Bronchial asthma is among the ten most common chronic inflammatory diseases observed in children or adolescents. According to statistics, to date, about 15% of children aged 3-4 to 18 years of age suffer from asthma. If a child has a similar pathology, parents try to limit physical activity, look for ways to treat seizures without drugs, for fear of side effects, but this approach is not correct, it is important to know certain facts, debunk the myths and rely on the latest scientific research.
With age, asthma disappears
This is one of the most disturbing myths associated with bronchial asthma. Many parents who have child suffers from asthma, believe that it will disappear by itself, with age. Therefore, they control the condition worse, refuse to support treatment. Often, adolescence and youthful age brings relief, seizures become less frequent or disappear altogether. However, allergists say that exactly this time is a critical age when monitoring pathology is necessary. Often, after a period of remission, more severe symptoms follow, the disease takes a complicated course.
Bronchial asthma is not life threatening
This myth causes people with asthma to go without treatment, which gradually worsens its symptoms. Unfortunately, whatever the age of the patient, complicated bronchial asthma can be fatal. Although the mortality rate from this pathology has decreased, it still remains critically high.Seizures are especially dangerous for children with chronic somatic pathologies, severe asthma attacks are dangerous for them, they can lead to serious complications and even death.
Children with asthma are not allowed to exercise
If asthma is under control, there is no reason why a child should be protected from physical exertion, he may well play sports. Studies show that the health of children with asthma, obese, worse than those kids with asthma, who are not obese. Dosed physical activity strengthens the heart and lungs, stimulates the immune system. One of the best exercises for asthmatics is swimming, cycling outdoors, walking and hiking.
Some children with asthma experience symptoms during exercise. If the attacks provoke physical exertion, the child usually becomes worse during exercise, during a cold, in a dry environment. There are excellent treatments that help prevent asthma caused by physical exertion, so you need to consult with an allergist to find the right therapy.
Asthma Medications are Addictive and Dangerous
This myth often pushes parents to abandon active treatment, but there are many different asthma drugs that are necessary for a child and are completely safe. Some of them are used regularly to prevent symptoms; others only when exacerbation occurs. As with all medications, parents mustconsider the risks and benefits. The good news is that neither all modern medication from asthma, used in children’s practice, not dangerous and not addictive.
Usually the greatest concern is the use of inhaled corticosteroids in the treatment of asthma. These drugs do not belong to the type of steroids that athletes use to increase muscle growth. It is believed that with prolonged use in children, these drugs can affect the growth rate of the child. It is important to note that children whose asthma is poorly controlled may have a smaller height and be lower than their peers because of the disease itself. Therefore, modern drugs, by contrast, can positively affect growth processes.
Animals treat asthma in a child
Today, many doctors are moving away from recommendations to completely abandon the presence of animals in the house if the child is allergic or asthmatic. The “hygienic hypothesis” states that early exposure to various microorganisms may reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as bronchial asthma.
Swedish studies, in which 650,000 children participated, showed that contact between a child and cows, sheep or dogs, cats, can have a positive effect. Life on the farm reduces the level of asthma in children by half. Researchers report that having a dog living in the house from the birth of a child reduces the risk of developing asthma by 13%. If a child is raised in a family with a dog (or any other animals), it can be useful, in addition to love and communication. Health experts suggest that early contact with cats and dogs may provide some protection against the development of allergies and asthma.
Additional Steps to Prevent Asthma
To reduce the risk of asthma in a child, do not smoke yourself and do not allow anyone to smoke in the walls of the house. Smoking during pregnancy increases the likelihood that the child will be allergic from infancy, even asthma attacks. The prolonged exposure to passive smoking has a direct connection with asthma and other respiratory diseases in children.
In addition, you should try to breastfeed your baby for at least four to six months to strengthen its immune system and help avoid infections that contribute to chronic bronchitis.
There are other preventive measures that reduce the risk of health problems.
So, it is necessary to reduce the effects of dust mites, one of the frequent allergens that provoke respiratory diseases. It is necessary to use covers on pillows and mattresses with zippers, wash all bed linen in hot water once a week and maintain the humidity in the house below 50%.
If it is possible, it is worth to abandon carpeting and upholstered furniture, heavy curtains in the children’s room, these are places where ticks actively reproduce.