Infant asthma cannot be distinguished with other diseases as they resemble the same. The children with the asthma may not wheeze.
Infant asthma may be repeated in the family having the history of
- Wheezing
- Chest tightness
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath or fast breathing
The symptoms are made worse due to the
- Changes in humidity or weather
- Smoke (wood, tobacco, etc.,) or other irritants (like strong odors or perfumes)
- Viral infection
- Exercise or active playing
- Laughing or crying
- Thing’s to which the child is allergic to such as animal fur or pollen
The signs and symptoms of infant asthma are not the same in every child. About 50 to 80 percent of the children with asthma develop symptoms before their fifth birthday according to several studies.
- Asthma is not diagnosed correctly. This leads to the improper treatment of many children and infants.
- All the coughs and wheezes are not caused by asthma. Treating with asthma medicines is not correct all the time.
- Coughing frequently with or without wheezing is caused by asthma.
- Only coughing is the symptom of the asthma, wheezing may not be a symptom of asthma.
Spirometry a breathing test is conducted to test the breathing problem in infants.
Asthma is different in infants because their lungs do not work as that of adults or older children. Asthma is affected quickly causing lung failure. Take more care to keep your baby healthy.
Consult your doctor regularly even if there are no asthma symptoms. A complete Asthma Action Plan is to be made to recognize the red, green, yellow zones. For this purpose consult the asthma counselor at each visit.
Be ready by knowing the Asthma Action Plan before and know about the emergency room or hospital, or the person who takes care of your child.
Warning steps when your are in emergency:
- When feeding or suckling stops.
- When the baby’s chest gets bigger.
- When their nostril opens wider.
- Grunting during feeding
- When their cry becomes shorter and softer.
- When the skin between the ribs is pulled tight while breathing.
- Baby’s color becomes red or pale in the face, finger nails turn blue.
- When breathing rate increases (more than 40 breaths/ minute during sleeping of the infant). In order to find breath/minute, the numbers of breaths taken in 15 seconds should be multiplied by 4.
When infant asthma symptoms appear avoid the following:
- Baby should not be allowed to breathe the warm and moist air.
- More liquid should not be given for drinking.
- Medicines for asthma has to be given to the baby only under doctor’s prescription, over dose of the medicine should be avoided.
- Baby should not be allowed to rebreathe into the bag that is held tightly over the mouth and nose.
So, infant asthma can be cured by proper diagnosis, treatment and care.
