Breathing Difficulties – Asthma
Posted on Mar 29, 2010 under Uncategorized | No CommentAsthma is a lung condition that causes very difficult breathing episodes. With more than 6 millions kids and teens having asthma, it is a common condition around the world. It affects a child’s airways, which are also called breathing tubes or bronchial tubes.
For most children, breathing is a natural and simple thing. They simply breathe in through their noses or mouths and the air goes into the windpipe and passes through the airways and into the lungs, and finally back out again.
Yet, breathing can be a lot more problematical for kids with asthma as their airways are very sensitive. Unlike kids who can breathe normally, kids with asthma have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus. It is extremely important that parents with kids, who suffer from asthma, acquire a lot of news and knowledge on the condition and necessary medicines.
Certain things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke can lead to over sensitivity or hyper reactivity for people with asthma. Hence, the smooth muscle that surrounds the airways tightens up due to this hyper reactivity. The airways are narrowed as a result of the combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening. This makes it complicated for air to move through.
Parents should keep record of their children’s health conditions by means of a health diary or so. This may act as a directory for the guardians where they can go through anything from asthma symptoms, causes, recent findings, medicines, allergies, flare-ups and history of the child’s health in general. This is a better way that even busy parents can keep up to date about the health condition of their child with asthma.
Asthma flare ups – which means that the problem of breathing may happen once in a while; is faced by most people with asthma. This takes place when a child’s airways get swollen and narrow and it becomes a lot difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. At times the swollen airways create extra mucus, which makes things pretty sticky, so it’s easy to see why it’s hard to breathe.
It is also known as an asthma attack, flare, episode, or exacerbation. Taking asthma medicine is very important for a child with asthma. If not, there is a possibility that an asthma flare-up can get worse. Though it may take several days, the airways almost always go back to the way they were before, after an asthma flare-up.
A child’s breathing can be totally normal or seem that way in between flare-ups. But while in a flare-up, it can feel like the child is breathing through a straw. Wheezing (a whistling sound when he or she breathes), coughing, and feeling tightness in the chest are some common signs of a child with asthma.
Imagine how difficult it would be for such kids to go on vacation and really enjoy while in such conditions. Travelling, sports and many other activities enjoyed by normal healthy kids may not be always fully enjoyed by kids with asthma. Well, this is just some fundamentals on understanding asthma condition. It is important that a child who is suffering from asthma know what it is. Also, the parents need to fully understand the situation of the child.