Asthma in Children: A Common as Well as Chronic Condition

Asthma in children is a very common condition. In recent times, its prevalence as well as severity has greatly increased. Even though a lot of continuous research into the subject has been undertaken, and in spite of new developments in pharmacological agents having emerged, it is still one of the foremost causes that requires emergency care. It also may be one of the main causes why children miss school, and it can make children feel a sense of morbidity, disablement and even results, sometimes, in mortality.

An Important Public Health Problem

Even though the cases of asthma in children are an important public health issue, there are still no determining factors pointing to the causes of asthma in children. Familial and genetic roles for etiology are very important considerations. It is believed that more than half of all children that wheeze with viral infections of the lung while they are still very young are known to have a momentary condition that may not progress beyond preschool years.

It is believed that, in 2004, approximately four million children that less than eighteen years of age had an asthma attack, and there were many others that had hidden or undiagnosed asthma conditions. Asthma in children is a condition that is a cause of concern, and requires that the parent as well as the child understands what asthma is and how to treat it so that there may be better control over it.

A child that is known to frequently cough or shows signs of respiratory infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis may be one of the many asthma in children cases. The same would be case with a child that coughs after having run or cried. Recurrent night coughs are also common to children with asthma, since the condition generally worsens at night.

Asthma in children can also affect infants that may suffer from coughs which are like rattling sounds accompanied by rapid breathing, and they may also have too many episodes of pneumonia or bronchitis or have many instances of chest colds. Also, young children may feel discomfort of the chest along with tightness that may cause them unexplained irritableness.

Often, asthma in children may be attributed to their having certain allergies. Allergic children may have reactions to harmless materials such as pollen, mold, food, and animals. A case in point may be that of a child that is highly allergic to cats, which causes the child to wheeze when near a cat, and thus a remedy for this would be to not let the cat near the child. Knowing the cause of asthma can be quite an effective way of preventing it.