How to understand that a child has an asthmatic cough. Bronchial Asthma in Children: What You Need to Know

Bronchial asthma is a disease characterized by chronic inflammation respiratory tract. This pathology is increasingly observed in children. This is due to the deterioration of the environmental situation, which significantly affects children's immunity. Therefore, absolutely every parent needs to know the signs and symptoms of asthma in order to have time to help their baby.

About the disease

Chronic inflammation of the airways is characterized by narrowing of the bronchial lumens. Because of this, bronchospasms occur, which provoke the formation increased amount mucus. This prevents the normal flow of air masses, and breathing occurs. This disorder in the body is called bronchospasm.

Asthma classification:

Atopic or allergenic: caused by allergens entering the body. The most popular of them: dust, food, pollen, animal hair, cosmetic fragrances, etc.
Non-atopic or non-allergenic: begins to develop under the influence of infectious pathogens. A rare asthmatic form.

Pathology severity:

light;
average;
heavy.

The severity of the disease is determined by the number of attacks, their duration and the force of impact on the body. Based on these data, it is selected specific treatment. It should be aimed at relieving the pathology. You should also choose together with your pediatrician preventive measures to reduce the number of attacks.

It is noteworthy that children who suffer from asthma from birth contain the asthmatic gene. Often observed hereditary transmission of this disease. The environment in which the baby grows has a strong influence on the course of the disease.

A common cause of childhood asthma is increased sensitivity to irritants. This is due to bronchial hyperreactivity in children.

Congenital factors:

Increased body weight: Asthma is common in obesity. This is due to changes in the position of the diaphragm due to the heavy weight. In this case, the diaphragm rises up, which interferes with the normal breathing process.
Heredity: increased risk the appearance of asthma in children whose relatives are susceptible to the same disease.
Gender of the child: according to average statistics, males are more likely to suffer from asthma. This occurs due to the specific structure of the respiratory tract. In boys, the lumens of the bronchial tree are much narrower than in girls.

Factors external environment influencing the manifestation of asthma:

animal hair;
pollen, often a seasonal influence;
dampness in the room, mold;
food products, for example, citrus fruits, milk, honey, etc.;
dust of various etymologies;
medications.

The following causes of bronchial spasms are distinguished:

dry air;
viral diseases;
perfumed cosmetics;
exhaust gases;
household products;
cold air;
shortness of breath caused by excessive exercise.

Bronchial asthma in children important symptoms

Childhood asthma is very easy to confuse with colds. Some parents perceive the first signs of asthma as symptoms of ARVI or flu. At the same time, they do not even realize that their baby has a rather serious pathology.

A distinctive feature of asthma is the absence of an increase in body temperature against the background of a prolonged dry cough.

Before the actual attack, you can identify warning signs in your baby.

How asthma begins: initial signs:

Irritability and fear in a child.
Bad dream.
Mucus from the nose, after a night's sleep. Accompanied by itchy nose and frequent sneezing.
A few hours after waking up, a dry cough occurs.
After a day's sleep, the cough turns into a wet form.
The appearance of exact asthmatic symptoms after a couple of days.

After these manifestations you can notice in the toddler obvious symptoms asthma:

Additional symptoms in children over 1 year of age:

when inhaling through the mouth, increased dry cough;
tightness in the chest area;
inability to take a full breath;
prolonged dry cough without signs of mucus discharge;
dermatological rashes as an atypical sign of asthma;
onset of symptoms observed under similar conditions.

If children have bronchial asthma, the symptoms should not be ignored, treatment should be carried out immediately. Strict monitoring of the baby's health is necessary.

An attack of bronchial asthma is a very serious phenomenon. Therefore, every parent needs to know what an attack looks like, as well as effective ways to get rid of it.

An asthma attack can begin at any moment, so the correct algorithm of actions will help you respond quickly.

Watch your baby's behavior and listen to him:

React absolutely to any signs of deterioration in your toddler’s breathing. Older children themselves can tell you what exactly hurts them and tell you about breathing problems.
Chest pain can also symbolize asthma. This factor should not be ignored. Such painful sensations are present when there is poor air flow through the respiratory tract.
Often children do not admit their problems. If you notice that the baby is scared and withdrawn, then try to calm him down and find out what’s wrong.

Take a closer look at the child's appearance:

Soreness appearance may indicate an asthma attack. Children with colds have a similar appearance.
Take a closer look, don't you? increased sweating at the baby's. Severe pallor of the skin may also indicate an approaching attack. This is due to a lack of oxygen in the blood.
A severe case of asthma is accompanied by a blue discoloration of the mouth and nose area. This sign indicates severe oxygen deficiency. In this case, emergency medical care is required.

Breath analysis of a baby:

Pay attention to whether the child has to make any effort to inhale. Raising the shoulders is important sign difficulty breathing.
An unusual posture may indicate an attack. If air flow is difficult, the child may slouch, lean against the table, or stick to the wall, which makes his condition at least a little easier.
Respiration rate is the most striking indicator. A calm intake of air occurs in approximately 20 breaths in 1 minute. If there is rapid breathing, you should inquire about the child’s general well-being.
With increased inhalation of air during an attack, the baby experiences a significant expansion of the nostrils.
A strong, dry cough creates pressure in the bronchi, which makes breathing a little easier. Therefore, pay attention to this indicator of asthma.
Look at the area below the ribs. Contractions in this area during breathing symbolize a lack of oxygen volume.
During an asthma attack, wheezing is often observed when inhaling or exhaling. Hissing and whistling sounds are also possible.

A mild first attack is a serious factor for contacting your doctor. It is the pediatrician, together with other specialized specialists, who will help create competent treatment.
A severe, prolonged attack must be stopped immediately. Therefore, you should immediately call emergency medical help.
For recurring attacks, you need to keep inhalers at the ready to relieve bronchospasm. Young children need help using the inhaler. For older asthmatics, training in how to use an inhaler independently is provided.

Unfortunately, to date, no medications have been invented that can cure asthma. The list of prescribed medications is aimed at relieving asthmatic attacks. The number of medications taken depends on the form of the disease. The dosage is gradually increased.

Only a doctor has the right to prescribe treatment. It is the pediatrician who will be able to determine the correct dosage required. active ingredients drugs.

There are two groups of drugs for the treatment of asthma:

basic;
symptomatic.

Basic drugs are prescribed to relieve inflammation, as well as remove allergic substances from the body. These include cromones, antileukotriene and anticholinergic drugs, glucorticoid hormones. It is necessary to treat a child with these means constantly, as well as for preventive purposes.

It should be remembered that they are not able to quickly stop an attack and do not relieve bronchospasm.

