or flare, occurs when a person feels shortness of breath that may interrupt the patient’s well being and there can be an urgent need for medication or any other form of intervention to control breathlessness and regain the normal process of breathing, once again. Usually asthma is accompanied by wheezing that is a rattling or whistling sound that occurs when air is not being able to flow freely due to obstructions in the airway. This wheezing may occur when the asthmatic patient exhales. Asthma is dreadful disorder and leads to many problems. Adult asthma is something that becomes part of one’s life. One cannot simply run away from it. The causes of t asthma can be whatever they may, but it is best to avoid the asthma triggers as much as possible.

Causes Of Asthma:

Now it is necessary to understand the leading causes of asthma. Constricted Airways, Inflammations, or too Much Mucus is the most important reason of Asthma. In most cases asthma attacks are caused by airways constricting, becoming inflamed, or being lined with too much mucus and may be in response to triggering events such as being exposed to an allergen, cold air, exercise or some form of emotional stress. These factors are highly responsible for causing asthma in people.

An Important Public Health Problem

Asthma in children is an important public health issue and needs to be tackled urgently. Inspite of continuous research into the subject and in spite of new developments in pharmacological agents, the exact causes of childhood asthma have not been determined. Asthma is also one of the main causes why children miss school, and it can make children feel a sense of morbidity, disablement and even results, sometimes, in mortality.

Asthma in children:

A child who frequently coughs or shows signs of respiratory infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis may be one suffering from child asthma. The same would be case with a child that coughs after having run or cried. Recurrent night coughs are also common to children with asthma, since the condition generally worsens at night. Thus asthma in children is dreadful and requires immediate attention. So in case of asthmatic child, it is the duty of both parents and child to lean about asthma and also understand how it can be controlled in case of asthma triggers.

Facts about child asthma:

It is believed that, in 2004, approximately four million children that less than eighteen years of age had an asthma attack, and there were many others that had hidden or undiagnosed asthma conditions. Asthma in children is a cause of concern that requires immediate medication.

Asthma in children can also affect infants who might suffer from coughs which are like rattling sounds and are accompanied by rapid breathing, and they may also have been suffering from pneumonia or bronchitis or have many instances of chest colds. Also, young children may feel discomfort of the chest along with tightness that may cause them unexplained irritableness.

Summary:

Very often asthma in children can be due to certain allergies. Children can be allergic to harmless materials such as pollen, mold, food, and animals. Thus knowing the cause can go along way in controlling it.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • NewsVine


Got something to say?