Author Archives: Jackie Aim

Pets

pets

Many children are sensitive to pets and hairy beasties in their own home or when visiting other places.

Cats, dogs, horses, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and others can all provoke symptoms.

Avoiding contact with animals is the best way of preventing these symptoms if your child is sensitive to animal hair. Think carefully about allowing your child to go for sleepovers if they have known pet allergies and there are pets at the house they will be going to.

For more information please see the section on Asthma and Pets.

Damp and cold

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When the weather turns cold and damp, many asthmatics finds their symptoms are harder to control. Even thundery weather can trigger asthma in some children.

A child with asthma can struggle whenever its a dreich day or blowin’ a hoolie (grey, damp and windy).

If your home is damp or has mould this may also be affecting their asthma. Hanging damp clothes and wet washing in the house can also cause mould spores. If you do have to dry clothes indoors try to use only one room which can be well ventilated and not where your child sleeps or plays.

If you live in Scotland and would like to receive free text alerts for air quality and weather text WEATHER to 66777

Dust mites

house_dust_mite
This wee sleekit beastie hides in every house, school and cinema in fact it is almost impossible to avoid. It feeds on shed human skin cells.

Allergy to the dust mite causes asthma symptoms.

Unfortunately, measures to try and get rid of house dust mites in the home are not effective.

Although there are  chemicals,  mattress covers, special allergy vacuum cleaners, freezing of soft toys, air-filters or ionisers they can be expensive and so far there is no research evidence to say that they work.

Smoking

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Cigarette smoke is harmful to you and your child.

If your child has asthma their airways are irritated by exposure to smoke making their asthma worse.

You should make sure your house and car are smoke free at all times.

There is no safe level of smoking in the home. Smoking outside with a window open still allows smoke particles in to your home. It will also be present on your clothes and furniture.

Your GP, practice nurse or pharmacist can help you quit. People who get support are far more likely to stop successfully.

If you smoke when you are pregnant you could harm yourself and your baby. Avoid second hand smoke from others.

If you suspect your child may be smoking see the topic on Smoking and risky behaviour.

Colds

cold_virus
Colds are very common in young children. Viruses or infections are often associated with wheezing in pre-school children. Only very few of these children will go on to have asthma.

Coughs and colds are a frequent trigger for wheezing in asthma.

Asthma might be considered if chest infections do not improve after antibiotic treatment especially if the child has a wheeze.

It is important for your child to get a flu vaccination every year if they have been diagnosed with asthma.

Emergencies

Sometimes a child will have an asthma attack and need emergency treatment before they have been officially diagnosed with asthma. This will be frightening for you and for them. Signs to look for can include the following:

  • You may notice your child’s breathing becomes a real effort.
  • Have a look to see if their chest, tummy or neck muscles are pulling in when they take a breath.
  • Are they breathing much faster than normal?
  • Are they struggling to breathe? If they have an inhaler take 4 puffs of their reliever (blue inhaler) medicine.

If they are no better they may need an emergency dose of the reliever inhaler if they have one. This can be given as 10 puffs through a spacer device following the inhaler technique advice. See the video in ‘A practical guide to inhalers‘ on using an inhaler with a spacer.

This is an emergency dose of medicine and if you need to repeat it within 4 hours or give it twice within 24 hours at home, you need to seek medical advice.

After an asthma attack you should always have your child checked by a doctor or asthma nurse as soon as possible, even after the child recovers with the reliever inhaler. Your doctor or asthma nurse may want to review what happened during the attack and use an asthma plan to help you to manage their asthma and reduce the risk of further attacks.

Important

If your child cannot talk, is gasping for breath, has colour change, blue tinged lips or if you are worried and unsure you should phone 999 for an ambulance and continue to give 1 puff of the blue inhaler every minute until help arrives.

Important

When you call 999 you will be asked your name, your child’s name. Your address. Your GP and asked to describe your child’s symptoms and any medicine you have given to the child. The operator can give you instructions while you are on the phone while help is on the way.

Trial of medicine

Child/ girl being shown how to use volumatic inhaler to treat asthma. Mother and nurse.

© Crown copyright 2014

Your doctor may decide there is a strong possibility that your child has asthma. Remember there is not one single test to confirm asthma.

They will want to see if the child will respond and improve with asthma treatment or not.

Giving asthma medicines to small children, especially inhalers, is not easy and it can take a while to get the hang of it for you and your child. It is very important to use inhalers correctly so your child gets the most benefit from the medicine.

You can get practical help and advice from your GP, practice/respiratory nurse or pharmacist. They can explain the most effective way to use the medicine or inhaler your child has been given. Some medicine will help prevent asthma attacks, some will relieve symptoms during an attack.

Symptoms to suggest it’s not asthma

  • Symptoms which began shortly after birth.
  • A wet cough which sounds like a gurgle.
  • Coughing up sputum.
  • Lots of sickness or vomiting.
  • Swallowing difficulties.
  • Dizziness or fainting.
  • Abnormal crying or change in the voice.
  • Poor weight gain.
  • Chest noises only heard when breathing in.

If you notice any of these symptoms you should take your child to your GP.

Checklist for parents

  • When did you first notice the symptoms?
  • Can you safely record a video clip of them wheezing?
  • Can you keep a diary of how often they had symptoms?
  • Does it only happen when they have a cold, or can they have symptoms in between?
  • Look for the trigger factors such as dust, animal fur, pollen, or when your child gets excited. What factors have triggered off symptoms in your child?
  • What type of medicines have they received to treat it and which did you think worked?
  • Does asthma, hayfever or eczema run in the family?
  • Does anyone smoke in the home?
  • Are they exposed to any animals?

Self management

Getting a diagnosis

The doctor or nurse will ask you in some detail about what you have noticed about your child’s illness to decide for or against making a diagnosis of asthma.

The doctor or nurse will look for a pattern / episodes of illness, risk factors or times and situations which seem to trigger the illness.

It can take some time to confirm the diagnosis for an individual child.