These medications should be taken long time. The result is not visible immediately; it will be noticeable only after a couple of weeks of systematic treatment.

Parents need to know that glucocorticoid hormones have several important side effects. These include:

decreased immunity;
problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
hormonal imbalance;
increase in body weight.

Symptomatic drugs can quickly relieve bronchial spasm. This improves the passage of air through the respiratory tract. Such medicines are the basis for emergency care during an attack. Such drugs are not used as preventive treatment.

Medicines are the basis for maintaining a child’s body with asthma. These include inhalers, tablets and syrups.

There are also a number of other methods to improve the condition of the body with asthma:

acupuncture;
reflexology;
physical training;
breathing exercises;
salt caves.

Prevention

Prevention measures help reduce asthma attacks. To do this, it is necessary to increase the child’s immunity and help improve the general condition.

Helpful tips for preventing asthma attacks:

Breastfeeding plays an important role in prevention. It should continue for at least 1 year.
When feeding with formula, you should discuss the composition of the milk with your pediatrician.
Avoid products in the children's menu that are known to be allergic.
Avoid pets if your child is more prone to allergies.
Accustom your child's body to hardening. This method perfectly improves natural immunity.
Monitor the condition of your living space and remove dust in a timely manner.
Use anti-allergenic products to clean the room.
Children's skincare products must be made from environmentally friendly, hypoallergenic ingredients.
Ventilate your child's room.

Bronchial asthma in children is quite common. Therefore, every parent needs to know the signs of asthma in children. This will help you quickly respond to an attack. This disease needs constant supervision from parents. Precisely due drug prophylaxis, as well as other non-medicinal measures can reduce the number of dangerous attacks.

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664

Ilga

More than a year ago, my husband’s mother died. Left behind were a stepfather (according to the documents, the husband was not adopted) and a maternal brother. His parents saved up for a cottage, but never managed to purchase it; all the property went first to his father, who asked him to write a waiver of the inheritance in order to register the car and so on. The youngest son lives with his father with his girlfriend, I don’t know if he wrote a renunciation of the inheritance. The bottom line is that the money saved up for the cottage (not a small amount) was divided between the father and the youngest according to their accounts, but they didn’t tell us anything, they found out by chance from their brother (he said that they were saving money further for themselves), it turns out that the husband gets nothing from his mother as an inheritance in general. Everything will be registered in the name of my brother. The husband claims that he will earn everything himself (this is unrealistic). His father lied to him that all the money was “burnt.” In general, it was always the case that in all the years my father never called himself, never asked how he was doing, etc. My brother is like that too. But the husband constantly calls them himself, worries about their health, etc. I tell my husband - I wonder if you hadn’t called them yourself, would they have remembered about you and called you? He says that the father is definitely not, that’s how he was brought up (or not brought up, rather)! I feel sorry for my husband that he is abandoned by them and does not understand this, that his father does not act honestly, and did not receive any inheritance from his mother at all, nothing.

450

Alena Viktorovna

Hi all. I had a fight with my mother and managed to do this - hang a mountain of guilt on me. She lives in the country, she has about 30 cats and several dogs. My favorite dog is a shepherd dog) so aggressive that I don’t even go into the yard of this dacha, he can’t tie him up - he doesn’t like him. The cats are sterilized, but there are not fewer of them: kind people constantly drop someone off or she picks them up... it’s very expensive to maintain this zoo. the mother is retired (she practically never worked), the father works and receives a pension, but they can barely make ends meet. and then someone advised her to go online. It’s so simple - you create a page and that’s it, they start sending you money! She doesn’t understand anything about this, she doesn’t have a computer, it’s a push-button phone. can open Google and make a request. All. what's happened social media seems vague. She came to see me today. Make, he says, a page and write it. I’m in the city, I have two children, two jobs, the youngest just started kindergarten, she’s constantly sick. She doesn’t sit with the children - she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have time. What it means to create a page/channel and promote it, how long it takes - she has no idea. and I hate social networks! These groups... I'm not even on Instagram. In general, I went crazy, my mother began to cry that no one wanted to help her, she was asking for such a small thing! I’m trying to explain to her - I need photos, videos, stories about animals... but I can’t even go there. Like this is not a problem - my father takes photographs, I write.
Now I’m sitting, crushed by the feeling of my own insignificance (((buy her a good phone? Tablet? Will she figure out how to create and develop her own blog or page? I definitely don’t want to do this myself. This is an encroachment on the last piece of my personal time (((y I’m already gone... children, work, home, and also - I teach at a university, I have to write scientific articles (right now I’m stuck with the allowance, it’s due soon, and I’ve been toiling with my youngest child for two weeks - she’s got the flu (((no one ever told me: “Alena, let’s sit with the girls, and you go to the bathhouse!” No. My father still sees my children if I urgently need to go to work, my mother never. But hang on I still have responsibilities - yes ((((in general, I’m sitting, I feel like a piece... organic origin((((

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Squirrel

Do men generally feel sorry for women? Why do they think that a woman is a horse and must plow at work and at home? And don’t whine or complain. In short, plow and laugh with happiness.
I don't know about others. But I’ll tell you for myself, it’s hard to work full time, and weekends don’t feel like rest. How are you?

199

Olga Veselova

I have a girlfriend. She has been involved in charity work for several years. She has no opportunity to participate financially. But she has the talent to unite people, inspire them, and infect them with an idea. They also help families in difficult situation, and shelters, but the main activity is holding collections for treatment. There have been many stories over the years. And with children, and a pregnant woman, and even for a man who has been in an accident. She rarely gives details. But then I decided to ask around myself. How does communication develop with the people she helps? After all, for a story to work, you need to be sick of it. They print leaflets, post them around the city, raise all the media, hold charity fairs and concerts. It turned out that after the end of the collection, people never make contact again. They don’t take part in gatherings (to help with putting up leaflets, for example), they don’t congratulate you on your birthday. Some people they meet in the city turn away and pretend that they don’t know each other. I’ll say right away that she has no torment about this. She had long passed the stage when she was fascinated by people. Tries not to get close. Helped on the side too. Usually newbies who make it to the team. At first they are disappointed. So you still need to remember goodness? Do not carry a load and debt on your shoulders, do not approach someone who once helped you in a half-bent position. For example, don’t forget to congratulate him on social networks, or support him when he finds himself in a difficult situation. Most often, when a friend is asked for help, the first words are - we have no one else to turn to

177

And the reason is personal, for example, my thirty-something nephew. Such a grasshopper, hopping and chirping to itself. No, not a slacker. And the work is not bad, not dusty, and a career is emerging little by little, not like “ah!”, but there is a way to go. And so they offered him a place - super, the salary cannot be compared with the current one, and then - try to grow. No, he says, I don’t want to. I’m still young - I’m looking for what’s mine and haven’t lived to my heart’s content yet. I’m silent, but I don’t think he’s right. Or right?

