Is It a Cold, the Flu, or Covid?
December is prime time for seasonal respiratory viruses. As a parent, are you ready to identify the health concerns surrounding your child and other family members from cold, flu, or Covid-19? We’re here to help.
How to Guard Against Asthma Attacks
Guarding against your child’s asthma attacks is all about triggers, knowing what they are and how best to avoid them. It takes experience and time to recognize the factors that start asthma attacks as well as trial and error to determine the most effective way to control these episodes.
Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD specializes in pediatric asthma care, the most common chronic condition that children experience, causing about 7.5 million cases in the United States. While sometimes children appear to outgrow asthma, they remain sensitive to recurrence when they’re older, so effective asthma control now helps their condition years into the future.
The effects of asthma on your child’s body
Having asthma means that exposure to certain conditions, environments, or substances cause a reaction that makes the walls of your child’s airways swell. In turn, this makes it harder for your child to breathe.
This narrowing of the airways causes the characteristic symptoms of asthma, which include:
- Chest tightness
- Coughing
- Lack of energy
- Mood changes, such as displaying frustration or irritability
- Shortness of breath
- Sleep disorders
- Wheezing
Respiratory ailments like the cold or flu can make asthma attacks even more of a problem. Symptoms and their intensity can change as your child gets older.
The significance of triggers
The most effective way to deal with an asthma attack is to avoid it before it happens. Once you know your child is asthmatic, you’ll begin to notice the triggers that set off an attack.
Asthma triggers vary from person to person, so it may take some time to identify every trigger that affects your child. Keeping a log of attacks and the conditions and events around the time of the episode is an excellent way to build the data that Dr. Tandon needs to develop an asthma management plan for your child.
Common asthma triggers include:
- Airborne allergens and pathogens, including dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, and pollen
- Cold air
- Physical activity
- Respiratory infections like cold, flu or Covid-19
- Pollutants like smoke, fragrances, or chemical fumes
- Some medications, including common, nonprescription pain relievers
- Food preservatives
- Stress
- Forceful emotions
We also offer allergy testing, which can help pinpoint certain asthma triggers. Your child could have just a few triggers, or a wide-ranging set of triggers.
How to guard against asthma attacks
Once you know your child’s triggers, the best way to guard against asthma attacks is to directly avoid them whenever you can. It’s not always possible, but knowing triggers can also prepare you for coping with an attack, making sure you have the right medications available at the right time.
Avoid respiratory infections. Since these will complicate asthma symptoms, following practices to reduce the transmission of viruses is an important way you can sidestep attacks. Teach your child effective hand-washing techniques, sanitize surfaces within your home, and take advantage of annual flu shots.
If necessary, avoid others with respiratory infection symptoms or use an appropriate face mask for additional protection.
Allergy-proofing your home takes only a few additional steps beyond typical housekeeping chores. Weekly hot water washing of bedding and pillows keeps dust mites at bay.
Frequent vacuuming can help keep overall allergen levels down, though it may temporarily stir up dust, so choose vacuum times when your child is away from home, if dust is one of their triggers.
Know and understand your child’s asthma action plan as well as when to use prescribed medications, both inhaler and oral.
Make an appointment for your child by phone or online with Dr 2 Kids, Smita Tandon MD to get a start on an asthma action plan today.
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