Asthma in children: causes and most effective treatment

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways that is reversible. Quoting from WHO, more than 235 million people have asthma. Not only in adults, asthma is a common disease in children. What causes asthma in children and how to deal with it? Here's the explanation.

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Cause

What causes asthma in children?

Until now, the cause of asthma in children is not certain. However, heredity from parents also plays an important role in causing asthma in children.

If parents have a history of this disease, then the child's risk will be higher for experiencing it. In addition, the most common causes of asthma in children are:

• Inhaled allergens (mites, dust, stinging perfume, animal dander)
• Upper respiratory tract infection (such as cold, flu, or pneumonia)
• Food allergies
• Exercise or physical activity that is too strenuous
• Side effects of certain medications (anti-pain NSAIDs and beta-blockers for heart disease)
• Weather (cold, hot, and poor air quality)
• Foods or drinks that contain preservatives (such as MSG)
• Excessive stress and anxiety
• Singing, laughing, or crying excessively

The difference in asthma in children and adults lies in the consistency of the symptoms.

In adults, symptoms are usually more consistent. Daily medication is usually needed to keep asthma symptoms and attacks under control.

Meanwhile, in children diagnosed with asthma, the symptoms are generally irregular. Sometimes allergens can cause an asthma attack, and sometimes they don't.

Risk factors

What factors increase the risk of asthma in children?

Launching the Mayo Clinic, the cause of asthma in children is not certain, but there are many triggers and risk factors that make children prone to asthma, including:

• Have a respiratory infection (pneumonia, bronchitis).
• Having certain atopic allergies (food allergies or eczema).
• Low birth weight.
• Premature birth.
• The parents had asthma or other allergic conditions, such as eczema.
• Parents of active smokers

Having smoking parents puts a baby at four times the risk of developing asthma, compared to a baby who is free from secondhand smoke in his house.

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of asthma in children?

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, the airways and lungs become more easily inflamed when exposed to asthma triggers.

Here are some signs and symptoms of asthma in children:

1. Cough

If the child is coughing a lot, you must be vigilant. Because, persistent cough is the most common symptom of asthma in children.

Not only dry coughs, coughing with phlegm can also be a characteristic of asthma. Usually a cough due to asthma occurs when the child is playing, laughing, crying, or sleeping at night.

Actually coughing is a natural reaction when you want to remove or get rid of foreign substances that enter the body. However, swelling and narrowing that occurs in the respiratory tract can actually trigger a similar condition.

2. Shortness of breath

Inflamed and swollen airways due to asthma triggers can make it difficult for your child to breathe.

She will be more likely to experience shortness of breath or gasping for breath accompanied by an irregular heaving of the chest when her asthma recurs.

Usually, asthma symptoms in this one child occur when they finish doing strenuous physical activity. These activities are like running to and fro without stopping.

Even so, exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust, star hair, or strong smelling fragrances can also trigger this symptom.

3. Wheezing

If the cough experienced by a child is accompanied by wheezing, parents must be careful. The reason is, wheezing is also the most typical symptom of asthma in children.

This condition is characterized by a whistling or whistling sound when the child inhales or exhales. This distinctive sound occurs because air is forced out through the blocked or narrowed airways.

Apart from asthma, wheezing can actually be a sign of other medical conditions such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

4. Complaining of chest tightness

Chest tightness is not always a sign of heart disease. The reason is, there are several causes of chest tightness which can also be a symptom of asthma in children.

Chronic cough and wheezing experienced when asthma symptoms appear can cause chest discomfort.

Therefore, if your child complains of chest tightness or pain, you must be vigilant. According to a study published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, these symptoms can occur before or during an asthma attack.

Apart from those already mentioned, the symptoms of asthma in babies are also characterized by:

• Her nostrils were noticeably inflated.
• Fatigue.
• Difficulty sucking (breast milk) or eating.
• The face turns blue or looks pale, including the nails.

If you find one or more asthma symptoms in babies and often appear at night, you should immediately take your little one to the nearest pediatrician.