158

Bronchial asthma in children is not a simple disease that will require parents to have endurance and patience to treat their child. Against the background of prolonged infectious and inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract, which contribute to the modification of bronchial structures, develops serious illness– bronchial asthma. In early childhood, when the immune and respiratory section The body of a small child is not yet sufficiently strong and formed; asthmatic pathology occurs quite often.

Children who have chronic infections in their airways and a tendency to allergic reactions. The disease is quite dangerous, as it is accompanied by severe symptoms - bronchospasm, obstruction and the formation of copious mucous sputum, which prevents the free movement of air and ultimately provokes attacks of suffocation. Pathology is classified into two types:

allergic form of bronchial asthma;
infectious form of bronchial asthma.

Mostly, and this is in 90% of cases, children suffer from allergic form asthma. The causative agents of this disease are antigens of allergic origin, for example, flowering pollen, mold fungi, dander or salivary secretions of pets, dust and other common irritants to which the body is highly sensitive.

The remaining 10% are infectious forms of bronchial asthma that occur in childhood. In this form of the disease, the main source of pathological changes in the bronchostructures is any respiratory tract infection. But the appearance of attacks does not always occur due to its cause. Prolonged respiratory illnesses can act as a preparatory factor, that is, infectious pathogenesis creates favorable conditions in the bronchi - it increases the permeability of the walls of the alveoli, which makes them vulnerable to the effects of any irritants.

Children with a genetic predisposition are predominantly prone to asthmatic diseases. According to statistics, the majority of children with bronchial asthma, approximately 60%, have relatives with similar pathological disorders. In addition to the hereditary factor, the appearance of a serious illness is closely related to the unfavorable atmosphere and its negative influence on the immune functions of the child’s body.

Symptoms of bronchial asthma in a child

Determining that a child has bronchial asthma is extremely important in the early stages of the disease. But, unfortunately, the pathology is quite similar in its symptoms to ordinary respiratory ailments. This fact prevents parents from suspecting asthmatic pathogenesis in time, which gives complete freedom for its progression. Every parent should know the main distinguishing property - bronchial asthma is never accompanied by an increase in body temperature, unlike a cold, even in the presence of a severe dry cough.

In addition, it is extremely important to pay attention to the initial symptoms, which should increase the vigilance of parents and force them to urgently take action, these are:

secretion of mucus from the baby’s sinuses immediately after waking up, which provokes sneezing and causes the baby to constantly rub his nose;
the appearance of an unproductive cough a short time after sleep, it does not have a very pronounced intensity;
the cough gets worse closer to lunch or after the child has slept during the day, and some sputum is already released;
at night you can also notice that the child coughs often;
the clinical picture becomes more complicated 1-2 days after the onset of the above symptoms.

Initial manifestations become the cause sudden occurrence spasm in the bronchi, which leads to an asthmatic attack. If the disease is present in infant(0-12 months), the attack is accompanied by the following symptoms:

paroxysmal cough during sleep or immediately after waking up;
A slight relief of the baby’s condition comes from changing the position from a horizontal to a vertical position, but if you put the baby back in the crib, the intense cough resumes;
restlessness and capriciousness of the baby - these signs precede an attack due to the formation of swelling in the nasal cavity;
after a certain period of time, the child’s breathing becomes difficult;
a short inhalation alternates with a painful exhalation, which is accompanied by wheezing and whistling;
the rhythm of heavy breathing becomes frequent and confused, shortness of breath occurs.

Similar signs are observed in older children, and you can add to them:

a feeling of tightness in the chest, the child complains of chest pain;
breathing through the mouth provokes intense nonproductive cough;
the child complains of difficulty breathing, lack of air;
sudden attack cough always occurs when a child is in certain conditions, for example, after contact with a cat, during a street walk or during physical activity, when you are indoors with flowers, at a picnic near a fire, etc.

If you notice your child has breathing problems or any clinical condition above, you need to immediately call an ambulance. A dry cough in a child with attacks, which occurs suddenly and without fever, requires urgent diagnosis to determine whether bronchial asthma is involved in its occurrence. An asthmatic crisis can occur at any time, not only at night or after sleep, in children with severe forms of the pathology.

For what reasons do children develop asthma?

Bronchial asthma occurs as a result of dysregulation of the reactivity of the bronchi, which leads to high permeability of the organ structures, reversible blockage of the windpipe (bronchi) and narrowing of the airways, all of which, accordingly, causes a failure of the respiratory act and the onset of suffocation. The main reasons for the development of such pathogenesis in the child’s respiratory system are:

hereditary predisposition;
chronic respiratory infections;
the body's sensitivity to any allergens;
overweight child.

In addition, boys suffer from asthma more often than girls due to the structural features of the pulmonary region, which includes bronchial structures with narrower pathways. If the child has overweight, the risk of bronchial asthma is also present. This is explained by the fact that in such children the diaphragm is located above the normal level, and its incorrect position causes breathing problems, and also affects the increase in the permeability of the bronchial membranes.

But, nevertheless, the main factor, of course, after genetics, is considered to be the presence of allergies various types. In a word, if a child’s body reacts even to a food irritant, the likelihood of developing asthmatic syndrome is high. Chronic respiratory diseases in combination with allergies increases the risk of developing bronchial asthma several times.

A specific allergen to which the child is sensitive, as well as additional substances that have strong irritating effects, but are not the root cause of the disease, can become a stimulant of attacks. So, among the main provocateurs of bronchial asthma in children of allergic origin, the following allergens are distinguished:

food products, such as oranges, nuts, honey, chocolate, etc.;
spores of mold organisms that enter the respiratory tract along with air or spoiled food;
dander or specific components of salivary secretions of pets;
household dust and insects in the house, for example, house mites in pillows or cockroaches, or rather, their waste products;
pollen grains of plants saturating the air - in this case, acute relapses of asthma appear during the flowering season of nature;
a certain type of medication - most often these are products containing aspirin or an antibiotic substance.

Any form of bronchial asthma in a child can be complicated by exposure to harsh substances that are not antigens allergic type. Thus, the bronchi with distorted reactivity of an asthmatic child react acutely to the following stimuli:

gas exhausts from cars;
heavily dusty air;
smoke from a fire, cigarettes, scented candles;
perfumes and household products;
cold air, dry or excessively heavy air;
active physical exercises – running, jumping, dancing, etc.;
infectious and viral microorganisms that infect the child.

