Pediatric Asthma – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments

Asthma is a respiratory disease that causes narrowing and swelling of airways. Children suffering from asthma is referred to as pediatric asthma. Asthma is often noticed in childhood. Children with this condition may breathe normally. Though asthma seems to be serious, it can be managed if proper care is taken. In recent years, reports show that many cases have been on pediatric asthma over worldwide. Nearly, 5 – 9 million children in United States suffer from pediatric asthma.

CAUSES OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA:
Airways in children are narrower than adults. Hence, adults are less prone to this disease than the children. The following are various causes responsible for asthma in pediatrics.

• Dust
• Mold
• Tobacco smoke
• Pollen
• Exercise
• Animals hair or dander
• Viral infections like common cold
• Chemicals in food or air
• Strong emotions
• Weather changes
• Aspirin and other medicines
• Pollution

SYMPTOMS OF PEDIATRIC ASTHMA:
Following are some symptoms of pediatric asthma.

• Shortness of breath, while resting also
• Rapid breathing
• Cough
• Chest tightness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Persistent night-time cough is the most common sign of asthma. This alone can be the symptom of asthma in some children.

The following are emergency symptoms:

• Sweating
• Severe anxiety because of shortness of breath
• Difficulty in breathing
• Rapid pulse
• Decrease in alertness, like severe confusion or drowsiness
• Bluish color of face and lips

DIAGNOSIS FOR PEDIATRIC ASTHMA:
Health care provider uses stethoscope to hear asthma-related sounds. However, these sounds are normal between asthma episodes.

The following tests are performed to detect asthma in children.

• Chest X-ray
• Lung Function
• Arterial blood gas
• Allergy skin
• Eosinophil count
• Blood tests
• Peak flow measurements

TREATMENTS FOR PEDIATRIC ASTHMA:
Two basic kinds of medications are used for treating asthma. Long-term medicines, if used regularly prevents asthma attacks in children. Those include:

• Long-acting bronchodilators helps in opening airways
• Inhale steroids to prevent inflammation
• Nedocromil sodium or Cromolyn sodium
• Leukotriene inhibitors
• Theophylline or Aminophylline

In some cases, a combination of bronchodilators and steroids are used to cure asthma. For quick relief from the symptoms the following are used.

• Corticosteroids, like methylprednisolone or prednisone
• Short-acting bronchodilators, like Ventolin, Proventil, Xopenex are used

Though, the same medications are used to treat adults, different inhalers and dosages are used for children. Nebulizers are widely used by children as they are easy to use. Quick relief medications can be given to children suffering from mild asthma. Regular medications should be used for those with persistent asthma.