If left unattended, asthma can cause severe problems in a child and can even be fatal. Given the seriousness of the disease it is important to be able to identify symptoms of this disease in your child and get medical help as soon as possible so that the problem can be kept under control and your child can lead a healthy life.
Does Your Child Suffer from Allergies or Asthma?
An allergy is an inflammatory reaction to some kind of foreign substance that does not agree with your body. Asthma, on the other hand, is a lung disease that causes difficulty in breathing. This disease affects the lower respiratory area.
Allergies and asthma are often mistaken for each other since they can show similar symptoms. In fact, a number of people who are suffering from asthma also tend to suffer from a number of allergies. In both cases, the immunity system in the body tries to fight off different kinds of allergens. This causes inflammation in the system. People who suffer from asthma experience this inflammation in their airways, making it difficult for them to breath.
Managing Your Child’s Asthma
Asthma is very difficult to prevent. However, there are certain things that you can do to try and manage the asthma and keep it under control.
• Stay away from the triggers. Different children react to different kinds of triggers. If your child reacts to dust, try to stay away from it. You should keep an eye on your child to figure out what may have triggered an attack so that you can stay away from it.
• Try some yoga. A number of kids respond well to yoga and it helps them breathe better. These breathing techniques could help to reduce the intensity of the attacks or the number of attacks.
• Introduce pets at an early age. This step should be done before your child starts getting an asthma attack around pets. Studies have shown that children who have grown up with pets from a young age often have less allergies and do not suffer from asthma as much. However, if your child already reacts to the pets then you should keep them away.
• Follow the doctor’s instructions. If your child has been prescribed certain medicines, ensure that the medicines are given properly and on time. It could help to prevent a lot of trouble later.
• If your child gets asthma outdoors or around pollen, try to keep him or her indoors as much as possible and shut all your windows at home. This should be done even more during the spring since there is a lot of pollen in the air at this time of the year.