Asthmatic attack in a child

Every parent must know how to quickly help their child in a critical situation when an attack occurs. And this applies to absolutely every parent, regardless of whether their child has bronchial asthma. It is important to be savvy in any situation, especially when dealing with a serious illness with a tendency to be fatal.

Very often, it is due to the fault of inattentive parents who did not recognize asthma disguised as a cold cough in time, the disease progresses and ultimately leads to severe attacks. They are life-threatening and cause severe psychological trauma to the baby.

How to recognize an asthma attack in children?

The main symptoms have already been discussed, but there are a lot of nuances that should prompt the child’s loved ones to take quick action - providing first aid to relieve an asthmatic attack.

Do not ignore your child's complaints, especially if he talks about painful sensations in the chest and lack of air - this often indicates the onset of an asthma attack due to spasm of the bronchial muscles and severe narrowing of the air passages.

Many children when approaching sudden symptom They are afraid to tell their mother about him; this is quite typical for childhood. Seeing that the child is behaving unnaturally and withdrawn, and also looks sick, calmly ask him about what worries him, but only without nerves and panic.

Breathing – important indicator to determine critical situation. In a calm state, the number of breaths taken in 1 minute is healthy child is approximately 20 times. With an increased breathing rate, it is important to find out from the child how he is feeling - whether he is experiencing discomfort in the chest and whether it is difficult for him to breathe.

The child's pose can also tell you a lot. Due to lack of air, children take a comfortable position in order to take a deep breath, for example, raising or pressing their head to their chest, pressing their elbows tightly against the table surface, raising their shoulders, etc. Any unnatural attempts to change the position of the body to inhale, any efforts made at the moment of the respiratory act are abnormal, and may indicate both non-serious vegetative-vascular disorders and the onset of asthmatic suffocation. A short breath with a characteristic retraction of the lower costal muscles will indicate a spasm in the bronchi.

With a mild or moderate attack, wheezing and whistling sounds appear during inhalation and exhalation. In a severe form of asthmatic spasm, wheezing with a whistle occurs only at the moment of painful exhalation.

A jerky and convulsively frequent non-productive cough always appears before an asthmatic attack. This symptom occurs due to spasm of the smooth muscles of the respiratory organs, their swelling and blockage of the bronchopulmonary structures with viscous thick sputum. A child may cough in the middle of the night for no reason at all, so don’t be too lazy to get up and look at the baby to see if everything is okay.

First aid for a child with an asthma attack

Without losing your own composure, reassure the baby, since an attack causes severe stress and a feeling of fear in the child; panic will only aggravate its course. If you have already had an attack once, use your inhaler quickly and call 911 right away.
Eliminate any source of irritation that could cause an asthmatic reaction. Open the windows, but do not allow a sudden flow of cold air. If the attack was triggered by flowering plants, quickly take the child into the nearest room. Give me a drink antihistamine, it will help relieve swelling in the airways.
Remove clothing from the patient's upper body. Place him on the edge of the bed. Place a chair near the bed with its back facing the child. Next, you need to place your elbows on the upper base of the backrest, tilting the child forward slightly. Children in moments of stress may resist taking the correct position, in such cases there is no need to force it, let the child sit in a way that is comfortable for him.
In order to help relax the smooth muscles of the bronchi and relieve swelling, lower the child's legs into a basin with warm water. The water temperature should only be warm - slightly higher than body temperature, about 45 degrees.
At the end of the attack, white, viscous sputum will begin to separate from the windpipe along with the cough. Next, it is appropriate to take a sputum thinner, for example, ambroxol. In the near future, you should register your child with a specialist, receiving from him appropriate recommendations on the treatment and prevention of asthma.

Treatment of bronchial asthma in children

Until now, unfortunately, pharmacology professors have not invented a remedy that would once and for all help rid a person of bronchial asthma. Treatment of a serious illness is based on the use of medications, the active substance composition of which can relieve spasm and swelling in the respiratory tract. These include bronchodilators and drugs with antihistamine, antileukotriene, and anti-inflammatory effects. In some cases, the child may need to take hormones and anticholinergic drugs.

The use of anti-asthmatic drugs is carried out according to a special scheme, which provides for a gradual increase in dosage. Therapy is selected on an individual basis: any drug is prescribed according to the specific pathology, age and characteristics of the little patient’s body. A child with bronchial asthma should be under close supervision of a specialist, self-medication and independent choice Asthma medications are prohibited.

Medicines for children with bronchial asthma are divided into 2 categories:

symptomatic category of drugs – it includes quick-acting drugs that help quickly stop an attack and alleviate the course of clinical symptoms;
basic category of drugs – it is represented by slow-acting drugs that are used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes for a long time.

It follows that the first category is used to provide urgent help when an attack occurs. It is represented by bronchodilators. The second group makes it possible to remove the antigen from the body, relieve inflammation in the respiratory tract, and help strengthen the alveolar-capillary membranes.

Drugs included in the basic category are used for a long period. The effect of taking a slow-acting medication does not appear immediately. But basic medications minimize the occurrence and severity of relapses of asthmatic attacks or even help achieve their complete cessation. So, what basic drugs are used in the treatment of asthma in children?

Glucocorticosteroids in the form of aerosols (inhalers) . Thanks to such medications, bronchial reactivity is regulated and membranes are strengthened, thereby achieving stable remission of the disease. Inhalers with glucocorticosteroid composition are the best solution for the treatment and prevention of bronchial asthma. In addition, they are relatively safe, since their main action is concentrated in the damaged bronchopulmonary structures.
Preparations based on cromones . This series refers to anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory agents. The active substance is sodium cromoglycate, which is involved in stabilizing the activity mast cells and histamine suppression. Cromones are prescribed for episodic asthma, as well as for mild forms of the pathology. A persistent antiallergic effect is observed with prolonged therapy. Cromones are not absorbed into the blood, so they can be safely used in childhood.
Medicines with monoclonal antibodies . Such remedies are expensive, but very effective for severe allergic-type asthma. Monoclonal antibodies that form the basis of the drugs inhibit the synthesis of immunoglobulin E, high level which causes an allergic reaction in an asthmatic child and provokes bronchospasm.

The presence of bronchial asthma in a child requires treatment and constant support. preventive therapy. The attending physician will prescribe complex treatment for a small patient, which will consist of taking certain medications and conducting medical institution medicinal breathing exercises. As an aid, the doctor may recommend acupuncture sessions, visits to children's sanatorium institution, who specializes in treating asthma in children through visiting salt caves or halochambers.

