How to treat child asthma at home

Childhood asthma | Sparrow

Overview

In childhood asthma, the lungs and airways become easily inflamed when exposed to certain triggers, such as inhaling pollen or catching a cold or other respiratory infection. Childhood asthma can cause bothersome daily symptoms that interfere with play, sports, school and sleep. In some children, unmanaged asthma can cause dangerous asthma attacks.

Childhood asthma isn't a different disease from asthma in adults, but children face unique challenges. The condition is a leading cause of emergency department visits, hospitalizations and missed school days.

Unfortunately, childhood asthma can't be cured, and symptoms can continue into adulthood. But with the right treatment, you and your child can keep symptoms under control and prevent damage to growing lungs.

Symptoms

Common childhood asthma signs and symptoms include:

• Frequent coughing that worsens when your child has a viral infection, occurs while your child is asleep or is triggered by exercise or cold air
• A whistling or wheezing sound when breathing out
• Shortness of breath
• Chest congestion or tightness

Childhood asthma might also cause:

• Trouble sleeping due to shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
• Bouts of coughing or wheezing that get worse with a cold or the flu
• Delayed recovery or bronchitis after a respiratory infection
• Trouble breathing that hampers play or exercise
• Fatigue, which can be due to poor sleep

Asthma signs and symptoms vary from child to child, and might get worse or better over time. Your child might have only one indication, such as a lingering cough or chest congestion.

It can be difficult to tell whether your child's symptoms are caused by asthma. Periodic or long-lasting wheezing and other asthma-like symptoms can be caused by infectious bronchitis or another respiratory problem.

When to see a doctor

Take your child to see the doctor if you suspect he or she has asthma. Early treatment will help control symptoms and possibly prevent asthma attacks.

Make an appointment with your child's doctor if you notice:

• Coughing that is constant, is intermittent or seems linked to physical activity
• Wheezing or whistling sounds when your child breathes out
• Shortness of breath or rapid breathing
• Complaints of chest tightness
• Repeated episodes of suspected bronchitis or pneumonia

If your child has asthma, he or she may say things such as, "My chest feels funny" or "I'm always coughing. " Listen for coughing, which might not wake your child, when he or she is asleep. Crying, laughing, yelling, or strong emotional reactions and stress also might trigger coughing or wheezing.

If your child is diagnosed with asthma, creating an asthma plan can help you and other caregivers monitor symptoms and know what to do if an asthma attack occurs.

When to seek emergency treatment

In severe cases, you might see your child's chest and sides pulling inward as he or she struggles to breathe. Your child might have an increased heartbeat, sweating and chest pain. Seek emergency care if your child:

• Has to stop in midsentence to catch his or her breath
• Is using abdominal muscles to breathe
• Has widened nostrils when breathing in
• Is trying so hard to breathe that the abdomen is sucked under the ribs when he or she breathes in

Even if your child hasn't been diagnosed with asthma, seek medical attention immediately if he or she has trouble breathing. Although episodes of asthma vary in severity, asthma attacks can start with coughing, which progresses to wheezing and labored breathing.

Causes

Childhood asthma causes aren't fully understood. Some factors thought to be involved include:

• Inherited tendency to develop allergies
• Parents with asthma
• Some types of airway infections at a very young age
• Exposure to environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke or other air pollution

Increased immune system sensitivity causes the lungs and airways to swell and produce mucus when exposed to certain triggers. Reaction to a trigger can be delayed, making it more difficult to identify the trigger. Triggers vary from child to child and can include:

• Viral infections such as the common cold
• Exposure to air pollutants, such as tobacco smoke
• Allergies to dust mites, pet dander, pollen or mold
• Physical activity
• Weather changes or cold air

Sometimes, asthma symptoms occur with no apparent triggers.

Risk factors

Factors that might increase your child's likelihood of developing asthma include:

• Exposure to tobacco smoke, including before birth
• Previous allergic reactions, including skin reactions, food allergies or hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
• A family history of asthma or allergies
• Living in an area with high pollution
• Obesity
• Respiratory conditions, such as a chronic runny or stuffy nose (rhinitis), inflamed sinuses (sinusitis) or pneumonia
• Heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD)
• Being male
• Being black or Puerto Rican

Complications

Asthma can cause a number of complications, including:

• Severe asthma attacks that require emergency treatment or hospital care
• Permanent decline in lung function
• Missed school days or getting behind in school
• Poor sleep and fatigue
• Symptoms that interfere with play, sports or other activities

Prevention

Careful planning and avoiding asthma triggers are the best ways to prevent asthma attacks.

