Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : April 30, 2015 10:01 AM IST
Image credits by: Get immediate help: Visit your doctor immediately after your attack even if it has subsided. It is best to get yourself checked to prevent any complications.
Reena Saldanha s son Vivan would break into repeated bouts of cough and cold when they were living in Canada a decade back. Facing the harsh climate, took a toll on Vivan s health, who was just a little more than a year old. Shifting base to Mumbai, India when Vivan was ten, his condition only worsened, with severe bouts of cough especially at night.
On taking him to a paediatrician whose treatment seemed to be working marginally, Reema did the obvious. She restricted consumption of cold foods, his movement during winters. She lived in constant fear of changing season. Despite all her attempts to keep her son protected and safe, one night Vivan had to be rushed to the hospital due to severe cough and wheezing. For the first time after months of medication and treatment, he managed to get the right diagnosis. Vivan was suffering from asthma.
Cough is the body s natural way of removing harmful particles like dust, pathogens or secretions from your lungs. The common cough is most often ignored as a mild nuisance and restrained with cough medicines. But cough accompanied with other physiological symptoms like shortness of breath or tightness of chest could be suggestive of a more serious problem in the lungs or can even be indicative of asthma, says Dr Mukul Sanklecha, Pediatrician, Bombay Hospital.
Cough and asthma how to recognise the difference?
Cough and cold are common occurrences in children. There are also different kinds of cough that your child can suffer from. But cough lasting more than eight weeks can be termed as chronic and may be due to several conditions like nasal allergy, tuberculosis, acid reflux disease (GERD) or asthma. Cough could also indicate trouble when it is accompanied by --
When do you know that it is asthma?
Of all the other lung problems or infections that can happen to your child -- along with a persistent recurring cough -- asthma is one of the most common causes that is often highly misunderstood and misdiagnosed. There is also a social stigma attached to the term asthma. But one should know that diagnosing and treating asthma early is crucial in effectively managing it in children, explains Sanklecha.
He further stated, The severity of asthma symptoms varies among children, however most children will have mild asthma. Asthma affects the airways, the small tubes known as the bronchi, which carry air in and out of the lungs. Children diagnosed with asthma tend to seem more prone to suffering from cough and cold since the airways of their lungs are more sensitive than normal.'
Here are some symptoms that could indicate asthma in your child
What s next? When diagnosed with asthma
Reach out for help: Once you have recognized the symptoms and if it matches with the ones your baby shows, go to a paediatrician or a chest physician for a better evaluation. 'Often children with a family history of asthma are more likely to suffer from it,' says Dr Sanklecha.
Watch out for triggers: Anything that causes your child to break into a bout of cough can be a possible trigger. The triggers could be anything like dust mites, cigarette smoke, fur-bearing animals, household pests like cockroaches or rodents, chemical irritants, some foods, congested areas or even exercise. When an asthmatic child comes in contact with a trigger their airways narrow, the lining swells or inflames, the muscles around them tighten, and there is an increase in the production of sticky mucus or phlegm. This makes it difficult to breathe and causes symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, says Dr Sanklecha. Here's everything you should know about diagnosis and treatment of asthma.
Give proper medical care and support: Since your child s condition aggravates when in contact with triggers try and help him avoid them, though practically it isn t an easy task. Your doctor would chart out medications to treat asthma, follow their dictum to manage asthma effectively.
Treatment of asthma what you need to know
Asthma can be treated by either oral medications or inhalers. Though experts, today believe the inhalation therapy is the best way to manage asthma. Inhaled corticosteroid is the most effective anti-inflammatory available for chronic treatment of asthma. Corticosteroids are a copy of steroids naturally present in our body and helps in easing asthmatic symptoms, says Dr Sanklecha.
Treatment in infants: Asthma medications are given through nebulized solution to infants as they would not be able to use an inhaler or take pills. Read about 8 steps to manage asthma in children better.
Treatment in young children: Around five years of age children can take inhalers to help them combat the symptoms of asthma. When done with proper technique the amount of medication deposition in the lungs with an inhaler is no different than using a nebulized solution.
Oral medication or inhalers which one is better?
Inhalation of medication is the mainstay treatment for asthma control. However, when drugs are administered orally in the form of tablets, pills or syrups, it can have potential side-effects. On the other hand, in inhalation therapy the dose of drugs is 40 times less than in oral drugs.
Also, the inhaled medicine reaches directly to the lungs where it is needed without being absorbed by other body parts. Thus, cutting down the chances of any side-effects. Sometimes, a little bit of the drug may be deposited in the mouth or throat and may cause sore throat or husky voice, however, rinsing the mouth with water after each puff on the inhaler can solve this problem.
Inhalation therapy has a more favorable risk-benefit ratio than oral controller treatment. Use of inhaler is a simple, safe, and convenient and it is a quick way of getting relief from asthma symptoms. Additionally, regular use of inhalers can help in cutting down the recurrence of asthma attacks and also in preventing complications, says Dr Sanklecha. Did you know about these self-care and prevention measures to deal with asthma?
Is it possible to live a normal life with asthma?
Asthma doesn t have a cure but can be managed effectively with proper treatment and medications. Use of inhalers and identifying the problem early in life helps a child to lead a life as normal as any other child. Of course staying away from triggers is also needed, says Dr Sanklecha. Here are 10 things you should avoid to prevent asthma attacks.
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