Nearly 5 – 10% of children and infants are affected by asthma, which shares the term reactive airway disease. Kids may suffer from wheezing, difficulty in breathing and chest constriction as well as coughing, which is the most common symptom of this disease.

There is currently no cure for asthma in children, although researchers are diligently working to unravel the mysteries of why this disease is so prevalent, however, a Pediatrician can assist with the management of airway constriction to make the quality of life much better.

You will find that the ability to control symptoms, avoid missing school days, as well as avoiding trips to the hospital emergency room and minimizing symptoms overall requires checking in regularly with your son or daughter’s Pediatrician. According to the CDC, 6.5 million children and infants today are suffering with the symptoms of this disease.

Your child will not be slowed down by their asthma, and will be able to enjoy activities such as sports and other physical activities while they play with their age group without worry if proper measures to control the symptoms are taken. The cause for asthma is not known, but airways can be hyperresponsive or very sensitive and triggers can cause attacks.

Triggers that cause attacks are dust, exercise, smoke and pet hairs to name a few, and the airways react by producing mucus which limits the air that can come through their passages. Airways become inflamed and narrow, causing the amount of air into the lungs to be dramatically depleted. Bronchodilators reverse the constriction of airways, however long periods of narrowing make attacks last much longer in children and can also cause exacerbation.

It is found that asthma runs in certain families, and children with instances of allergic eczema or rhinitis have a higher occurrence. If allergies and asthma are very strong in your family, it is more likely that your children will suffer from similar issues, and reducing triggers will prevent asthma from developing. Ensuring to minimize exposure to triggers will prevent attacks.

Long-term relief as well as short-term relief can be found through medications of the anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator form. Anti-inflammatory medications are corticosteroids which function to have long term effects on bringing relief from airway constriction. Bronchodilators provide quick relief by helping the muscles that tighten around the airways to relax.

Ensure that your kids stay indoors in air condition environments when the pollen count is high, add air filters to your home and be sure to lower the introduction of triggers such as pet dander around your offspring to prevent attacks.