Many children love to play catch without thinking. However, your child may have asthma and find it more difficult to catch a breath while not wheezing, coughing, or feeling tight in their chest.
For your child to breathe easier, the National Asthma Prevention Program and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI) suggests that you meet with your doctor and ask them to take the following key steps:
* Tell you what medication your child needs to control asthmawww.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/links.htmlThe symptoms. For people with persistent asthma, inhaled corticosteroids are the best medication to reduce the inflammation.
* Give you a written asthma action plan that spells out what to do every day to control your child’s asthma and how to handle symptoms or asthma attacks.
* Check your child’s asthma control at regular visits and adjust medication as needed to keep your child’s asthma in control.
* Schedule regular follow-up visits (at least every six months).
* Work with you to identify your child’s asthma triggers, like tobacco smoke, dust or pet dander, and help your child avoid them.
* Ask before you leave the doctor’s office or pharmacy for someone to show you and your child how to use each prescribed medication and device correctly.
“When at school, at home or elsewhere, children need to know how to use their asthma devices properly so that their medications can have the greatest benefit,”James P. Kiley Ph.D. is the director of NHLBI Division of Lung Diseases.
A recent study of asthmatic children aged 8-16 revealed that the majority of them did not follow all the necessary steps to use an asthma device, such as a peak flow meter, dry powder inhaler or metered dose inhaler.
“We found that very simple steps were being missed,”Betsy Sleath Ph.D. was the study’s main author. She advised that patients and their parents shouldn’t be ashamed to seek help. Your doctor, nurse or asthma educator can show you the correct technique, give feedback and answer your questions.
Asthma control is a team effort. Doctors, nurses, parents, and other caregivers can work together to help asthma patients breathe easier and play like pros. Visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/asthma/links.html for these publications from the NHLBI’s National Asthma Education and Prevention Program: So You Have Asthma, Asthma & Physical Activity in the School, and a sample Asthma Action Plan.
