About 10 percent of children eighteen and under have asthma. Many children wheeze during the first years of life, but only one third will develop asthma that persists after age 6. The leading cause of wheezing in children under the age of 5 is a viral upper respiratory tract infection (cold). Your child is more likely to develop asthma if s/he has a parent diagnosed with asthma, has eczema or is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts or wheezes when s/he doesn’t have a cold.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic, complicated condition. It is caused by hypersensitive or “twitchy” lungs. When the lungs become inflamed, the mucous in the lungs gets thick and sticky, the lining of the lungs swell, and your child may cough, wheeze, feel tightness in her/his chest or be short of breath. Viruses, things in the environment, cold air, exercise, even laughing and crying can trigger the symptoms of asthma.
How can we help?
Our treatment goals are center around your child breathing easier. We try to prevent asthma symptoms, help your child maintain normal activity levels, including exercise, and help your child’s lungs function normally. We want to help you and your child understand asthma, his medications, and ways to reduce the asthma triggers in her/his life.
Every year it’s important that we review medications, triggers,
and, when possible, test how his lungs are working. We recommend that
every child who has wheezed in the past get a flu shot annually. We
offer special asthma appointments with our doctors or nurse practitioner
to help you help your child breathe easy with asthma. Please
call our office at (734 475-4500 to schedule your appointment before
the wheezing season is here. Your child will thank you, and
you’ll
spend less time in our office and the emergency room. And that makes
everyone breathe easier.