When to see a doctor

Parents need to have their child checked by a doctor if they have the following symptoms:

• Tired easily while playing is marked by a loss of interest in his favorite toy.
• Neck and chest muscles tighten.
• Frequent yawning and sighing.
• His breath was quick or fast.
• Often fussy at night because it is difficult to sleep.
• The face looks pale.
• Cold-like or allergy-like symptoms appear, such as a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and headaches.
• Cough that is constant, doesn't stop, and is associated with physical activity.

In principle, the severity, relapse frequency, and duration of asthma attacks in each child can vary.

If you find one or more of the symptoms mentioned above, immediately take your little one to the nearest pediatrician to determine the cause.

Especially if parents have a history of asthma or previous allergies. This can put your child at a higher risk of developing asthma.

Diagnosing asthma in children may be a little difficult, because:

• Asthma symptoms such as wheezing and coughing are very common in children, especially in children under 3 years
• Pulmonary function tests with spirometry usually work optimally in children aged 2 years and over

So in most cases, doctors can only diagnose asthma in children when they are 2 years old and over.

Treatment from a doctor

How to treat asthma in children?

Treating asthma can be done in various ways, from doctor's medication, traditional medicine, to natural ways by changing diet.

The doctor will help write an asthma management plan for parents to read and understand at home.

This asthma management plan includes a variety of medicines to take, when and how to take medication, and other instructions recommended by the pediatrician.

Here are some ways you can treat asthma in children.

Long-term control medication

Long-term asthma medication is needed to prevent asthma attacks from recurring. This drug works effectively to reduce inflammation in the airways.

That way the risk of recurrence of asthma symptoms can also be minimized.

In general, this one asthma drug is given to a child who experiences:

• Asthma attack more than 2 times a week.
• Asthma symptoms appear at night more than 2 times a month.
• Often hospitalized for asthma.
• Requires more than two courses of oral steroids per year.

Several types of child asthma medication for the long term, namely, quoting from Healthy Children:

1. Inhaled corticosteroids

Inhaled corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory drugs that come in the form of sprays or powders to help children breathe easier.

Apart from being an asthma medication, inhaled corticosteroids are also often used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This medicine is only available by prescription and is usually given to children under 5 years of age.

For example, this type of pediatric asthma medication is budesonide (Pulmicort®), fluticasone (Flovent®), and beclomethasone (Qvar®).

In infants and young children, inhaled corticosteroids may be given through a nebulizer with a face mask.

Compared to inhalers, the vapor produced by the nebulizer is very small, so the drug will penetrate more quickly into the targeted parts of the lungs.

2. Leukotriene modifiers

This asthma drug for children works to fight leukotriene or white blood cells that block air flow in the lungs.

An example of a leukotriene modifier is montelukast (Singulair®). The drug is available in the form of chewable tablets for children aged 2-6 years, as well as in powder form for children under 1 year of age.

This drug option should only be considered if the use of inhaled corticosteroids does not control asthma symptoms.

In addition, this drug cannot be given monotherapy, it must be combined with inhaled corticosteroids.

3. Long-acting beta 2 agonists

Long-acting beta 2 agonists are asthma medications for children that are included in the corticosteroid treatment chain.

It is said to be long-acting because of its effects which can last for at least 12 hours. Salmeterol (Advair®) and formoterol are some of the long-acting beta 2 agonist asthma medications most often prescribed by doctors.

This drug only works to clear the airways, does not treat inflammation in the airways. To relieve inflammation, this drug will usually be combined with inhaled corticosteroid drugs.

Doctors can combine the drug fluticasone with salmeterol, budesonide with formeterol, and fluticasone with fomoterol to treat asthma.

Various long-term children's asthma medications above must be taken every day to prevent asthma attacks from coming on.

Short-term control drugs

Apart from long-term medication, children with asthma also need short-term medication. This treatment aims to immediately relieve the symptoms of acute asthma once the attack recurs.

