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Clearing the way for better breathing
Children’s National educates patients, families, and the community about pediatric asthma triggers, maintenance, and treatment
Nearly nine million children in the United States are living with asthma, a disease that affects the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. Asthma can start at any age and affects children of every race. Many times, more than one person in the same family has asthma.
In 2001, Children’s National Medical Center began IMPACT DC (Improving Pediatric Asthma Care in the District of Columbia) to monitor the use of emergency departments in Washington, DC, for acute pediatric asthma care. The ultimate goals of IMPACT DC are to reduce asthma morbidity, improve the connection between primary care and patients, and help children rely less on emergency department visits for asthma care.
Recently, Stephen J. Teach, MD, MPH, medical director of IMPACT DC, received a grant to implement a school-based asthma education program. He believes that part of the program’s success is its ability to connect families with key services and organizations within their communities.
If your child has asthma, there is a lot that you can do to prevent and control your child’s asthma and keep him or her healthy. Work with your child’s healthcare team to keep asthma under control and follow these guidelines:
1. Know your child’s triggers.
If you understand and reduce your child’s exposure to triggers, you can help control his or her asthma. Indoor triggers
- Cigarette smoke
- Mold and mildew
- Animals with fur
- Strong smells and sprays
- Dust in beds and pillows
- Dust from sweeping
- Cockroaches
Outdoor triggers
- Changes in weather
- Pollen from trees and flowers
- Air pollution
Other triggers
- Upper respiratory infections (“colds”)
- Running, sports and other exercise
- Certain foods
- Laughing hard, crying or yelling
- Stress
2. Limit your child’s exposure to triggers.
- Do not smoke inside.
- Keep animals outside whenever possible.
- Keep strong smells and incense out of the home, including heavily-scented soap, shampoo or lotions.
- Avoid using wood or kerosene to heat your home. If you must, keep a window cracked.
- Close windows and use an air conditioner with a new filter on days when there is heavy air pollution, if possible.
- Don’t sweep, vacuum, dust, paint, spray for insects, or use strong cleaners while your asthmatic child is home.
3. Understand how to use your child’s asthma medication.
Most people with asthma need two kinds of asthma medicine.
Preventive or controller medicine
- This is used every day to keep airways healthy and keep asthma from getting worse.
- These medicines are used even when your child is feeling good.
Quick-relief or rescue medicine
- This medicine is needed to stop asthma attacks when they start. It works by relaxing the muscles that have tightened around the airways during an asthma attack.
- If your child uses quick-relief medicine many times a week to treat coughing or wheezing, then he or she may need a medicine to control the swelling in the airways and prevent future asthma attacks. If your child uses quick relief medicine more than three times each day, he or she is probably having an asthma attack. Take your child to the doctor within the day. The doctor may need to prescribe a steroid medicine, which controls the swelling in your child's lungs.
4. Know the signs of an asthma attack.
You and your child need to know the signs that an asthma attack is starting so that your child can act fast and use a rescue medicine. Some signs include:
- A low number on the peak flow meter
- Cough
- Tight chest, fast heart beats
- Stomach ache, vomiting
- Wheeze
- Feels tired, quiet, lays around
- Feels dizzy, head hurts
Get emergency help from a doctor if your child does not get better.
5. Get help if you see any of these asthma danger signs in your child:
- The quick-relief medicine does not help for very long or it does not help at all.
- It is hard to talk and breathe.
- The nose opens wide when he or she breathes.
- Skin is pulled in around the ribs and neck when he or she breathe.
- Your child’s cough is strong or tight, especially if he or she vomits afterward.
- The heartbeat or pulse is very fast.
- Your child is too tired to play and has difficulty walking.
- Lips or fingernails turn gray or blue.
If you cannot contact your doctor, go directly to the emergency room. DO NOT WAIT. Call an ambulance (911) if necessary. Make an appointment with your child’s doctor within two days of an ER visit or hospitalization.
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