If your child seems to be continuously coughing, even long after a cold has healed, then it is time to bring your child to a doctor. He or she may be having first traces of infant asthma, which is common in children between 5 to 12 years old. There are particular cases in which this form of asthma affects even younger children.
Asthma is a serious lung ailment leading to an allergic inflammation of the lungs. There are many reasons of how a child may be a victim of infant asthma. Asthma attacks among children are generally triggered by dust mites, pollens, certain type of molds, animal and soft toy furs, open-fire smoke, cigarette smoke, flour kept open in the kitchen, paints, certain chemicals, vigorous workout or excessive movements, sudden room-temperature changes, indigestion of food and many more.
How do you know if your child is having an asthma attack? Basically there are a few symptoms for you to identify, and immediately take action on before they get worse. Infant asthma can be a serious condition if left untreated.
Identifying the disease
If you see your child having cough for an abnormal period, especially more than two weeks after the cold have healed; then it is time to act. Seek medical treatment immediately, and besides that clean your house of dust mites or any other reasons that you possibly suspect would be the cause of the asthma.
Besides that, according to research children who are exposed to even one course of antibiotics during their first year of childhood may be more at risk of developing infant asthma. Check for this in the child’s medical check-up reports and see if this can be a cause.
If you realize that your child seems to have coughing fits and shortness of breath while playing, or wheezes frequently at night and wakes up with coughing fits, or every time he catches a cold it turns into several days of wheezing or occasional complaints of tight chest and difficulty of breathing, or can’t tolerate active sports, or the chest sucks in below the ribs or below the neck when your child inhales, then the child should seek a medical check-up immediately.
Treating and curing
An asthma treatment is done to aim one of the types of attack, either to counter inflammation which is the swelling of the lining of the airways and soreness, and blocks the air passage, or bronchi-constriction in which the actual narrowing of the muscles due to the muscles that wrap around the air passage tightens up.
When you suspect your child of having infant asthma, consider watching over these few things. First, decide what type of asthma it may be according to the symptoms and types of attack given above. Second, check how long the symptoms last for at least 6 months to see the symptoms’ persistence. Third, if you think your child has infant asthma visit the doctor to check for wheezing immediately.
Once confirmed, there are several treatments available. Depending on the type of the infant asthma you can take allergy prevention action, or give the child infant asthma medicines such as steroids oral liquid, tablet medicines, steroid inhalers, Cromolyn inhalers, Leukotriene Inhibitors, nebulizers, and also dry powder inhalers.