Prevention of bronchial asthma in children

For a child with a genetic predisposition, as well as for children who have already been diagnosed with bronchial asthma, it is imperative to ensure the most favorable living conditions in the home. It is important to pay attention to strengthening protective functions body with the help of hardening procedures, breathing exercises And proper nutrition. Prevention is an integral part of therapy and the basis for preventing attacks and the development of the disease. Let's consider the main preventive measures if a child is prone to pathology or has asthma.

The newborn baby should be on breastfeeding during the first year of life. In the event that the mother, due to compelling circumstances, is unable to provide breastfeeding baby, you need to buy artificial milk formulas with a hypoallergenic mark.

The first acquaintance with new products should be coordinated with the pediatrician, informing him about the baby’s predisposition to bronchial asthma due to the presence of asthmatics or allergy sufferers in the family.

Children at high risk of developing pathology should minimize the consumption of oranges and other citrus fruits, mushrooms, chocolates, nuts and give them with great caution, observing the reaction of the child’s body. As for asthmatic children, such products should not be in the diet at all, including packaged juices and fizzy sweet drinks. Bee products are strong allergens for many children, so be vigilant.

Free your living space from fluffy carpets and rugs, old waste paper, heavy window curtains, blankets, and feather pillows. Such things literally “absorb” dust; in addition, it is in old things that household mites, the main culprit of allergies and asthma, comfortably live and breed. It is better to keep library “wealth” in cabinets closed with glass doors; ideally, get rid of old books as much as possible.

You cannot keep pets in your living space, not only cats and dogs, but also hamsters, parrots, and fish. The fur, feathers, waste products of such pets and even their food contain strong allergenic substances.

Clean your apartment more often: wipe the dust with a damp cloth every day, wash the parquet floors, thoroughly vacuum every corner, especially under the child’s bed, ventilate the apartment, but just avoid cold drafts. At the same time, do not use common household chemicals, use products that are safe - soda, natural laundry soap and special powders from the hypoallergenic series.

Make sure that there is no high humidity in the house, which provokes the formation of mold. Fungal spores saturate the air with specific substances that can cause severe symptoms asthma.

Completely replace feather pillows and synthetic blankets with bedding products made from environmentally friendly raw materials. Do not send items to the dry cleaner; they are treated with strong chemicals. Wash fabric items yourself detergents with a gentle composition.

Never smoke in the presence of a child, much less in the room where he is. Tobacco smoke irritates vulnerable bronchi, which can cause sudden spasm and suffocation. Spraying hairspray and using strong-smelling perfumes are taboos for parents whose child has asthma or allergies.

Children with bronchial asthma will benefit from hardening procedures and breathing exercises. Find out from your doctor how to carry them out at home and get involved in your child’s health. Such procedures, which strengthen the respiratory tract and increase the body's resistance to pathogens, will help reduce the progression of the disease and reduce sudden outbreaks of attacks.

Ensure harmony and calm in the family - do not swear, do not sort things out in the presence of your child. The child's psyche reacts very receptively to a negative aura, which leads to nervousness, panic, and anxiety. This is a lot of stress, which adversely affects work. respiratory system, causing active contraction of its smooth muscles, spasm and attack.

Conclusions

Bronchial asthma in a child – serious illness, requiring specialized treatment and control by a pediatrician, allergist, pulmonologist, immunologist. Therefore, any clinical symptoms that occur in the respiratory organs should be regarded by parents as a reason to immediately visit the clinic to determine the diagnosis. Modern diagnostic methods allow us to establish with high accuracy the root cause of pathogenesis.

The pharmacological wide range of anti-asthma drugs includes effective and, importantly, safe drugs for children. Only a doctor should prescribe any medicine and calculate its dosage, since asthma occurs differently in all children, and each child’s body has its own characteristics. A competent therapeutic approach taking into account the individual factor is the key effective treatment and successful prevention of bronchial asthma.

Bronchial asthma in children is a disease characterized by alternating periods of remission and periods of airway obstruction, which are fully or partially reversible. During an attack of the disease, spasm of the small and large bronchi occurs, however, even during periods of normal well-being of the child, inflammatory processes in the mucous membrane of this organ are diagnosed. The disease is predominantly allergic in nature, and its first signs may appear in half of sick children under the age of two, and in 80% of children by school age.

At the same time, not all children with inflammation in the bronchi develop this disease. Therefore, of no small importance in the pathogenesis of the disease is given to the hyperreactivity of the bronchi, or in other words, their increased irritability. Because of this feature, any irritant can provoke an attack of suffocation. Even a small amount of irritating substances in the air can trigger an attack.

It should be understood that airway obstruction in a child can occur not only against the background, but also as a consequence of other bronchial and pulmonary pathologies. Therefore, the diagnosis of bronchial asthma in children is of primary importance for differentiating the pathology from other diseases of the respiratory system.

Currently, the number of children with bronchial asthma is rapidly increasing, which is associated with unfavorable environmental conditions, smoking of young mothers, the birth of premature babies, exposure to harmful substances emitted by modern building materials and some other reasons.

Reasons

The main predisposing factor that most children with bronchial asthma have is a hereditary predisposition to allergic diseases. Moreover, this can be not only asthma, but also other pathologies of an allergic nature. Typically, the first asthma attack occurs in children who already have an allergic disease, for example.

Frequent diseases of the respiratory system, etc. can also be the causes or even the trigger for the development of this disease in a child. One of the most dangerous diseases, often leading to asthmatic attacks, is.

However, in most cases, the reasons lie in the entry of various allergens into the body, which provoke attacks. Such allergens may include:

house dust;
animal hair;
plant pollen;
food products;
medicines and much more.

An unfavorable microclimate in the home or an unfavorable environmental situation in the region where the child lives can also provoke the development of this disease, since even a minimal amount of irritant is enough to cause airway obstruction. At the same time, there are other reasons that cause pathology in children, these are:

exposure to adverse environmental factors (hypothermia, temperature changes, overheating);
stressful situations in which the child finds himself;
some medications, in particular acetylsalicylic acid, cause so-called aspirin asthma in a child;
food with preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers.

Of course, these are not all the reasons for the development of the disease in children, but they are the main ones. In this case, the course of the disease may be aggravated by the presence of certain diseases of the child’s internal organs, for example.

Fortunately, bronchial asthma in children, the symptoms of which mainly appear in childhood, belongs to the category of diseases that can be outgrown. This means that as an adult the child can get rid of the disease and lead a normal life. This does not always happen - only in 30–50% of cases; the remaining sick children suffer from pathology in adulthood.

Classification

In medical practice, two forms of this pathology are distinguished:

atopic;
non-atopic.

The atopic form of the disease has another name - allergenic. Accordingly, non-atopic is a non-allergenic form of bronchial asthma. If a child has atopic asthma, this means that the disease is caused by exposure to a certain allergen - to determine the provoking irritant, it is necessary to conduct allergy tests.

