At the moment many children should the diagnosis ” bronchial asthma “, and this disease is an urgent problem in the world today. The incidence of bronchial asthma in children is from 5 to 20%. Climate change, environmental conditions, a large number of people with existing allergic diseases predispose to an even greater increase in the number of children with this serious diagnosis. And the first symptoms of asthma can appear quite early – in 50-80% of children with this diagnosis, he is exposed up to 5 years. It should be noted that in children under 1 year of age this is a rare, but still possible disease.
Bronchial asthma. What is it?
What is bronchial asthma? This is a chronic allergic inflammation of the bronchi. It is very important that the child is diagnosed in the early stages and that the treatment be prescribed on time, since over time irreversible changes in the bronchi occur. Due to the long-lasting inflammation, the structure of the lower respiratory tract changes – this leads to a deterioration in the condition of the child, aggravation of the severity of the disease and disability of the child.
What causes bronchial asthma
In most cases, bronchial asthma in children is an allergic disease. Although the disease may not be allergic, but, for example, of an infectious nature. Often exacerbations are caused by viruses.
The most common allergens:
household – household dust, the so-called ” bed ” ticks, insect excrement;
epidermal – animal hair and dander;
pollen – pollen of trees and grasses.
Factors such as excessive physical activity, chemical irritants, tobacco smoke, emotional upheaval, and weather changes can contribute to an attack.
Therefore, it is also important to identify the source of allergies and try to minimize its effect.
If the source of the allergic reaction is an animal, you should give it in good hands. Many people have the false idea that there are “ non-allergenic ” dogs and cats. This is not true. Most often, an allergy develops specifically on animal dander, and not on wool. Therefore, if a child has manifestations of food allergies at an early age, then you should not start an animal in the house. If a reaction to dust is manifested, wet cleaning should be carried out regularly, use a vacuum cleaner with a filter, and remove carpets. A person suffering from allergies is sensitive to the concentration of dust particles – scientists have calculated that there should be a maximum of 50 per 1 cubic meter. If the source of allergies is plant pollen, you should limit walking or it is best to temporarily take the child to the place of least dusting of the plant to which there is a reaction.
Now there are applications for mobile devices that help parents of children with bronchial asthma monitor the concentration of dusting plants in the air and take action. If you are allergic to mold, excess moisture and mold foci in the apartment or house must be eliminated.
Children need to conduct hardening and restorative procedures to reduce the incidence of SARS.
Relatives of sick children should stop smoking, as babies who constantly inhale tobacco smoke often develop seizures. These children are often included in the group of frequently ill children.
Symptoms in children
It is possible to assume that a child has precisely bronchial asthma with a certain clinical picture, having learned whether his parents are ill, since there is a genetic predisposition to this disease. Parents can get sick not only with asthma, but also with allergic rhinitis, eczema, hay fever, and also carry urticaria.
In the first year of life, children who were later diagnosed with ” asthma “, suffered symptoms of food allergies – they are ” transformed ” with age in bronchial asthma.
Your child may have bronchial asthma if he has the following symptoms:
wheezing
cough, with difficult sputum;
suffocation;
difficulty breathing out;
wheezing that can be heard from a distance.
In a severe attack, children can take a sitting position with the arms resting on the bed and raised shoulders.
Often these signs appear at night and without manifestations of a cold. Before the attack itself, the child may have a cough, a sore throat, sneezing, nasal congestion and itching, headache, lethargy or anxiety.
There may also be nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue of the child, decreased physical activity, waking up at night, frequent bronchitis or pneumonia.
Most likely, the child does not have asthma if:
he’s not gaining weight well
vomiting is present
there is no reaction to medications prescribed for bronchial asthma.
In any case, both children need a full examination, which should be prescribed by a pediatrician, an allergist.
Establishing diagnosis
This diagnosis is made according to a number of criteria. According to the clinical picture described above, functional criteria, as well as the characteristics of the allergological status of the child. Such examinations are carried out: the function of external respiration (HPF), skin tests, laboratory methods for determining specific antibodies in the blood. Indications for allergic inflammation are the detection of eosinophils in nasal mucus.
Treating children
If the doctor put the diagnosis ” bronchial asthma “, then treatment is prescribed, the observance of which must necessarily be controlled by parents. There are children who have features of the course of this disease, so their therapy may differ from most children. These are overweight children with gastroesophageal reflux disease, those who have an attack during physical exertion, intolerance to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and others.
Treatment of bronchial asthma is carried out not only during an attack, but also during remission to prevent exacerbations.
The action of the main drugs is aimed at reducing allergic inflammation in the bronchi. Also, drugs that eliminate bronchial obstruction are used.
Currently, one of the promising methods of treatment, in addition to anti-inflammatory drugs, is allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT). It is performed during remission of bronchial asthma.
All treatment should be selected by a doctor! Only in this way can parents succeed in combating frequent exacerbations and the transition of the disease to a more severe form.