Ten tips to keep childhood asthma at bay

Do you know that in Spain asthma affects 10% of the child population? Even without care, your symptoms can be controlled. Pay attention to these ten tips!

Mother and daughter show asthma inhalers/EFE/IVAN MEJIA

It is one of the main causes of school absenteeism and an important factor that conditions the quality of life. In Spain, asthma is the most frequent chronic disease in the child populationwith one prevalence of 10%, according to the Pediatric Asthma Group Network (regAP). Can it be controlled?

Julio Masset, doctor of the Cinfa companytalks about childhood asthma as something that can be controlled, but that needs to be taken care of.

“Although it is a chronic disease that has no cure, the parents of the boy or girl with asthma can control the symptoms so that they enjoy a quality of life similar to that of those who do not have this problem,” says the doctor.

What do the experts advise?

They are facilitated by Cinfa ten guidelines to “keep at bay” childhood asthma.

1. Give him his medication as directed by the pediatrician. In order for you to enjoy a good quality of life, it is very important that you take your medication in the dose, frequency and duration indicated by your pediatrician (who will often do so even if you have no symptoms) as part of your treatment for asthma
   • Raise any doubts or fears with the specialist against side effects, but do not interrupt the treatment on your own initiative.
2. Teach your child how to use the inhaler correctly. If you are old enough, give her a demonstration and encourage her to repeat it. The inhalation technique includes the following phases:
   • Open the device
   • Prepare it (shake it, rotate it or charge it)
   • Empty your lungs of air
   • Block breathing
   • Place the mouthpiece of the inhaler in your mouth
   • Inhale deeply
   • Hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds
   • Breathe normally again
   • In some cases, it is indicated rinse your mouth (especially when treating with corticosteroids)
   • In the case of babies or small childrenlearn to use them properly inhalation chambers.
3. Always consult the pediatrician before giving him other drugs. Never medicate him on your own and inform his pediatrician of new prescriptions that other specialists may have indicated to you. In any case, always inform your pharmacist, dentist or other healthcare professionals of the asthmatic status of the child, to avoid interactions with other medicines.
4. Learn to recognize crises. Ask the pediatrician to teach you to spot the symptoms of worsening, as the child is sometimes not able to recognize them. For this reason, it can be very beneficial to use a respiratory flow meter, which notes puff limitation.
5. Draw up an action plan with the pediatrician. Prepare a written action plan with the pediatrician, which tells you exactly what to do when your son or daughter suffers a serious crisis. It can recommend guidelines such as:
   • Increase the dose
   • Associate it with another
   • Take another one from
   • Go to the emergency room…
6. Introduce breathing exercises into your daily routine. Learn and teach him to practice respiratory physiotherapy exercises on a regular basis, because they will help you control your breathing and anxiety when an asthma attack strikes. If, after this, the breathing difficulty persists, do not send him to school or daycare. Also, don’t leave it at home unattended.
7. Do not smoke in his presence and keep him away from smoky environments. Tobacco is one of the main triggers of asthma. because it increases bronchial inflammation. Therefore, do not smoke in front of the affected boy or girl and do not allow other people to do so or be with him or her in environments with smokers.
8. Avoid the allergens that affect you the most. In addition to tobacco, you must keep his environment free of all substances that can worsen his asthma such as pollen, dust, mites, fungi or animal hair. For this reason, hygiene and cleanliness of the home, the frequent change of bed linen and adequate ventilation (except for pollen allergy in the seasons that appear) are essential habits
9. Yes in sports, but with caution. Physical exercise is recommended in an asthmatic child because it allows him to develop and learn to control his breathing. However, it is preferable to take some precautions:
   • Check that the quality of the blow at rest is normal
   • Make sure you do exercises warming up and acclimatization
   • Verify that the beginning of the activity is progressive
   • Before vigorous exercise, your pediatrician may recommend inhaling medication bronchodilator fast action Likewise, it is always recommended (even if the exercise is of lower intensity) to wear emergency medications in case a crisis occurs.
10. Pack common sense when you travel. As long as their asthma is well controlled and stable, a child with asthma can travel like anyone else, but you must bring their usual medicines, the pediatrician’s written action plan and any medicines they may need with you in case of worsening or crisis.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a lung condition caused by an allergic reaction. This disease can manifest both in the first year of life and during childhood or adulthood.

The expert explains in general terms the impact that this pathology can have on children: in addition to being an important reason for school absenteeism, it is also a factor that conditions the child’s quality of life.

causes

But, What causes it?

Dr. Maset determines that both the genetics like them environmental factors may play a role in the cause. It occurs when exposure to certain substances provoke an immune response, an allergy, which involves a difficulty in breathing.

Allergens such as hair from animals or the mites they can be some of the causesalthough, to the same extent, they can be the tobacco and the pollution.

symptoms

According to the expert, the most common are:

• Cough.
• Wheezing or wheezing in the chest.
• Secretion of viscous and thick mucus.
• Rhinitis.
• Feeling of tightness or pain in the chest.

Treatment

It is a chronic disease, so it has no cure. In this way, CINFA insists on the importance of controlling exposure to allergens that affect the child, in addition to environmental control.

As for drug treatment, it is usually taken via inhalers. In some cases, always in over five years, you can resort to the call immunotherapythat is to say, that of desensitization to the allergen from its administration through a medicine.

The message is clear: the important thing about childhood asthma is learn to live with the disease responsibly and efficiently so as not to lose quality of life in the attempt.