In 90% of children with this disease, it is the atopic form of asthma that is noted, while non-atopic asthma occurs in the remaining 10% of patients. The nonatopic form of the disease is caused by increased sensitization body to various infectious pathogens. But, as is clear from the above, this form is rare.

The disease is also classified according to its severity, and can be mild, moderate or severe. Each degree of the disease differs in how severe the signs of pathology are:

how often the attacks occur;
how much the child’s breathing is impaired during attacks;
How long do the attacks last?

Symptoms

The signs of the disease are difficult to confuse with other pulmonary pathologies, since they are specific, especially in moderate and severe cases of the disease. But nevertheless, diagnosing bronchial asthma in children presents certain difficulties, especially in children in the first few years of life, who cannot accurately formulate their feelings.

The first symptoms of asthma appear suddenly, against the background of good health of the baby. The attack is characterized by a disturbance in the frequency and rhythm of breathing, difficulty in inhaling and the appearance of a whistling sound that can be heard at a distance. The child usually takes a forced position - sitting and slightly leaning forward. Due to the fact that it is difficult to exhale during an attack, the chest inflates, and if you put your hand on it, you can feel how everything inside is trembling when the child tries to exhale.

The attack lasts from several minutes to several hours, and subsides as suddenly as it appeared. However, the state of suffocation that a small patient feels is extremely painful, so every minute of delay can cause irreparable harm to his psychological and sometimes physical state. It is because of this that stopping an attack must begin immediately, as soon as its first signs appear.

There are basic signs that your baby may soon have an asthma attack. Parents can note them in cases where attacks have already recurred several times. In particular, such signs include the fact that the child becomes restless, sleeps poorly, and after a night's sleep watery fluid appears from his nose. After a few more hours, a dry cough appears, which becomes stronger over the course of several hours. In addition to the above, symptoms of bronchial asthma in children may be as follows:

(continuous);
dyspnea;
intermittent breathing;
increased heart rate;
participation of auxiliary muscles in the act of breathing;
whistling and noise heard at a distance;
the child's inability to speak.

Diagnosis and treatment

Diagnosis of the disease is based on collecting anamnesis and interviewing the parents of a young patient. If a child has experienced relapses of attacks, which are characterized by the main signs of this disease, then, most likely, the doctor will be able to easily diagnose the pathology. However, a trip to an allergist is indicated to determine the type of allergen that causes a pathology such as atopic bronchial asthma, as well as some additional research methods, such as radiography or CT to exclude the possibility of other lesions of the respiratory system.

Treatment of the disease consists of preventing the occurrence of new attacks and stopping those that arise during early stages. And although every parent hopes to hear from the doctor that their child can be completely cured, in fact this is not the case. Any treatment used for this purpose only allows to prolong the period of remission (between attacks) and reduce the severity of the attacks themselves. And it is better for parents to know about this than to try to cure their baby on their own, using folk remedies, which can cause irreparable harm to his health. Of course, folk remedies can improve the child’s condition, but these must be remedies approved by the baby’s attending physician.

First of all, treatment of the disease should consist of avoiding the allergen from entering the body. So, if a baby has an attack of bronchial asthma on wool pet, the parents will have to get rid of him, no matter how hard it is.

You should also create a favorable atmosphere in your home for the child, and, if necessary, move to live in a more environmentally friendly region of the country.

The next thing that treatment of the disease includes is stopping the attack that occurs. For this purpose, two groups of drugs are used. The first group includes drugs that eliminate bronchospasm (bronchodilators). The second group includes drugs that relieve inflammation in the bronchi and remove the allergen from the body. These are the so-called basic drugs - they do not stop the attack and require long-term use. Treatment of bronchial asthma in recent years has made great strides forward, and inhaled glucocorticoid drugs have appeared on the market, making it possible to very quickly stop an attack. A sick child should always have such medications with him in order to use them in the event of suffocation and get rid of severe symptoms.

In addition, treatment involves:

performing special breathing exercises;
physiotherapeutic methods (salt mines, inhalations special solutions etc.);
alternative medicine, for example, acupuncture.

Separately, it should be said about the treatment of the disease with folk remedies. As mentioned above, such remedies are not able to cure a child, but they can alleviate the signs of pathology and even stop an attack. Folk remedies that are considered the most effective are:

daily intake of nettle decoction;
taking valerian tincture during an attack;
taking soda (on the tip of a knife) to relieve an attack;
oregano decoction, which should be consumed every day.

It is useful to give the child a massage during an attack - massage the feet, ankles, and then rise to shoulder level. Good folk remedies are decoctions of some herbs - recipes should be checked with your doctor to avoid side effects.

Prevention of bronchial asthma in children consists of healthy way life, the use of hypoallergenic household chemicals, home textiles and clothing, and regular wet cleaning of the house. It is also important to create a favorable psychological microclimate for the baby. It’s also important to harden the baby with early years– this allows you to generally strengthen your immune system and improve your health.

Is everything in the article correct from a medical point of view?

Answer only if you have proven medical knowledge

Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease that develops due to allergic inflammatory process in the child's airways. Acute spasm of the bronchi and increased mucus secretion occurs. The accumulation of mucus in the bronchi against the background of their spasm leads to bronchial obstruction(bronchial obstruction).

Bronchial asthma is a rather dangerous disease; it can develop at any age, even infancy.

There are atopic (allergic) and non-atopic (non-allergic) forms of bronchial asthma. The atopic form predominates, it is observed in 90% of children with this disease. The disease has chronic course with alternating exacerbations and interictal periods.

Causes of bronchial asthma

Allergic diseases of a child increase the likelihood of developing bronchial asthma.

Hereditary predisposition to the atopic form of the disease: if one of the parents suffers from bronchial asthma, the probability of asthma in the child is 25-30%, if both parents - up to 75-80%.
The child or his family members have an allergic disease (atopic dermatitis, hay fever, food or drug allergy) is a signal: bronchial asthma may develop. 60% of children with bronchial asthma have relatives with allergic diseases.

In the first year of a child’s life, allergens more often enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract ( food allergy), and in older children hay fever predominates. Often the cause of this disease is a pathological reaction to house dust, pollen, medications and food products. Allergens from grass and tree pollen can have a seasonal allergenic effect (from May to September).

Microscopic mites that live in house dust, carpets, soft toys and bedding have the most pronounced ability to provoke bronchospasms. Down and bird feathers in blankets and pillows, and mold on the walls of damp rooms also play a high sensitizing role. The hair and saliva of pets (dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters), dry food for aquarium fish, and the fluff and feathers of poultry also often contribute to a child’s allergy. Even after removing the animal from the premises, the concentration of allergens in the apartment decreases gradually over several years.