• Limit exposure to asthma triggers. Help your child avoid the allergens and irritants that trigger asthma symptoms.
• Don't allow smoking around your child. Exposure to tobacco smoke during infancy is a strong risk factor for childhood asthma, as well as a common trigger of asthma attacks.
• Encourage your child to be active. As long as your child's asthma is well-controlled, regular physical activity can help the lungs to work more efficiently.

• See the doctor when necessary. Check in regularly. Don't ignore signs that your child's asthma might not be under control, such as needing to use a quick-relief inhaler too often.

  Asthma changes over time. Consulting your child's doctor can help you make needed treatment adjustments to keep symptoms under control.

• Help your child maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can worsen asthma symptoms, and it puts your child at risk of other health problems.
• Keep heartburn under control. Acid reflux or severe heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD) might worsen your child's asthma symptoms. He or she might need over-the-counter or prescription medications to control acid reflux.

Diagnosis

Asthma can be hard to diagnose. Your child's doctor will consider the symptoms and their frequency and your child's medical history. Your child might need tests to rule out other conditions and to identify the most likely cause of the symptoms.

A number of childhood conditions can have symptoms similar to those caused by asthma. To complicate the issue further, these conditions also commonly occur with asthma. So your child's doctor will have to determine whether your child's symptoms are caused by asthma, a condition other than asthma, or both asthma and another condition.

Conditions that can cause asthma-like symptoms include:

• Rhinitis
• Sinusitis
• Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Airway abnormalities
• Dysfunctional breathing
• Respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

The following are tests your child might need.

• Lung function tests (spirometry). Doctors diagnose asthma with the same tests used to identify the disease in adults. Spirometry measures how much air your child can exhale and how quickly. Your child might have lung function tests at rest, after exercising and after taking asthma medication.

  Another lung function test is brochoprovocation. Using spirometry, this test measures how your lungs react to certain provocations, such as exercise or exposure to cold air.

• Exhaled nitric oxide test. If the diagnosis of asthma is uncertain after lung function tests, your doctor might recommend measuring the level of nitric oxide in an exhaled sample of your child's breath. Nitric oxide testing can also help determine whether steroid medications might be helpful for your child's asthma.

The asthma tests used, however, aren't accurate before 5 years of age. For younger children, your doctor will rely on information you and your child provide about symptoms. Sometimes a diagnosis can't be made until later, after months or even years of observing symptoms.

Allergy tests for allergic asthma

If your child seems to have asthma that's triggered by allergies, the doctor might recommend allergy skin testing. During a skin test, the skin is pricked with extracts of common allergy-causing substances, such as animal dander, mold or dust mites, and observed for signs of an allergic reaction.

Treatment

Initial treatment depends on the severity of your child's asthma. The goal of asthma treatment is to keep symptoms under control, meaning that your child has:

• Minimal or no symptoms
• Few or no asthma flare-ups
• No limitations on physical activities or exercise
• Minimal use of quick-relief (rescue) inhalers, such as albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, others)
• Few or no side effects from medications

Treating asthma involves both preventing symptoms and treating an asthma attack in progress. The right medication for your child depends on a number of things, including age, symptoms, asthma triggers and what seems to work best to keep his or her asthma under control.

For children younger than age 3 who have mild symptoms of asthma, the doctor might use a wait-and-see approach. This is because the long-term effects of asthma medication on infants and young children aren't clear.

However, if an infant or toddler has frequent or severe wheezing episodes, a medication might be prescribed to see if it improves symptoms.

Long-term control medications

Preventive, long-term control medications reduce the inflammation in your child's airways that leads to symptoms. In most cases, these medications need to be taken daily.

Types of long-term control medications include:

• Inhaled corticosteroids. These medications include fluticasone (Flovent Diskus, Flovent HFA), budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler), mometasone (Asmanex HFA), ciclesonide (Alvesco), beclomethasone (Qvar Redihaler) and others. Your child might need to use these medications for several days to weeks before getting the full benefit.

