Care for Kids with Asthma

What is asthma?

In kids with asthma, the airways that carry air in and out of our lungs are more sensitive and easily become swollen and irritated, making it harder to breathe. This is called an asthma attack. An asthma attack can happen when there are certain irritants in the air, such as dust or tobacco smoke. This can also happen during or after exercise.

How do I know if my child has asthma?

Asthma usually begins in childhood, and some kids are more likely than others to have it, including young children whose parents have or had asthma and kids who have certain kinds of illnesses.

You should talk to your child's doctor if you notice signs of asthma:

• Coughing a lot, especially in the early mornings and at night;
• A whistling or squeaking sound (called wheezing) when your child breathes;
• Chest pain, such as your child saying his or her chest hurts or feels like it is being squeezed too tight; and
• Looking like your child is having trouble breathing (also called shortness of breath or gasping for breath).

How can I know if my child is getting quality asthma care?

High quality asthma care is when you, your child, and your child's doctor are partners in managing your child's asthma. The goal is to manage the asthma so that your child does not have any trouble breathing, including:

• Find out what usually triggers your child's asthma attacks. Your doctor can perform tests to help with this, and you can keep notes about your child's asthma attacks and tell the doctor about the things you notice about your child's attacks
• Use the right asthma medicines, including medicine that your child takes only when attacks happen and medicine over the long term to help keep attacks from happening.
• Meet regularly with your child's doctor. This may be every one to six months, based on how serious your child's asthma is and how often he or she has an attack.
• Create an asthma action plan (see below) to help manage your child's asthma, and share it with other family members and neighbors as well as your child's school nurse, teachers, coaches, and caregivers.

What is an asthma action plan?

An asthma action plan is something you, your child, and your child's doctor create together. The plan lists the child's asthma medicines and gives directions about how and when to take them. It also explains what things may trigger an asthma attack and how to avoid those things.

What questions should I ask my child's doctor about asthma?

Here are some questions to ask your child's doctor if you are concerned about asthma:

• Could my child have asthma?
• What tests can you do to find out if my child has asthma?
• What tests can you do to find out what triggers my child's asthma?
• What medicine should my child take when he or she has an asthma attack?
• What long term medicine should my child take to keep asthma attacks from happening?
• How, when, and how long should he or she take each of these medicines?
• What other things can I do to help keep my child with asthma stay healthy?
• What do we do if activities--like running around outside or playing sports--cause my child to have asthma attacks?
• When and how often should we see you to talk about my child's asthma?
• How do we create an asthma action plan for my child?