How to help your child if they have asthma: what to do if it gets worse

If your child has asthma, it is quite likely that you will wonder what you can do at times when your symptoms become more intense and worrisome. Certainly, although the child can make perfectly normal life, although the respiratory disease persists, it is necessary to recognize not only what are the symptoms of worsening, but when to start treatment and what to do at home when the disease worsens.

Asthma basically consists of the narrowing of the airways, which causes difficulty in breathing normally in the person who suffers. It is a condition that affects the lungs of the child, and it is a persistent disease, which means that it can affect the child's lungs throughout life, and sometimes it will tend to feel better, and in others it will be worse due to the exacerbation of symptoms.

What are the warning symptoms in case of worsening asthma in the child?

While it is true that mild asthma tends to go almost unnoticed on many occasions, when asthma becomes moderate or severe if a series of obvious and visible symptoms occur, especially when the well-known one also arises asthmatic crisis.

Among the most common warning signs or symptoms, we can mention the following: wheezing (breathing with noises, with a characteristic whistling sound similar to whistles heard in the chest), tiredness and difficulty to catch your breath, cough that does not go away and / or until vomiting and that also arises at night (when the child is calm), breathing faster than usual, sneezing, lack of heart and other symptoms related to the cold.

In addition, other, more obvious symptoms may emerge that clearly indicate that the child's asthma is getting worse: it is difficult for him to talk normally, he feels sleepy, he can not stop coughing and / or vomiting, his skin or lips turn bluish color, skin on the chest or neck sinks when the child breathes.

When this happens, it is very important to know how to help your child, and especially, follow the action plan established with the doctor.

What to do if the child's asthma gets worse?

If your child is older you can start the treatment by yourself, or if it is smaller, by your mom or dad, or by any other adult who is nearby. In this sense, it is very important that your child knows how to use the medications that should be administered when his symptoms worsen, through the use of the bronchodilator.

The bronchodilator contains two types of medications that help relieve and reduce inflammation, then open the bronchi and allow normal breathing. It can be administered directly to the bronchi by breathing or inhaling through the nose or mouth, or also by injections. In this case, it is the pediatrician who will indicate what type of medication to use, its dosage and the frequency of administration.

In case the asthma crisis becomes serious it is very important seek urgent immediate medical attention, especially if the following symptoms are observed:

The chest and the sides get in when you try to breathe, and this also produces a lot of effort.
Chest pain.
Increased heartbeat
Use the muscles of the abdomen to breathe.
When inhaled, it dilates the nasal passages.

Remember that asthma attacks always start with a cough, to then generate the known wheezing or wheezing when breathing, with difficulty breathing.

Images | Istockphoto This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Pediatrician. We advise you to consult your trusted pediatrician. ThemesDiseases in babies and children