  Long-term use of these medications has been associated with slightly slowed growth in children, but the effect is minor. In most cases, the benefits of good asthma control outweigh the risks of possible side effects.

• Leukotriene modifiers. These oral medications include montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate) and zileuton (Zyflo). They help prevent asthma symptoms for up to 24 hours.

• Combination inhalers. These medications contain an inhaled corticosteroid plus a long-acting beta agonist (LABA). They include fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair Diskus, Advair HFA), budesonide and formoterol (Symbicort), fluticasone and vilanterol (Breo Ellipta), and mometasone and formoterol (Dulera).

  In some situations, long-acting beta agonists have been linked to severe asthma attacks. For this reason, LABA medications should always be given to a child with an inhaler that also contains a corticosteroid. These combination inhalers should be used only for asthma that's not well-controlled by other medications.

• Theophylline. This is a daily pill that helps keep the airways open. Theophylline (Theo-24) relaxes the muscles around the airways to make breathing easier. It's mostly used with inhaled steroids. If you take this drug, you'll need to have your blood checked regularly.
• Immunomodulatory agents. Mepolizumab (Nucala), dupilumab (Dupixent) and benralizumab (Fasenra) might be appropriate for children over the age of 12 who have severe eosinophilic asthma. Omalizumab (Xolair) can be considered for children age 6 or older who have moderate to severe allergic asthma.

Quick-relief medications

Quick-relief medications quickly open swollen airways. Also called rescue medications, quick-relief medications are used as needed for rapid, short-term symptom relief during an asthma attack — or before exercise if your child's doctor recommends it.

Types of quick-relief medications include:

• Short-acting beta agonists. These inhaled bronchodilator medications can rapidly ease symptoms during an asthma attack. They include albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, others) and levalbuterol (Xopenex HFA). These medications act within minutes, and effects last several hours.
• Oral and intravenous corticosteroids. These medications relieve airway inflammation caused by severe asthma. Examples include prednisone and methylprednisolone. They can cause serious side effects when used long term, so they're only used to treat severe asthma symptoms on a short-term basis.

Treatment for allergy-induced asthma

If your child's asthma is triggered or worsened by allergies, your child might benefit from allergy treatment, such as the following, as well:

• Omalizumab (Xolair). This medication is for people who have allergies and severe asthma. It reduces the immune system's reaction to allergy-causing substances, such as pollen, dust mites and pet dander. Xolair is delivered by injection every two to four weeks.
• Allergy medications. These include oral and nasal spray antihistamines and decongestants as well as corticosteroid, cromolyn and ipratropium nasal sprays.
• Allergy shots (immunotherapy). Immunotherapy injections are generally given once a week for a few months, then once a month for a period of three to five years. Over time, they gradually reduce your child's immune system reaction to specific allergens.

Don't rely only on quick-relief medications

Long-term asthma control medications such as inhaled corticosteroids are the cornerstone of asthma treatment. These medications keep asthma under control and make it less likely that your child will have an asthma attack.

If your child does have an asthma flare-up, a quick-relief (rescue) inhaler can ease symptoms right away. But if long-term control medications are working properly, your child shouldn't need to use a quick-relief inhaler very often.

Keep a record of how many puffs your child uses each week. If he or she frequently needs to use a quick-relief inhaler, take your child to see the doctor. You probably need to adjust the long-term control medication.

Inhaled medication devices

Inhaled short- and long-term control medications are used by inhaling a measured dose of medication.

• Older children and teens might use a small, hand-held device called a pressurized metered dose inhaler or an inhaler that releases a fine powder.
• Infants and toddlers need to use a face mask attached to a metered dose inhaler or a nebulizer to get the correct amount of medication.
• Babies need to a use a device that turns liquid medication into fine droplets (nebulizer). Your baby wears a face mask and breathes normally while the nebulizer delivers the correct dose of medication.

Asthma action plan

Work with your child's doctor to create a written asthma action plan. This can be an important part of treatment, especially if your child has severe asthma. An asthma action plan can help you and your child:

• Recognize when you need to adjust long-term control medications
• Determine how well treatment is working
• Identify the signs of an asthma attack and know what to do when one occurs
• Know when to call a doctor or seek emergency help

Children who have enough coordination and understanding might use a hand-held device to measure how well they can breathe (peak flow meter). A written asthma action plan can help you and your child remember what to do when peak flow measurements reach a certain level.

