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Asthma: |
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What is
Asthma?
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Asthma
is a condition that lasts all of your
child's life. It is an illness that
affects your child's lungs.
Asthma does not go away as your child
gets older. Sometimes your child will feel
better. Other times your child will feel
worse because of the asthma.
This information explains what happens
when your child's asthma becomes a problem
and what you can do to make your child
feel better. |
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What happens when your child's asthma
becomes a problem?
When your child's asthma becomes a problem,
his or her airways get much narrower. When
this happens, your child has problems getting
air in and out of his or her lungs.
Three things happen to narrow the airways
when your child has a problem with asthma.
- The muscles around the airways get
tight. You will hear this called
bronchospasm or bronchoconstriction.
- The lining on the inside of the airways
gets thick and swells. You will hear this
called inflammation.
- The airways make a lot of a clear, thick
liquid called mucus. This mucus is thicker
than normal and may block the airways.
This picture shows what happens to the
airways when your child has a problem with
asthma.
It is important that you remember these
things.
- Even when your child seems better, he or
she will have swollen airways for 6 to 8
weeks after his or her asthma was a problem.
- You can help stop another problem with
asthma if you make sure your child stays
away from the things that make his or her
asthma worse.
- You should follow the action plan that
you made with your doctor. The action plan
is a written plan that tells you and your
child what to do every day to manage the
asthma. This plan also explains what to do
when your child's asthma makes your child
start to feel sick.
What can you do to help your child feel
better?
There are some ways that you can help your
child feel better.
- Learn more about asthma.
- Make sure that your child takes all
medicines exactly as your child's doctor
tells you to.
- Know what triggers your child's asthma
and try to stay away from these things.
(Triggers are things that make your child's
asthma worse.)
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What
Makes Your Child's Asthma Worse?
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Triggers make your child's asthma worse.
Every child with asthma is bothered by
different triggers.
This information is a list of the
common triggers that may bother your
child. It also explains some ways that
your child can stay away from these
triggers when he or she can.
Infections, such as colds and flu
- Keep your child away from people who
have a cold or the flu.
- Make sure your child and your family
wash their hands often, particularly
when someone in your family is sick.
- Ask your doctor about getting a flu
shot for your child early in the fall.
Cigarette, tobacco or wood smoke
- Do not smoke. And stay away from
any smoke. Smoke stays on your
clothes and may make your child's
asthma worse.
- Do not let anyone smoke in your
home. Ask people to go outside to
smoke. When you smoke in another
room, the smoke goes through the
rest of the house or apartment and
will bother your child.
- Do not let anyone smoke in your
car.
- Keep your child away from the
smoke from a fireplace, oil heater,
or wood stove.
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Strong odours and sprays
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- Keep your child away from strong
perfume, hair spray, household
cleaners, and air fresheners.
- Wait for the smell of new paint
or other strong smells to disappear
before letting your child come into
a room.
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Things that cause allergic
reactions, such as dust, pollens, moulds,
animals, and foods
- Keep your child away from things
that cause allergic reactions, such
as dust, pollens from trees,
grasses, or weeds, and moulds,
animals, and foods.
- Children with asthma do not
always have allergies. But if your
child has allergies, the allergies
may make your child's asthma worse.
- To find out if your child has an
allergy to anything, you should have
him or her tested for allergies.
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Medicine
- Do not give your child medicines
with aspirin in them, such as cough and
cold medicines. Aspirin can make your
child's asthma worse. Talk to your
pharmacist (druggist) about any
medicines that you give your child.
- Give your child medicines with
acetaminophen in them, for example,
Tylenol or Tempra.
- Read all the labels on the medicines
that you give your child.
Cold weather
- Make sure your child wears a
scarf over the mouth and nose in
cold weather. This helps warm the
cold air before it goes into his or
her airways.
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Exercise
- Make sure your child always
starts and ends any exercise with
easy, gentle exercises. These are
called warm-up and cool-down
exercises.
- If your child's doctor tells you
to, have your child take medicine
for asthma 15 to 20 minutes before
he or she exercises. Taking the
medicine may stop your child's
asthma from getting worse during
exercise.
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What Are the
Warning Signs That Your Child's Asthma is Getting
Worse?
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This
information tells you what to look for as
early warning signs that your child's asthma
is getting worse. It also explains what to do
if you see any of these signs.
What are the early warning signs that
your child's asthma is getting worse?
Problems with asthma can start slowly over
hours or days. The small changes that happen
in your child's body when he or she is having
problems with asthma are called early warning
signs.
Early warning signs are different for each
child. You may find that they are not easy to
see. Here are some common early warning
signs.
Things that you can see or hear in your
child
- a cough that will not go away
- coughing at night
- shortness of breath
- wheezing
- signs of a cold
- dark circles under your child's eyes
- tired soon after beginning to play
- sneezing a lot
- restless
- grumpy, cranky, out of sorts
- clingy
- pale
- not hungry
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Things that your child may tell you
- "I'm tired."
- "I have a headache."
- "My chest feels tight."
- "It is hard to breathe when I play."
- "My head hurts."
If you see any of these early warning
signs, follow the action plan that you made
with your doctor. And call your doctor.
If you do not have an action plan, talk to
your doctor about making one.
What are the danger signs that your
child's asthma is getting worse?
If your child has any of the danger signs
listed here, make sure you follow the action
plan that you made with your doctor.
Have your child take his or her medicine
just as your child's action plan says to. And
take your child to the nearest emergency
department if your child has any of these
danger signs:
- breathing faster than usual
- taking longer to breathe out than usual
- having trouble talking
- feeling very tired
- lips or skin looking blue
- skin sinking in on the neck or chest
If your child has any of these danger
signs, go to the nearest emergency department,
or call an ambulance. |
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