The following types of asthma medications for short-term children include:

1. Bronchodilators

Asthma symptoms in children who come and go can improve if they are given bronchodilator drugs.

Bronchodilators are a type of medicine that functions to open the bronchial tubes (tubes that lead to the lungs) so that the child can breathe more freely.

Bronchodilators are often referred to as asthma medications for the short term. This means that this drug is given as first aid when a child's asthma recurs at any time.

Examples of bronchodilator drugs include albuterol and levalbuterol. These drugs work effectively to relieve asthma symptoms for 4-6 hours.

Ask your little one to take this medicine first before starting to exercise, so that asthma does not recur and interfere with their activities.

To make the medicine easier to inhale, you can also put the medication in a more practical inhaler or nebulizer.

2. Oral or liquid corticosteroids

Apart from being inhaled, corticosteroid drugs are also available in the form of tablets that are taken directly or as a liquid injected into a vein.

Prednisone and methylprednisolone are the most commonly prescribed oral corticosteroid drugs. Usually doctors will prescribe oral steroid asthma medication for only 1-2 weeks.

This is because this asthma drug for children has the potential to cause serious side effects when used in the long term.

Risks of side effects include weight gain, high blood pressure, easy bruising, muscle weakness, and many more.

Natural medicine

Natural asthma medication for children

Apart from medicine from doctors, there are several natural ingredients that are believed to be able to treat asthma symptoms.

Here are various natural asthma medications for children:

1. Turmeric

Turmeric has allergy properties that work to block histamine, a chemical in the body that triggers inflammation.

This is by a study in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. The study reports that regularly taking turmeric supplements for a month can help loosen blocked airways.

Unfortunately, this research is still on a small scale. More research is needed to ascertain the benefits and risks of turmeric as an herbal remedy for children with asthma.

2. Ginseng and garlic

Garlic is anti-inflammatory which experts believe can reduce inflammation of the airways due to asthma.

Interestingly, recent studies have revealed that the properties of garlic to treat asthma are increasing when combined with ginseng.

This conclusion comes from a study conducted by researchers from the faculty of veterinary medicine, South Valley University in Egypt.

Even so, until now there has been no research that can prove that these two herbs are effective for long-term traditional treatment of childhood asthma.

3. Honey

Honey is believed to help relieve asthma symptoms in children thanks to its abundant antioxidant content.

The UCLA study explains that antioxidants are effective in fighting inflammation and boosting the immune system of children with asthma. Researchers suggest consuming 2 teaspoons of honey before bed.

The sweetness of honey can trigger the salivary glands to produce more saliva which eventually lubricates the airways so that it can help relieve coughs.

Honey can also reduce inflammation in the bronchial tubes (airways in the lungs) and help thin mucus that makes breathing difficult.

4. Ginger

Research in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology also says that ginger can help reduce allergic responses by lowering IgE levels in the body.

As is well known, asthma is closely related to allergies. When these IgE levels decrease, the allergic reactions that appear will also gradually decrease.

Ginger has also been reported to help relax the tightened muscles in the respiratory wall, as is found in some asthma medications.

No wonder ginger can be used as the treatment of choice to relieve asthma symptoms in children.

But keep in mind, herbal ingredients are not always safe for children. It is better to consult your doctor first before trying any type of herbal concoction as an alternative.

Treatment side effects

Are there any side effects from asthma treatment in children?

Make sure to give the medicine according to the doctor's instructions. Avoid stopping your medication too quickly, reducing the dose than recommended, or switching to other medications and treatments without discussing it with your doctor.

In some children, drugs may be given at the same time to control asthma. Then the amount of medicine will be reduced if the asthma symptoms are under control.

Meanwhile, in some cases, asthma in children sometimes does not improve even when they are using drugs.

If this happens, they may have another medical condition that interferes with treatment.

The pediatrician will examine the child and any problems that are worsening their asthma, such as allergic rhinitis, sinus infections, and acid reflux (GERD).