The action plan might use peak flow measurements and symptoms to categorize your child's asthma into zones, such as the green zone, yellow zone and red zone. These zones correspond to well-controlled symptoms, somewhat-controlled symptoms and poorly controlled symptoms. This makes tracking your child's asthma easier.

Your child's symptoms and triggers are likely to change over time. You'll need to observe symptoms and work with the doctor to adjust medications as needed.

If your child's symptoms are completely controlled for a time, your child's doctor might recommend lowering doses or stopping asthma medications (step-down treatment). If your child's asthma isn't as well-controlled, the doctor might want to increase, change or add medications (step-up treatment).

Lifestyle and home remedies

Taking steps to reduce your child's exposure to asthma triggers will lessen the possibility of asthma attacks. Steps to help avoid triggers vary depending on what triggers your child's asthma. Here are some things that may help:

• Maintain low humidity at home. If you live in a damp climate, talk to your child's doctor about using a device to keep the air drier (dehumidifier).
• Keep indoor air clean. Have a heating and air conditioning professional check your air conditioning system every year. Change the filters in your furnace and air conditioner according to the manufacturer's instructions. Also consider installing a small-particle filter in your ventilation system.
• Reduce pet dander. If your child is allergic to dander, it's best to avoid pets with fur or feathers. If you have pets, regularly bathing or grooming your pets also might reduce the amount of dander. Keep pets out of your child's room.
• Use your air conditioner. Air conditioning helps reduce the amount of airborne pollen from trees, grasses and weeds that finds its way indoors. Air conditioning also lowers indoor humidity and can reduce your child's exposure to dust mites. If you don't have air conditioning, try to keep your windows closed during pollen season.
• Keep dust to a minimum. Reduce dust that can aggravate nighttime symptoms by replacing certain items in your bedroom. For example, encase pillows, mattresses and box springs in dustproof covers. Consider removing carpeting and installing hard flooring, particularly in your child's bedroom. Use washable curtains and blinds.
• Clean regularly. Clean your home at least once a week to remove dust and allergens.
• Reduce your child's exposure to cold air. If your child's asthma is worsened by cold, dry air, wearing a face mask outside can help.

Alternative medicine

While some alternative remedies are used for asthma, in most cases more research is needed to see how well they work and to determine possible side effects. Alternative treatments to consider include:

• Breathing techniques. These include structured breathing programs, such as the Buteyko breathing technique, the Papworth method and yoga breathing exercises (pranayama).
• Relaxation techniques. Techniques such as meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis and progressive muscle relaxation might help with asthma by reducing tension and stress.

• Herbal remedies and supplements. A few herbal remedies have been tried for asthma, including black seed, fish oil and magnesium. However, further studies are needed to assess their benefit and safety.

  Herbs and supplements can have side effects and can interact with other medications your child is taking. Talk to your child's doctor before trying any herbs or supplements.

Coping and support

It can be stressful to help your child manage asthma. Keep these tips in mind to make life as normal as possible:

• Make treatment a regular part of life. If your child has to take daily medication, don't make a big deal out of it — it should be as routine as eating breakfast or brushing teeth.

• Use a written asthma action plan. Work with your child's doctor to develop your child's action plan, and give a copy to all of your child's caregivers, such as child care providers, teachers, coaches and the parents of your child's friends.

  Following a written plan can help you and your child identify symptoms early, providing important information on how to treat your child's asthma from day to day and how to deal with an asthma attack.

• Be encouraging. Focus attention on what your child can do, not on limitations. Involve teachers, school nurses, coaches, relatives and friends in helping your child manage asthma.

  Encourage normal play and activity. Don't limit your child's activities out of fear of an asthma attack — work with your child's doctor to control exercise-induced symptoms.

• Be calm and in control. Don't get rattled if asthma symptoms worsen. Focus on your child's asthma action plan, and involve your child in each step so that he or she understands what's happening.
• Talk to other parents of children with asthma. Chat rooms and message boards on the internet or a local support group can connect you with parents facing similar challenges.
• Help your child connect with others who have asthma. Send your child to "asthma camp" or find other organized activities for children with asthma. This can help your child feel less isolated and gain a better understanding of asthma and its treatment.

