As the airways narrow in an asthma attack, the child develops difficulty breathing, typically accompanied by wheezing.
Wheezing is a high-pitched noise heard when the child breathes out.
Not all asthma attacks produce wheezing, however.
mild asthma, particularly in very young children, may result only in a cough; some older children with mild asthma tend to cough only when exercising or when exposed to cold air.
Also, children with extremely severe asthma may not wheeze because there is too little air flowing to make a noise.
In a severe attack, breathing becomes visibly difficult, wheezing usually becomes louder, the child breathes faster with greater effort and the ribs stand out when the child breathes in (inspiration).
With very severe asthma attacks, the child gasps for breath and sits upright, leaning forward and the skin is sweaty and pale or blue-tinged.
Children with frequent severe attacks sometimes have a slowing of their growth, but their growth usually catches up to that of other children by adulthood.
A doctor suspects asthma in children who have repeated episodes of wheezing, particularly when family members are known to have asthma or allergies.
Children with frequent wheezing episodes may be tested for other disorders, such as cystic fibrosis or gastro esophageal reflux.
Older children sometimes undergo pulmonary function tests, although in most children pulmonary function is normal between flare-ups.
Children who have bronchiolitis at an early age often wheeze.
The wheezing may at first be interpreted as asthma but it is juts a viral infection.
www.
healasthma.
com