Pediatric asthma
Description
Asthma is a chronic disease in which complete or partial airway obstruction occurs, this obstruction may reverse with specific therapy or spontaneously.
It affects 5.8% of children (<18 years) around the world and is considered a leading cause of missed school days among children.
The incidence of asthma and hospitalization between boys and girls change with time, It’s higher in boys till puberty then this reverses during adolescence.
Asthma is commonly associated with seasonal allergies (allergic rhinitis) and eczema (atopic dermatitis), and this is known as the “atopic triad”.
Symptoms
Asthma patients suffer from repeated episodes of :
- Coughing
- Wheezes
- Dyspnea
- Chest tightness
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View MoreCauses
The exact cause of asthma is unclear, but it’s thought to be multifactorial and has different risk factors.
- Family history of asthma
- Individual and family history of allergies
- Smoking during pregnancy
- Tobacco smoke exposure during childhood
- Exposure to allergens such as animals, mold, and mites or other allergens
- Air pollutants
- Viral respiratory infections
Asthma symptoms can be triggered by :
- Respiratory tract infections
- Exercise
- Exposure to dust, animals, and molds
- Tobacco smoke
- Weather changes
- Stress
Diagnostics
Check with your doctor if you notice symptoms. The following tests and procedures may be used for diagnosis:
Spirometry : The patient blows air into a machine that measures the amount the patient can inhale and how rapidly he can exhale it.
Provocation testing : Used for patients with normal spirometry but having symptoms. It checks if the lung airways are more sensitive than normal by giving specific medication.
Exercise test : The patient is monitored by spirometry while doing exercise on a treadmill, and it’s used to diagnose exercise-induced asthma.
Allergy testing : To know allergic triggers exacerbating asthma such as molds, mites, dust, and dander by measuring a specific indicator in the blood.
Treatment
Firstly, the patient should avoid the reasons that trigger his asthma.
Your doctor may prescribe :
Fast relievers : To relieve the symptoms quickly. using them too much means that the patient needs a preventer as an add-on (ex: Salbutamol).
Preventers : These medications are used for the long-term to control inflammation and prevent airways from being too sensitive. They include mainly corticosteroids in addition to other different medications (ex : Fluticasone propionate, Formoterol & mometasone, Montelukast, Zafirlukast, Theophylline, Cromolyn sodium, Omalizumab).
