by Brandi Robinson

Created on: November 18, 2007

Asthma is the cause of 5,000 deaths, 2 million emergency hospital visits and 500,000 hospitalizations a year in the United States alone. Asthma is serious and every parent should be aware of the symptoms. Asthma has to distinct scenarios: Airway constriction which presents it self in the way of attacks gasping for breath and Airway irritation which is much harder to detect because of it's subtle symptoms. A doctor is the only person that can diagnose a child with asthma. However, doctors aren't with your child all day. Sometimes it takes the parent advocating for their child to have the doctor consider asthma. That was the case with my son. My son didn't have "attacks" but he would have some difficulty breathing when he became physically active or if he got sick. He was also prone to upper respiratory problems. I was the one to suggest to my doctor that there may be an issue and I had documented several symptoms and their frequency. Sometimes the symptoms of asthma can go unnoticed because there are subtle symptoms, which can one day lead to an attack. My son didn't have his first attack until two years after he was diagnosed and it would have been very scary if I didn't have the proper equipment and knowledge.

COMMON SYMPTOMS

1. Monitor your child when they get colds. Ask yourself do they have labored breathing? Labored breathing is not necessarily gasping or sounding like you have run a marathon. It may be similar to when you get out of breath doing some stairs.

2. Next, keep track of how often they have upper respiratory problems. I found out my son had asthma because of his recurrent upper respiratory illness. He had a constant cough and congestion when he got a cold. It is hard to remember how often your child's symptoms include cough, labored breathing, chest congestion, etc. so it may be a good idea to keep track in a journal.

3. Asthma can also be seasonal. My husband's asthma is seasonal. When it gets to be fall/winter is when his asthma presents itself. He doesn't have the same lung capacity and gets winded alot easier. He describes it as if someone was sitting on his chest all day. So it It was difficult to diagnose because it took several years to figure out what was happening. So be aware that it can be seasonal and watch for patterns during certain parts of the year.

4. If you think your child might be having some labored breathing lift your child's shirt and look at his stomach. If their stomach is "pulling in" around their ribs when they are breathing that is a symptom of asthma. It is also a severe symptom. This means they are having a lot of difficulty breathing and need a breathing treatment right away or a trip to the doctor. This is the first thing I am asked when I make appointments for my child and tell them he is coughing. There are times that his breathing doesn't sound labored but when I check his stomach you can see it being sucked under his bottom rib as he takes each breath.

ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Asthma can be triggered by certain environmental factors such as: Pets, Colds, Dust mites, Cockroaches, Smoke, Mold, Pollen, Exercise, Weather, and allergic reactions. There are times that asthma will go undetected until a child comes into contact with "their trigger." Be aware of potential triggers and watch how your child reacts.

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