What Can I Do If My Child Has Asthma?
If your child has
asthma, both you and your child should be familiar with asthma medications and devices, such as spacers, nebulizers, and metered-dose inhalers. Your pediatrician should discuss the function of each medication with you and your child, as well as how to use asthma devices. It is important that parents and other caregivers recognize the signs of an acute
asthma attack and the use of "rescue" medications. Asthma is a chronic condition, but with proper management, your child can have a normal childhood with no restrictions on sports and recreational activities except in the most severe of cases.
Asthma and Childhood: Prognosis
The prognosis for those people with asthma in childhood depends on a number of factors. Generally, children who have very mild asthma are more likely to be symptom-free when they become adults. Those who improve typically do so in adolescence. It has been suggested that if a child develops asthma before age 3, his or her prognosis is poorer; however, children who have asthmatic symptoms only when they are sick with colds and other upper respiratory infections tend to improve.
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