Environmental factor: inhalation with air harmful substances(exhaust gases, soot, industrial emissions, household aerosols) is a common cause of asthma due to immune disorders in the body.

An important risk factor for developing asthma is smoking (for young children - passive smoking, or being near smoking man). Tobacco smoke - strong allergen, therefore, if at least one of the parents smokes, the risk of asthma in the child increases significantly (tens of times!).

Viruses and bacteria that cause damage to the respiratory organs (ARI, ARVI), contribute to the penetration of allergens into the walls of the bronchial tree and the development of bronchial obstruction. Frequently recurring obstructive bronchitis can become a trigger for bronchial asthma. Individual hypersensitivity only to infectious allergens causes the development of non-atopic bronchial asthma.

Factors of physical impact on the body (overheating, hypothermia, physical activity, sudden changes in weather with changes in atmospheric pressure) can provoke an attack of suffocation.

Asthma may be a consequence psycho-emotional stress child (stress, fear, constant scandals in the family, conflicts at school, etc.).

A separate form of the disease is “aspirin” asthma: an attack of suffocation occurs after consuming aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). The drug itself is not an allergen. When it is used, active biological substances are released, which cause bronchospasm.

The occurrence of attacks can be facilitated by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a number of other drugs, medicines in colored capsules. as well as products containing food coloring.

Diseases can aggravate the severity of asthma digestive tract: , . The occurrence of an asthma attack at night may be associated with the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus (duodeno-gastric reflux).
The cause of asthma in the first months of a baby’s life can be a woman’s smoking while carrying a child, her excessive consumption of allergenic foods (honey, chocolate, fish, citrus fruits, eggs, etc.), infectious diseases during pregnancy and the use of medications.

Symptoms of bronchial asthma

The disease can begin unnoticed, with manifestations that are difficult to treat. Bronchial asthma develops more often in children under three years of age; boys are more often affected.

The following manifestations should alert parents and make them assume that their child is developing bronchial asthma:

intermittent wheezing;
the appearance of cough, mainly at night;
the appearance of cough or wheezing after contact with an allergen;
cough with wheezing after emotional or physical stress;
lack of effect of antitussive drugs and effectiveness of antiasthmatic drugs.

The main manifestation of bronchial asthma is an attack of suffocation. Typically, such an attack appears against the background of ARVI. Initially, difficulty breathing may occur with high fever, cough (especially at night), and runny nose. Then attacks of difficult wheezing become more frequent and occur unrelated to colds - through contact with an animal or physical activity, near plants with pungent odor or when the weather changes.

When an attack of bronchial asthma occurs in children, it is difficult to exhale. Normally, the duration of inhalation and exhalation is the same in time, but with asthma, exhalation is twice as long as inhalation. Breathing is rapid, whistling, noisy, audible at a distance. During an attack, the chest is somewhat swollen, the face takes on a purplish hue.

The child takes a forced position: sits, slightly leaning forward, leaning on his hands, head retracted, shoulders raised (the so-called “coachman’s pose”). The inhalation is short, not providing enough oxygen. With a prolonged attack, pain may appear in the lower parts of the chest, the cause of which is increased load on the diaphragm. The attack can last from several minutes to several hours. The cough is initially dry and painful, and then thick, viscous sputum may be produced.

Sometimes an atypical type of bronchial asthma develops - the cough variant: the classic attack of suffocation does not occur, the symptom of the disease is painful cough with thick and viscous sputum, occurring mainly at night.

Older children complain of lack of air, and babies cry and show anxiety. An attack often develops very quickly, instantly after contact with the allergen. But in some children it may be preceded by “precursors”: nasal congestion, complaints of itchy throat, cough, skin rashes and itchy skin, as well as irritability, drowsiness, or restlessness.

Oxygen starvation of tissues (including the brain) contributes to the lag of a child suffering from bronchial asthma in intellectual, physical and sexual development. Such children are emotionally labile and may develop neuroses.

Classification

According to the classification of bronchial asthma in children, mild, moderate and severe courses of the disease are distinguished depending on the frequency of attacks, their severity and the need for the use of anti-asthmatic drugs.

Light degree:

symptoms occur sporadically;
asthma attacks are short-lived, occur spontaneously and are controlled by taking bronchodilators;
at night there are no manifestations of the disease or they are rare;
physical activity is tolerated normally or with minor impairments;
During the period of remission, the function of external respiration is not impaired, there are no manifestations of the disease.

Moderate degree:

attacks occur once a week;
attacks are moderate, often requiring the use of bronchodilators;
night symptoms are regular;
there is a limitation in exercise tolerance;
Without basic therapy, remission is incomplete.

Severe:

attacks occur several times a week (may occur daily);
the attacks are severe and protracted; daily use of bronchodilators and corticosteroids is necessary;
night manifestations are repeated every night, even several times a night, sleep is disturbed;
physical activity tolerance decreases sharply;
there are no periods of remission.

If the attack cannot be stopped within several hours, this is already asthmatic status, requiring immediate hospitalization of the child.

Treatment

First of all, it is necessary to identify the allergen that provokes attacks of bronchial asthma and try to exclude or at least minimize the child’s contact with it.

First, you should identify the allergen (provoking factor) and completely exclude any contact of the child with it:

regularly carry out wet cleaning of the premises (if necessary, with anti-mite agents); When cleaning, use a vacuum cleaner with a water filter; use air purifiers to filter air;
purchase pillows and blankets with hypoallergenic synthetic fillings for your child;
exclude games with soft toys;
place books in glass cabinets;
remove excess upholstered furniture and cover the necessary ones with lint-free cloth;
in case of significant air pollution, change your place of residence;
during the flowering period of plants that provoke asthmatic attacks, minimize the child’s stay in the fresh air - only in the evening, after dew has fallen, or after rain; hang a special net on the windows;
for “physical exertion asthma,” significantly reduce exercise, including jumping and running;
In case of “aspirin” asthma, exclude the use of medications that provoke an attack.

Drug treatment

Drug treatment of bronchial asthma is divided into two groups: symptomatic treatment (relieving an attack of asthma) and basic therapy.

Treatment of bronchial asthma in children is very complex process: drug treatment Only a doctor can choose. You should not self-medicate, as improper use of drugs can aggravate the course of the disease, lead to longer and more frequent attacks of suffocation, and the development of respiratory failure.

Symptomatic treatment includes drugs that have a bronchodilator effect: ventolin, berotec, salbutamol. In severe cases, corticosteroid drugs are also used. It is important not only the choice of drug, but also the method of its administration.

