Asthma

In a person suffering from asthma the allergic reaction shows itself in the lining of the air passages. This lining is very sensitive. It not only responds to the allergen with wheezing, but it also responds more than usual to exercise, infection and emotional disturbances. The lining of the airways goes into spasm and secretes mucus.

People with asthma have attacks of wheezing and shortness of breath that vary in severity from day to day and from month to month. Some people have only occasional mild attacks, while others may experience severe disabling symptoms on most days. Most people have symptoms that fall somewhere between these two extremes, but, when their asthma attacks occur, they tend to be unpredictable in length and severity. Severe attacks of asthma are potentially life-threatening if they are not given immediate medical treatment.

Although asthma can begin at any age, most adults with the condition developed it as children. More boys than girls are affected but, in adults, asthma is more common in women. The problems associated with asthma and its management are different in children. For this reason, there is a separate article on asthma in children in the section on childhood disorders.

What to do

If your child has an attack of wheeziness, seek medical help. This usually means making an appointment to see your doctor. If the doctor diagnoses asthma your child will be given medication, and if necessary you will be taught how to administer it. He will be monitored in an asthma clinic in the community or hospital depending on the severity of his asthma.

As your child gets older he may be tested with various allergens to see if he is sensitive to a specific substance. If this substance is isolated you can then do something about avoiding it. For instance, if your child is sensitive to feathers and house dust (both of these being very common causes of allergy), try to get rid of any bedding that contains feathers, down or hair, and make sure that the furnishings plus the carpets and curtains in your child's room do not hold a lot of dust. House dust allergy is commonly caused by a microscopic mite (the house-dust mite) that lives in house dust. There are nearly always more mites in damp houses than in dry ones, so there is a scientific rationale for a asthma being worse in a damp house than in a dry one.

Besides an allergic component of asthma, there may be an emotional one. If your doctor suggests that emotional factors are playing a part in your child's asthma it is up to you and your family to see what you can do to improve the atmosphere and minimize the stress in your child.

It's very important that you and the rest of the family don't get asthma out of perspective. Many parents of asthmatic children are over-anxious and over-stress the condition so that eventually the whole household revolves around the child. This is an unwise way of behaving because your child may soon learn how to manipulate the household around his asthma attacks. The treatment of asthma is rather complicated so you will be given very clear instructions as to what you should do under certain circumstances, and certainly what you should do if an asthma attack comes on suddenly out of the blue.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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