Preparing for an appointment

You're likely to start by taking your child to your family doctor or your child's pediatrician. However, when you call to set up an appointment, you may be referred to an allergist, lung doctor (pulmonologist) or other specialist. Here's some information to help you get ready for your child's appointment.

What you can do

Make a list of:

• Your child's symptoms, how severe they are and when they occur. Note when symptoms bother your child most — for example, if symptoms tend to get worse at certain times of the day; during certain seasons; when your child is exposed to cold air, pollen or other triggers; or when he or she is playing hard or participating in sports.
• Key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes your child has had.
• All medications, vitamins and supplements your child takes, including doses.
• Write down questions to ask the doctor.

For asthma or asthma-like symptoms, questions to ask your doctor include:

• Is asthma the most likely cause of my child's breathing problems?
• What else could be causing my child's symptoms?
• What tests does my child need?
• Is my child's condition likely temporary or chronic?
• What treatment do you suggest?
• My child has these other health conditions. How can we best manage them together?
• Are there restrictions my child needs to follow?
• Should my child see a specialist?
• Are there brochures or other printed materials I can have? What websites do you recommend?

Don't hesitate to ask other questions.

What to expect from your child's doctor

The doctor is likely to ask questions, including:

• When did you notice your child's symptoms?
• Does your child have difficulty breathing most of the time or only at certain times or in certain situations?
• Does your child have allergies such as hay fever?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen your child's symptoms?
• What, if anything, seems to improve your child's symptoms?
• Do allergies or asthma run in your child's family?

Content From Mayo Clinic Updated: 03/12/2021
© 1998-2023 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. Terms of Use

Natural Remedies for Asthma

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

In this Article

• What Are Natural Remedies for Asthma?
• 10 Natural Remedies for Asthma
• Are There Natural Remedies for Asthma Attacks?
• Natural Asthma Remedy Risks
• Make an Asthma Action Plan
• Use a Peak Flow Meter
• Keep an Asthma Diary
• Goals of Managing Asthma

What Are Natural Remedies for Asthma?

With all the studies on alternative medicine and natural remedies, you may wonder if there’s a natural cure for asthma. Unfortunately, there is no cure for asthma at this point. In fact, you should avoid any treatment or product -- natural or otherwise -- that claims to be a "cure" for asthma.

Some natural therapies may help you manage symptoms of asthma. For instance, a negative response to emotional stress can cause an asthma attack. Some natural relaxation remedies like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and biofeedback can help relieve stress.

Other findings suggest that diet plays a role in easing asthma symptoms. For example, omega-3 fatty acids found naturally in high-fat fish like salmon, mackerel, and cod may help your body fight inflammation. Whether this may help people who have asthma is still unproven.

10 Natural Remedies for Asthma

Many things get credit for being natural asthma remedies. But because studies on complementary and alternative treatments for asthma have been limited, it’s not clear how safe and effective all of them are.

These natural remedies have been studied:

Acupuncture. This traditional Chinese treatment involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body. While some people with asthma say acupuncture eases their symptoms, there’s little proof that it works as an asthma treatment.

Biofeedback. Learning to control your heart rate may help you manage your asthma, but more studies are needed to confirm a benefit.

Herbs and natural dietary supplements. Many people use herbs, plants, and supplements, especially Chinese herbs, to treat asthma. It’s not clear how well many of them work. More research is needed on supplements like magnesium and fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids). But vitamins C, D, and E may help lower your risk of symptoms.

Asthma diet. If you have a food allergy, avoiding trigger foods may also help with some asthma symptoms.

Plant-based diet. Several studies have found benefits for people with asthma who follow the Mediterranean diet. It involves lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats like olive oil. You eat more fatty fish and poultry than red meat. Experts think this diet helps with asthma symptoms because it helps fight inflammation in your body. A similar eating plan called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) may also improve asthma control.

Weight loss. Most people who have extra pounds carry them in the middle of their body. This can make it harder for your lungs to work. Losing weight can improve lung volume and lower your chances of conditions that make asthma worse, like diabetes or high blood pressure. It may also make exercise easier, which could improve your asthma symptoms.

Caffeine. Caffeine is a mild bronchodilator, which means it helps open your airways. Studies have found that it may improve airway function in people who have asthma.

