Symptoms and severity of asthma in children can be different from asthma in adults. If not treated properly, asthma can recur frequently and become increasingly difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to know the symptoms and triggering factors of asthma in children and how to handle them.
Diagnosis and treatment of children with asthma, especially children under 5 years of age, is not an easy matter. Asthma in children has various symptoms and different levels of severity.
There are children who experience mild asthma symptoms, but there are also those who experience severe symptoms every time their asthma flares up. Steps to treat asthma in children are generally adjusted to the severity of asthma experienced by children and how often asthma symptoms recur.
Causes and Triggers of Asthma
The cause of asthma, both in adults and children, is not known with certainty. However, there are several factors that can increase a person's risk of developing asthma, including:
- Genetic factors or congenital
- Exposure to air pollution, such as cigarette smoke or being second-hand smoke
- Exposure to allergens (allergens), such as dust, animal dander, pollen and mites
- Premature birth or low birth weight
- Extreme weather, for example the air temperature is too cold
- Recurrent and severe respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis
- History of allergic diseases, such as eczema and food allergies
- Family history of asthma, eczema, allergies, or rhinitis
Signs and Symptoms of Asthma in Children
Asthma symptoms that appear in each child can be different. This makes asthma in children difficult to detect. However, there are some main symptoms that generally appear when a child has an asthma attack, namely wheezing or wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing.
In addition, there are also other symptoms that can appear when asthma in children is relapsing, including:
- Difficulty breathing or breathing seems heavy and fast
- Child does not want to eat or breastfeed
- Pale skin with bluish nails and lips
- Looks weak and less active
- Looks less energetic, easily weak or tired, and often coughs when doing activities
- Chest and neck muscles seem to be pulled when the child breathes or the nose is flat when breathing
- The child seems fussy because he feels tightness or discomfort in the chest
In some children, asthma symptoms can be more severe. In severe cases, asthma in children can cause the following signs and symptoms:
- The breath is panting and fast, so that the way he talks stutters or even the child can't speak at all
- Difficulty in breathing
- Stomach appears to deflate under the ribs when the child breathes
- The child still feels short of breath even though he has received asthma medicine
- Decreased consciousness or fainting due to lack of oxygen
If this happens, immediately take your child to the nearest hospital for proper treatment.
How to Treat Asthma in Children
Asthma cannot be cured, but its symptoms can be prevented and controlled. To treat asthma in children and prevent it from coming back, you can follow some of the following tips:
1. Recognize and avoid triggers for asthma symptoms
Asthma trigger factors in each child is different. However, asthma symptoms generally appear when children are exposed to cigarette smoke, cold air, dust, and air pollution, or when doing strenuous physical activities.
Therefore, you need to identify and record the trigger factors for asthma in children, then stay away from children as much as possible from these trigger factors. Sometimes, stress and anxiety disorders can also make asthma symptoms in children easy to recur.
2. Give asthma medicine
In general, there are two types of asthma medications that doctors can give to treat and prevent the recurrence of asthma symptoms in children, namely:
Asthma medicine controller
This type of asthma medication works to prevent the recurrence of asthma symptoms. Asthma drugs classified as asthma drugs controller is a long-acting beta agonistlong-acting beta agonist/LABA), inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, and theophylline
Asthma medicine reliever
Asthma medicine reliever serves to relieve asthma symptoms in a short time when relapse. Some types of fast-acting asthma relievers include bronchodilators or fast-acting beta-agonist drugs.short-acting beta agonists/SABA), corticosteroids, and ipratropium.
Asthma medicines in children are generally available in the form of inhaled drugs that are used with assistive devices, such as: inhaler and nebulizer.
In addition to giving asthma medication, sometimes doctors will also prescribe antibiotics. However, this drug is only given when a child with asthma has a bacterial infection, such as pneumonia.
3. Give oxygen therapy
Children with asthma can experience a decrease in the amount of oxygen when asthma symptoms recur. If the child experiences this, asthma treatment should be accompanied by oxygen therapy.
Oxygen therapy is very important to prevent and treat hypoxia or low levels of oxygen in the blood. If not treated properly, hypoxia has the potential to cause a child to experience organ damage and even death.
Tips for Caring for and Caring for Children with Asthma
If you have a child who has asthma, there are some tips you can do to look after and care for a child with asthma, including:
- Identify and record the asthma symptoms experienced by the child and know how badly these symptoms affect his activities.
- Record how often asthma attacks recur.
- Identify the trigger factors for asthma in children.
- Know the first aid for asthma attacks in children according to the doctor's advice.
- Understand the different types of medication and how asthma medications work.
- Give asthma medication to children according to the doctor's instructions.
- Know the side effects of each drug and do not give the drug more than the recommended dose.
- Observe whether treatment is optimal in managing symptoms that arise and reducing the frequency of asthma attacks.
- Visit a doctor and get tested peak flow meter to find out how well the child's lungs are working.
To prevent the recurrence of asthma symptoms in children, you can also follow some of the following tips:
- Thoroughly clean the house and child's room from dust and pet dirt.
- Avoid using cleaning products or household products that may irritate children.
- Use allergy medication as directed by your doctor and do not change the dose without your doctor's knowledge.
- Teach children about healthy living habits. One of them is diligently washing hands to minimize the risk of catching a cold.
- Teach children about the importance of avoiding asthma triggers on him.
- Provide children with inhaler at school or outside the home, and also teach how to use it.
Asthma in children cannot be taken lightly because it can harm the baby. If your little one has asthma, you need to identify what triggers the asthma symptoms they are experiencing and always avoid them as much as possible.
If you still have questions about asthma in children and how to handle it, you can consult a doctor. The doctor will tell you about steps to prevent and control asthma in children.