What do parents do when a child has asthma?

When a child has an asthma attack, the windpipe will be red, swollen, mucus secretes and bronchospasm narrows, narrowing the air ducts. This causes your baby to experience shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing.

Children with asthma that are not treated in time can affect their lives. Therefore, when you notice signs of a seizure, you must immediately give your child the medication prescribed by your doctor to stop the attack.

The drug is put into the child's body, the air ducts expand to relieve the asthma attack. If your baby has an allergic reaction to the asthma reliever, take him to the hospital quickly.

What to do when your baby has both asthma and allergies?

Indoor dust, cockroaches, mold, and pet hair can cause allergies and asthma attacks, also known as allergic bronchial asthma. Allergic pollen or dust will not be dangerous for children 4 or 5 years old because then, the child's immune system has enough ability to resist. However, other allergic symptoms are still possible.

Around the world, on average, about 75-80% of children have both asthma and allergies. Therefore, if you suspect that your baby has an allergy, you should take your baby to the hospital for examination and treatment to prevent a dangerous situation from happening.

What factors can cause asthma?

Cold weather, viral infections (flu), cigarette smoke, air pollution, and even grass dust around the house can also cause asthma in children. Furthermore, after playing, if your child often coughs and wheezes, there is a chance he will develop asthma due to too much exercise.

Children often have asthma?

Asthma is a common chronic disease in children. This is also one of the reasons why children under 15 often go to the emergency room.

How to know children with asthma

It is very difficult to distinguish asthma symptoms from those of the flu or other respiratory illnesses. Therefore, the doctor will be the one to make accurate conclusions about the child's condition through monitoring the health and this family history of the disease.

If your child has frequent coughs, allergies or a family history of asthma and allergies, especially if parents are sick, the chances of the child having asthma is very high. In addition, asthma symptoms often get worse at night.

Treatment of asthma

1. Stop the asthma attack

Your baby's doctor will prescribe asthma medicine and aerosol to stop severe asthma attacks. The albuterol component in the drug is used through specialized breathing apparatus and metering aerosol (MDI). Anti-asthma medications dilate the bronchi and make it easier for children to breathe.

Specialized electric or battery powered ventilators help change medication from liquid to gas for the child to breathe in through the mask. This should take about 10 minutes.

A metering spray (MDI) consists of a long tube called a storage compartment, attached to a mask or hose. Albuterol is stored in an inhaler and introduced into the child's lungs through a mask. This process only takes 1 minute or less.

Choosing one of the two tools above depends on what is convenient for your child. Overall, both of these tools are equally effective and effective.

2. Prevent asthma attacks

Using steroid sprays helps reduce the inflammation, swelling, and shortness of breath associated with an asthma attack. Alternatively, you can use an MDI metering spray or a ventilator to aid in getting the medicine into your child's body.

Taking a non-steroidal chewable pill called an anti-leukotriene can also help fight inflammation and swelling. This is the medicine that doctors recommend for children every day.

If your child's asthma is difficult to control, the doctor will refer the child to a specialist for follow-up and treatment. Talk to your child's teacher or caregiver about your child's asthma and don't forget to teach them how to first aid when your child has an asthma attack.

What can be done to prevent a child's asthma from coming back?

There is no way to help a child get rid of asthma if it is inherited. Signs of asthma children include chronic symptoms such as persistent coughing and wheezing. However, you have the ability to reduce your child's illness by doing the following:

1. Limit exposure to dust in the home

Make sure your baby's mattress is covered with water-repellent material and remove velvet or fur toys. In addition, you should use blinds instead of fabrics and wash blankets, pillows, and mattresses with warm water once a week.

2. Keep children away from cigarette smoke

Tobacco smoke is basically not an allergen, but it affects the child's lungs.

3. Limit your child's exposure to polluted air

When you let your child go to the street, especially during rush hours, you should pay attention to wear a mask to reduce the inhalation of dust from vehicles. Choose a mask that fits your child, neither too small nor too big to ensure effective dust and smoke.

4. Avoid using charcoal stove indoors

When you eat grilled food, you can use charcoal to bake the food. However, you should bring the kitchen to the yard to do because the smoke from coal also affects the child's lungs.

5. Minimize contact with pets

Pet hair is also the cause of allergies. Therefore, if your child shows signs of an allergic reaction to the pet's fur, you should let them live in the yard, avoiding contact with them.

6. Minimize the amount of mold in your home

You can reduce mold in your home using the following methods:

Use a hood or open kitchen windows when cooking;

Install an air conditioner or dehumidifier to keep the humidity at 35 - 50%;

Fill holes and leaks to prevent mold from growing on walls and floors;

Use soap and water to clean floor surfaces;

Make sure the child's clothes are completely dry. Wet clothing can cause mold.

Is there a way to stop a child's asthma attack?

There is no cure for an asthma attack even if a child has only mild asthma. In general, asthma is a chronic disease, with many symptoms affecting the child's development. However, with proper monitoring and treatment, children can overcome their asthma attacks and participate in activities (running, jumping, swimming). Many children with asthma are still growing and healthy normally.