Yoga. Stress may trigger asthma symptoms. Breathing exercises used in yoga have been found to help some people with asthma control breathing and relieve stress, a common asthma trigger.

Buteyko breathing. This technique focuses on slow breathing and short periods when you hold your breath. It doesn’t treat asthma, but it may help improve the pattern of your breathing.

Papworth method. This relaxation and breathing system teaches you to breathe from your diaphragm so your lungs fill with as much air as possible.

Are There Natural Remedies for Asthma Attacks?

The typical treatment for an asthma attack is a quick-acting (rescue) inhaler with medication. Sit upright and take slow, steady breaths. Try to stay calm. Follow the asthma action plan that you’ve set up with your doctor. If your breathing doesn’t get better or if you’re so short of breath that you can’t talk, get medical help right away.

Some breathing exercises can help with symptoms of an asthma attack.

• Pursed-lip breathing. This slows your breathing and helps hold your airways open longer so your lungs work better. With your mouth closed, breathe in slowly through your nose. Then breathe out through your mouth, with your lips pursed like you’re whistling, for twice as long.
• Belly breathing. This technique uses the same steps as pursed-lip breathing. But as you breathe in, focus on the movement of your belly. Picture it filling with air like a balloon. It may help to keep your hands on your belly so you can concentrate on the air going in and out.

Natural Asthma Remedy Risks

As you consider the different types of natural asthma remedies, it’s very important to carefully balance your desire to breathe easier with the possible dangers of the treatments, which may be unknown. Keep these things in mind:

• Never use any dietary supplement before checking with your doctor.
• Some natural herbal products, such as bee pollen, may trigger an asthma attack if you’re allergic to the specific plant.
• Never stop using your asthma drugs without your doctor’s knowledge. If you don’t follow your treatment plan, the results can be very serious and even deadly.

If you’re not sure about the claims on a natural dietary supplement product label, call your doctor before taking it. They can check the product to let you know if it has any health benefits.

Make an Asthma Action Plan

If you don't have one already, work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan. This is something you talk about and write down. It helps you tell how well-controlled your asthma is and what to do about it. Your action plan might include:

• How much medicine to take and when
• A list of your triggers and ways to avoid them
• What to do when you have specific symptoms of trouble

Use a Peak Flow Meter

A peak flow meter is an inexpensive handheld gadget. You use it to measure how fast air comes out when you exhale hard after a full breath in. This number is called a peak expiratory flow (PEF).

Your doctor may want you to use a peak flow meter to help you recognize signs of trouble. Many asthma symptoms result from not being able to move air out of your lungs. If your PEF goes down, that's a sign that your asthma is getting worse and that you need to do something.

Keep an Asthma Diary

A diary can help you keep track of how well-controlled your asthma is. Every day, write down:

• Any asthma symptoms you had and how you're feeling
• Where you were and what you were doing right before a flare
• When you're using medication and how much
• Your PEF numbers

All of this information, collected in one place, helps you and your doctor see patterns and recognize warnings of asthma attacks. You can learn to prevent them or stop them before you get very ill.

Your doctor can also check your diary to see how well your asthma action plan is working.

Goals of Managing Asthma

Even though there’s no natural cure for asthma, your symptoms can be treated and controlled with several asthma medications. Your goal in managing asthma is to:

• Get an accurate asthma diagnosis.
• Work with your doctor to come up with an asthma action plan.
• Monitor your peak flow rate daily and do the right things when it drops.
• Keep an asthma diary so you can track all your symptoms and medication use.
• Avoid asthma triggers or causes of asthma, including outdoor irritants like smog.
• Seek medical advice and treatment for problems that can worsen asthma symptoms, like GERD, allergic rhinitis, and sinusitis.
• Exercise daily to boost your aerobic fitness.
• Prevent exercise-induced asthma by medicating before exercise.
• Eat nutritious foods to boost your immune defenses against viral and bacterial infections.
• Stay at a normal weight.
• Get plenty of restful sleep.
• Call your health care provider at the first sign of asthma symptoms.
• Check in with your health care provider regularly for breathing tests to make sure your asthma is managed and your medications are working at their best.

You hold the key to living well with asthma. Trust your health care provider to give you guidance, and then take daily responsibility for your breathing with proven ways to take care of yourself.

