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| Asthma in the early years
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Have you got any children in your service who suffer from asthma? Chances are you do as this condition is common among children. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne has put together this overview as a reminder for early childhood services on the types of asthma most commonly seen in kids and how to maintain effective asthma management strategies in your service.
Many young children experience episodes of wheezing, in fact as many as one in every four children will have a bout of wheezing at some stage.
At the same time, diagnosing that wheezing is asthma can be quite difficult in very young children. Asthma is a condition that is clinically defined as "recurrent episodes of cough, wheeze and shortness of breath that respond to bronchodilator therapy".
Asthma categories
Asthma can be grouped into three categories.
Episodic asthma
This is the most common type of asthma. Children with episodic asthma will generally have an asthma attack several times a year – usually when they have an upper respiratory tract infection. These children need to take medication at the time of an acute attack, but usually not in between attacks.
Persistent asthma
This is the next most common type of asthma. Children who have persistent asthma usually have more frequent attacks than those with episodic asthma and might also experience symptoms in between attacks. These children will generally need to take medication every day.
Chronic asthma
Children who have chronic asthma make up only a small number of children with asthma. The symptoms are generally ongoing and these children will generally need to take a number of medications every day.
Asthma management
Well-managed asthma is the goal when it comes to children who have asthma. Achieving that means that everyone who is involved in the care of the child needs to be aware of the child's asthma management plan.
An asthma management plan needs to be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes. It covers the child's particular triggers for an asthma attack and, if the child does experience an asthma attack, what medications they take, how they take them, and what to do in an emergency situation.
Learn more
The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne has lots of great asthma resources that you can share with families, including an asthma management plan generator to share with all those involved in the child's care.
The Raising Children Network has a comprehensive series of evidence-based articles on asthma.
There are two national bodies for asthma, National Asthma Council, and Asthma Australia. Both offer a wealth of online information for children and adults. |
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