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How to Treat Asthma in Young Children

By Cathy Whims on July 12, 2013

One of the common respiratory health problems is asthma in young children. Hyperactive airways and chronic inflammation to the bronchial mucosa may result in the bronchoconstriction and also reversible airway narrowing.

Typically it is associated with dry cough, chest tightness or difficulty in taking breathe and also wheezing.

The diagnosing and the management of asthma are much difficult in children, as there are several wheezy phenotypes along with varying underlying outcomes and etiologies.

During childhood it could be difficult to diagnose asthma as many other problems can cause similar signs and symptoms.

Managing asthma in young children needs both an appreciation of the present treatment practice and also a willingness to support and educate the kid and their parents in longer-term.

As a parent knowing the asthma guidelines can set out goals for your treatment of asthma in young children.

Here are the guidelines for treating asthma in young children:

The most popular thing a physician look up in an asthma kid is that whether kid’s asthma is affecting his/her school performance and their activity. Physician will also checks whether the child have control over his condition or not.
If particular course of treatment is not succeeded in meeting the healthy goals, then your physician can adjust the treatment regimen. If your kid indeed to get asthma based on the severity, several treatment options will be recommended.
For child who is suffering from mild asthma condition, usual treatment will be short acting beta2 agonist. Usually these will come in the form of MDI. Instead of using these inhalers regularly, they can be used whenever the child needed.
For kids who are under 5 years old, it is difficult to teach the technique of using inhaler. Parents may choose oral medication or nebulizer instead of inhaler. Spacer can also be attached to the inhaler to get better delivery of medication. If child has persistent asthma, then physician may recommend inhaled corticosteroids. It will be given in very small amounts, as this has been found to cause delayed height gain in kids.

In case your child has chronic asthma, high dosage of corticosteroids will be recommended, along with acting beta-2 agonist drugs. Sometimes your kid will also put on the oral corticosteroids. Parents should know the guidelines for treating asthma in young children before starting treatment. Parents should consider using nebulizer as it can provide complete range of medication like long and short acting and corticosteroids also. This can also deliver higher quantity of medication compared to MDI.