Asthma Guide

1. Overview
2. Causes & Prevention
3. Symptoms & Types
4. Diagnosis & Tests
5. Treatment & Care
6. Living & Managing
7. Support & Resources

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Treatment of bronchial asthma in children under the MHI policy

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• Bronchial asthma in children

Even 20 years ago, parents perceived such a diagnosis for a child as a sentence. How is asthma treated in children today? And what modern methods of therapy are available under the CHI policy?

What is asthma?

The term "bronchial asthma" is translated from Greek as "heavy breathing". This is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract of a non-infectious nature. It is based on bronchospasm (narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi), which serves as a response to an allergic reaction. As a result, the patient develops shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest, cough.

Bronchial asthma, according to WHO statistics, occurs in 5% of children. The causes of the onset of the disease are not fully understood. The most predisposing factors include heredity (the presence of bronchial asthma in relatives), the manifestation of allergies from birth, as well as adverse environmental conditions in the child's place of residence (adult smoking, poor environmental conditions, etc. ).

Who is your most frequent patient?

First of all, at risk for bronchial asthma are children whose relatives have already suffered from this disease. Most often, poor heredity on the part of the mother matters. Also, we, allergists-immunologists, pay special attention to young patients who have had signs of an allergic disease since birth (for example, atopic dermatitis or allergic conjunctivitis) or have a history of recurrent obstructive bronchitis. It is in these children that there is a high risk of developing classic bronchial asthma. Usually this diagnosis is made after 6-7 years in order to avoid overdiagnosis of this disease.

Diagnostic methods

Allergological tests are used to diagnose bronchial asthma in young children: skin test or blood sampling for the determination of specific immunoglobulins E. Children over 5-6 years of age undergo spirometry - an instrumental examination to assess the functions of external respiration.

Respiratory tract - healthy and with asthma

Symptoms of the disease

Typical symptoms of the acute course of bronchial asthma are coughing, shortness of breath with difficulty exhaling and wheezing, dry rales that can be heard even at a distance. Their distinguishing feature is the regularity of repetition throughout the year. Such symptoms often occur when exposed to a significant allergen, against the background of SARS, during physical and emotional stress.

How can parents recognize an asthma attack in a young child?

Parents should be alerted to cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, which can occur either suddenly or against the background of SARS, exercise. To stop an attack, a child should always have a pocket inhaler on hand, prescribed by a doctor.

However, it is quite difficult for a non-specialist to recognize bronchial asthma in a small child aged 1 to 3 years. Such children still do not know how to correctly formulate their complaints. Therefore, at the slightest change in the baby’s health, you should not write off everything for “undertreated acute respiratory infections”, but immediately seek advice from an allergist.

How is asthma treated?

Unfortunately, today medicine is not able to cure a child from bronchial asthma: if such a diagnosis is made, it persists throughout life. However, modern therapy algorithms can make the disease manageable and eliminate the onset of symptoms or minimize the frequency of attacks.

Effective treatments for asthma include.

• ASIT.

  Allergen-specific immunotherapy, in which a significant allergen is introduced to a child according to certain schemes (subcutaneously or sublingually).

• Medical therapy.

  Today, there are a large number of modern, safe inhalation drugs that the patient receives either in courses or continuously for a long time.

• Treatment of concomitant pathologies.

  First of all, ENT diseases, as well as obesity, which negatively affect the course of bronchial asthma.

• Therapeutic exercise.

  Special breathing exercises with an instructor during remission.

Are there any restrictions in everyday life for children with bronchial asthma?

Despite the fact that bronchial asthma belongs to the category of chronic diseases, this does not mean that the child is disabled and cannot lead the same lifestyle as his peers. He should play sports and have regular physical activity. Another thing is that everything needs a reasonable approach. For example, long-distance running is contraindicated, while swimming in the pool or playing football is only welcome. If we talk about radical restrictions, they only concern the exclusion of contact with confirmed allergens. For example, if you are allergic to animal hair, you should not start a cat at home. And if you are allergic to dust, you do not need to do a major overhaul in the apartment in the presence of a child.

Treatment of bronchial asthma in Moscow free of charge under the MHI policy

The Compulsory Medical Insurance Program (OMI) provides for the possibility of free treatment of bronchial asthma to all patients who have citizenship of the Russian Federation.