ASTHMA IN CHILDREN

Asthma is a long-term condition that can cause the airways of children to become sensitive to certain triggers like virus/ fungus/ house dust mite/ pets/ pollens/ etc.

• This trigger can cause varying degrees of coughing especially at night, wheezing, difficulty in breathing and sometimes chest pain.
• The diagnosis of asthma is clinical but now we are equipped with tests which can help us identify the triggers and also the degree of obstruction in the airways even in children less than 5 years of age.
• It is very important that children receive treatment, this can be done with inhaled medications and at times oral medications as advised by your doctor.
• We provide an action plan which will help the parents/ caregiver to recognize early signs of Asthma and if any change of medication is required. 

The most common signs are wheezing, difficulty in breathing, cough and chest pain.

Asthma cannot be completely cured but it can be controlled with supervised medication and avoidance of triggers. 

Asthma is a clinical diagnosis done by your doctor, but newer diagnostic tests like spirometry/ forced oscillatory technique and FeNo which detects the airflow limitation in children and level of nitric oxide which can increase in children with Asthma. Spirometry can be done even in children above five years of age, whereas forced oscillation technique can be done at any age.

It is a myth that children get addicted to inhalers. The inhalers help to open the airways and the effects far out weigh the side effects. The dosage of inhalers is monitored and can be stopped on your doctor's advise.

All the above tests are available in our clinic. For more details contact us today.