What Causes Asthma in Kids?

Asthma is one of the most common diseases in kids. In fact, around 6.5 million kids in the United States today have asthma. The usual symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, chest tightness or pain, and shortness of breath. If your kid experiences any of these, you must consult your doctor for the proper diagnosis.

To properly diagnose asthma, the doctor will perform lung function tests on your kid. This will measure the amount of air that is inhaled and exhaled. This will show if there are asthmatic changes in the kid's lungs. The doctor may also ask for blood tests to be done since asthma symptoms can also be symptoms of other diseases. To come up with an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will have to rule out other possible diseases that may be causing the symptoms.

Furthermore, the doctor will definitely ask the parents if they have a family history of allergies or asthma. And if they have, there is an increased risk that the kid can develop asthma. There is a strong link between allergy and asthma since the latter can be an allergic reaction to the different triggers.

Asthma triggers, simply put, are asthma causes. And there are different asthma causes in kids. First, viral or bacterial infections can be asthma causes in kids. If your kid catches colds, he or she may develop asthma.

Air pollutants are also asthma causes in kids. Examples of the common air pollutants are tobacco smoke, perfume, chemical fumes, and others. If your kid is exposed to these air pollutants and you see him or her exhibiting asthma symptoms, air pollutants are the triggers of his or her asthma.

Allergies to pollen, cockroaches, dust mites, and animal dander are also asthma causes in kids. Even certain food allergies can start an asthma attack.

There is also exercise-induced asthma. In this case, simply running around or playing can be asthma causes in kids. Even cold air can induce an asthma attack.

These are the different asthma causes in kids. And to better manage the disease, it is best to identify the specific asthma trigger that induces an attack in your kid. How do you do that? Just observe the time and pattern when your kid has an attack. Is it usually at night? Is it whenever he or she plays with the cat or dog? What did your child do before the attack? Knowing the different possible triggers will help you and your kid in avoiding an asthma attack.

Treating asthma in kids is not hard at all. The doctor will prescribe the right kinds of anti-asthma medications for your kid. And the doctor will teach you and your kid how to use an inhaler or nebulizer. All you and your kid have to do is to follow doctor's orders to stop an asthma attack from happening again.