The most commonly used method is inhalation (the medicine enters the lungs in the form of an aerosol). But it is difficult for young children to use an inhaler can: the child may not understand the instructions and inhale the drug incorrectly. In addition, with this method of administration, most of the drug remains on back wall pharynx (no more than 20% of the drug reaches the bronchi).

Currently, there are a number of devices that can improve drug delivery to the lungs. For the treatment of children, these devices are optimal: they allow the use of medicine in a smaller dose, which reduces the risk of side effects.

A spacer is a special chamber, an intermediate reservoir for an aerosol. The medicine enters the chamber from a can, and from it is inhaled by the child. This allows you to take several breaths, 30% of the medicine enters the lungs in the form of an aerosol. The spacer is not used to administer medication in powder form.

Together with the spacer, the “ easy breathing": the inhaler turns on automatically (there is no need to press the valve on the inhaler canister at the moment of inhalation). In this case, the aerosol cloud is ejected at a lower speed and the medicine does not settle in the throat; twice as much medicine penetrates into the lungs.

Cyclohaler, diskhaler, turbuhaler are the same devices as spacers, only for introducing powder.

A nebulizer (inhaler) is a device that allows you to transfer medicine into an aerosol. There are compressor (jet and pneumatic) and ultrasonic nebulizers. They allow inhalation of a medicinal solution for a long time.

Unfortunately, drugs for symptomatic treatment have a temporary effect. Frequent, uncontrolled use of bronchodilators can provoke the development status asthmaticus when the bronchi no longer respond to the drug. Therefore, in older children who can use inhalers on their own, the dose of the medication should be strictly controlled - children, for fear of developing an attack, can overdose on a bronchodilator drug.

As basic therapy Several groups of drugs are used: antihistamines (tavegil, suprastin, claritin, loratadine, etc.); drugs that stabilize the cell membrane (ketotifen, Tailed, Intal, etc.); antibiotics (for the treatment of chronic foci of infection). Hormonal medications may also be prescribed to treat inflammation in the bronchi and prevent exacerbation of asthma. Basic therapy is also selected by the doctor individually, taking into account the characteristics of the child’s body and the severity of asthma.

Inhibitors of leukotrienes (acolat, singular) and cromones (ketoprofen, cromoglicate, etc.) are also used. They do not affect the lumen of the bronchi and do not stop the attack. These medications reduce the child’s individual sensitivity to allergens.

Parents should not cancel prescribed maintenance therapy or basic therapy on their own. You should also not arbitrarily change the dosage of drugs, especially if prescribed. The dose is reduced when there have been no attacks for six months. If remission is observed within two years, the doctor stops the drug completely. If an attack occurs after stopping the drug, treatment is started again.

It is important timely treatment chronic foci of infection (sinusitis), diseases of the digestive tract.

Non-drug treatment

Non-drug treatment methods include physiotherapeutic treatment, exercise therapy, massage, acupuncture, various techniques breathing, hardening the child, using the special microclimate of mountains and salt caves. During the period of remission it is used spa treatment(season and type of resort is agreed with the doctor) at the resorts South Bank Crimea, Kislovodsk, Elbrus region, etc.

There is another type of fight against bronchial asthma: allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT). Children over the age of five can receive it. The essence of the method: a very small dose of an allergen is introduced into the body, which causes an asthma attack in a child. Gradually, the dose of the administered allergen is increased, as if “accustoming” the body to the allergen. The course of treatment lasts 3 or more months. As a result of treatment, asthma attacks stop.

Herbal medicine complements and increases effectiveness traditional treatment medications, promotes more long period remission. Herbal mixtures are used from the leaves of nettle and coltsfoot, wild rosemary herb, licorice and elecampane roots. Fresh decoctions should be prepared daily. The decoctions are taken for a long time, the use and dosage should be agreed with the attending physician. Parents should not try alternative treatments on their own!

During exacerbations and attacks of bronchial asthma, you can use decoctions and infusions of plants with an expectorant effect (plantain, horsetail, chamomile, dandelion, knotweed, calendula, nettle, yarrow, St. John's wort, licorice root, coltsfoot). During the rehabilitation period, you can take an infusion of licorice root, glycyram, and pertussin for a month.

For aromatherapy, we can recommend an aroma lamp for 10 minutes a day. Use essential oils (lavender, tea tree, thyme) very carefully, in microdoses. You can, for example, 5 drops essential oil add 10 ml massage oil and rub the baby's chest.

Homeopathic treatment is also used in the treatment of bronchial asthma. A competent homeopathic doctor selects an individual treatment regimen for the child. Parents cannot independently administer medications purchased from a homeopathic pharmacy!

In Russia, special asthma schools have been opened in which they teach both sick children and parents: they teach how to properly provide assistance during an attack, explain the essence of rehabilitation, the rules of massage and physical therapy, and talk about unconventional methods treatment. Children are taught how to use an inhaler correctly. In such a school, psychologists work with children.

A child suffering from bronchial asthma must be provided with dietary nutrition:

Vegetable and cereal soups should be prepared using a second beef broth;

Rabbit meat and lean beef are allowed boiled (or steamed);

Fats: sunflower, olive and butter;

Porridge: rice, buckwheat, oatmeal;

Boiled potatoes;

Fresh green fruits and vegetables;

Fermented milk products for one day;

White bread.

You should limit your carbohydrate intake ( confectionery, sugar, baked goods, sweets). It is recommended to exclude allergenic foods from the diet (honey, citrus fruits, strawberries, chocolate, raspberries, chicken eggs, fish, canned food, seafood). It is also better to do without chewing gum.

Parents can keep a food diary, which records all the foods the child eats during the day. By comparing the nutrition received and the occurrence of attacks, it is possible to identify the child’s food allergens.

Bronchial asthma that arose in childhood, even its severe form with frequent attacks, can completely disappear in adolescence. Self-healing occurs, unfortunately, only in 30-50% of cases.

Timely diagnosis of bronchial asthma in a child and strict implementation of all therapeutic and preventive measures are the key to success.

Which doctor should I contact?

From use allergenic products a child suffering from bronchial asthma should refuse.

If your child has difficulty breathing, you should contact your pediatrician. He will refer the baby to an allergist or pulmonologist. Additionally, it will be useful to consult a nutritionist, a specialist in physical therapy, physiotherapist, immunologist, ENT doctor, dentist (to eliminate foci chronic infection). With long-term use of glucocorticosteroids, even in inhaled form, it is necessary to periodically consult an endocrinologist so as not to miss the suppression of the function of the child’s own adrenal glands. (votes - 1 , average: 5,00 out of 5)