Asthma flare-ups, also known as asthma attacks, can be overwhelming for a child, especially when they are in school. These occur when the airway causes an automatic allergic reaction to a trigger such as dust, smoke, pollen or any kind of physical activity. As a result of an asthma flare-up, your child can cough, have trouble breathing, or might suffer through wheezing and chest pain. However, there are certain steps that you can take to ensure that you can guide your child through a difficult and painful episode of an asthma flare-up.
Administer Medication
The best way to eliminate any symptoms of asthma flare-ups is to administer a quick-relief medication for asthma. If your child uses an inhaler, use it with a spacer, after which you will able to see an improvement in your child’s breathing patterns.
Stay Calm
Be calm and patient and help keep your child calm as well throughout the attack. The reason for that is the fact that anxiety can make the condition worse. The more your child remains calm and collected, the faster an attack will dissipate.
Maintain a Distance from Triggers
Any allergy-causing elements and triggers that are causes for the asthma flare-ups can make it worse in a matter of seconds. Maintain a distance and try to get away from such triggers. Grass, smoke, dust, pollen and animals can be the triggers. However, if your child is experiencing difficulty breathing due to physical activities, help him/her rest. Sometimes, it can be difficult to get away from a trigger, such as a cold. If that happens, administer medication as quickly as possible to ensure that the condition doesn’t get any worse.
Monitor the Health of Your Child
After an asthma flare-up, keep a close eye on your child’s condition and check to see if there are signs of improvement. A second episode of an attack might happen, so it’s essential that you keep a close eye on your kid for a couple of days. Generally, a second flare is much more extreme than the first one. So, it’s important that your child is monitored constantly.
Emergency Help
If your child is not showing any signs of improving or suffers from an extreme asthma flare-up or attack, call 911 or take him/her to the best pediatrics Tomball has to offer. Generally, a medical professional will administer a quick-relief medication such as Albuterol, or if the condition is serious, then he/she will likely prescribe a controlled medicine, such as an inhaled corticosteroid. Usually, Albuterol offers quick relief as it relaxes the tightened respiratory track and the bands of muscles that squeeze the entire airway. The inhaled corticosteroid, on the other hand, works by reducing the swelling and sensitivity that occurs inside the airway over a period, due to which it is not usually used as a quick relief measure by the best pediatrics Tomball has.
Most of the pediatrics Tomball has can help you create an Asthma Action Plan for your child that will outline the medicines, triggers and certain steps, specifically for your child to manage and treat asthma flare-ups in an effective manner.
