Recognizing a Childhood Asthma Attack
There are no set symptoms of childhood asthma attack.
The symptoms vary from one child to another.
Even the causes for these types of attacks are also often different in different children.
In order to recognize these attacks, you will have to be very careful.
The basic idea is to educate yourself about the various possible causes and symptoms.
The more informed you are, the easier it will be for you to recognize if your child is suffering from any such thing.
Once you recognize the symptoms, you are strongly recommended to get urgent medical assistance to the child.
Following are some of the possible symptoms that you have to look out for.
The Time Of Attack When it comes to recognizing childhood asthma attack, the first thing that you have to understand is that these attacks occur only when the symptoms go worse.
Your child may not show any symptoms for years and all of a sudden you may find him/her in a serious attack of asthma.
So, be very careful when your child is hit with a flu, cold, or allergy.
Most people consider it normal, as they think it happens because of the weather changes - though it is true, but not always.
So, every time your child is hit with any such thing, you must get him/her thoroughly checked up for asthma as well.
Excess stress has also been found to be one of the major causes for such attacks.
So make sure your child is not over stressed about anything.
Some Common Symptoms Though there are no direct symptoms that can help you recognize childhood asthma attack, but you must be watchful of some common symptoms, such as Shortness of breath, Profuse sweating, Pale complexion, Trouble speaking, Chest pain and/or pressure, rapid breathing, Inability to stop coughing, Wheezing when breathing both in and out, Difficulty in breathing, and other symptoms that get worse despite use of medications.
"Silent Chest" Is Not A Sign Of Improvement Sometimes, after use of certain medications, the chest goes silent (the coughing and wheezing stops).
This is often considered as a sign of improvement, but most of the times it is not.
In fact, when the asthma is not treated properly, it causes the lungs to tighten that makes it impossible for the air to circulate, which eventually causes the coughing and wheezing to stop.
It can be a very dangerous thing because it may even affect the ability of the child to speak.
The cyanosis may start developing, which is a specific situation of the child when their fingernails and lips start turning blue.
This is a very emergency situation when you have no other option but to get your child admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital.
So, don't wait until you recognize childhood asthma attack.
You must get your child medically checked up thoroughly every time it shows some unusual symptoms no matter how small it is.
Immediate medical attention is needed in case the health of your child doesn't improve (such as coughing or shortness of breathe) even after use of medications for weeks.
The symptoms vary from one child to another.
Even the causes for these types of attacks are also often different in different children.
In order to recognize these attacks, you will have to be very careful.
The basic idea is to educate yourself about the various possible causes and symptoms.
The more informed you are, the easier it will be for you to recognize if your child is suffering from any such thing.
Once you recognize the symptoms, you are strongly recommended to get urgent medical assistance to the child.
Following are some of the possible symptoms that you have to look out for.
The Time Of Attack When it comes to recognizing childhood asthma attack, the first thing that you have to understand is that these attacks occur only when the symptoms go worse.
Your child may not show any symptoms for years and all of a sudden you may find him/her in a serious attack of asthma.
So, be very careful when your child is hit with a flu, cold, or allergy.
Most people consider it normal, as they think it happens because of the weather changes - though it is true, but not always.
So, every time your child is hit with any such thing, you must get him/her thoroughly checked up for asthma as well.
Excess stress has also been found to be one of the major causes for such attacks.
So make sure your child is not over stressed about anything.
Some Common Symptoms Though there are no direct symptoms that can help you recognize childhood asthma attack, but you must be watchful of some common symptoms, such as Shortness of breath, Profuse sweating, Pale complexion, Trouble speaking, Chest pain and/or pressure, rapid breathing, Inability to stop coughing, Wheezing when breathing both in and out, Difficulty in breathing, and other symptoms that get worse despite use of medications.
"Silent Chest" Is Not A Sign Of Improvement Sometimes, after use of certain medications, the chest goes silent (the coughing and wheezing stops).
This is often considered as a sign of improvement, but most of the times it is not.
In fact, when the asthma is not treated properly, it causes the lungs to tighten that makes it impossible for the air to circulate, which eventually causes the coughing and wheezing to stop.
It can be a very dangerous thing because it may even affect the ability of the child to speak.
The cyanosis may start developing, which is a specific situation of the child when their fingernails and lips start turning blue.
This is a very emergency situation when you have no other option but to get your child admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital.
So, don't wait until you recognize childhood asthma attack.
You must get your child medically checked up thoroughly every time it shows some unusual symptoms no matter how small it is.
Immediate medical attention is needed in case the health of your child doesn't improve (such as coughing or shortness of breathe) even after use of medications for weeks.
Source...