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Asthma in Children - Treatment Overview
Although your child's asthma cannot be cured, you can manage the symptoms with medicines, especially inhaled corticosteroids and beta2-agonists. You and your child will usually work with your doctor to make an asthma action plan. This plan will help you and your child meet treatment goals:
- Increase lung function by treating the
inflammation
in the lungs. - Decrease the severity, frequency, and duration of asthma attacks by avoiding triggers.
- Treat acute attacks as they occur.
- Use quick-relief medicine less (ideally on not more than 2 days a week).
- Have a full quality of life-the ability to participate in all daily activities, including school, exercise, and recreation-by preventing and managing symptoms.
- Sleep through the night undisturbed by asthma symptoms.
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Babies and small children need early treatment for asthma symptoms to prevent severe breathing problems. They may have more serious problems than adults because their bronchial tubes are smaller. Although it may appear that occasional treatment with medicines for children who have mild asthma is enough, one review has noted that one-third of fatal asthma attacks occurred in children who had mild asthma.20 Even if your child's asthma does not appear severe, work with your doctor to make the right plan for your child.
The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) recommends treatment with long-term medicines for infants and young children who:21
- Consistently need treatment for symptoms on more than 2 days a week for longer than 4 weeks.
- Have severe attacks more than once every 6 weeks.
- Have had wheezing 4 or more times in the past year lasting longer than 1 day and affecting sleep and who have atopic dermatitis or a parent with asthma.
- Have had wheezing 4 or more times in the past year lasting
longer than 1 day and affecting sleep and two of the
following four symptoms:
- Wheezing not associated with colds.
- Allergic rhinitis.
- Evidence of sensitivity to some foods.
- A high eosinophil count. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell often present in allergic reactions.
Emergency treatment
If your child has a severe asthma attack (the red zone of the asthma action plan), give him or her medicine based on the action plan, and talk with a doctor immediately about what to do next. This is especially important if your child's peak expiratory flow (PEF) does not return to the green zone or stays within the yellow zone after he or she takes medicine. Your child may have to be admitted to the hospital or go to the emergency room for treatment.
At the hospital, your child will probably receive inhaled beta2-agonists and corticosteroids. He or she may be given oxygen therapy. Doctors will assess your child's lung function and condition. Depending on the response, further treatment in the emergency room or a stay in the hospital may be needed.
Medical checkups
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Asthma in Children Topics
Asthma is the most common reason children get short of breath while exercising, but it's not the only reason.
