As many as one in five Irish children will have symptoms of asthma at some time. These children have over sensitive breathing tubes. These tubes react to a variety of things by becoming narrower, making breathing difficult. This narrowing is caused by a mixture of:
Muscle tightening around the breathing tubes.
Swelling of the lining of the breathing tubes.
Extra mucus, which may block small breathing tubes.

Will my child grow out of asthma?
Symptoms can disappear as children get older. Sometimes symptoms may return years later. Some children who develop asthma will have the condition throughout their lives.

How do I know if my child has asthma?
Asthma symptoms in children include:
Breathlessness, often with wheeze
Coughing, particularly at night and after exercise
A tight feeling in the chest

Your doctor can listen to the chest and may arrange a variety of breathing tests for children who can manage these.

Does asthma run in families?
Yes, but not everyone in the family will have it. There is a greater chance of developing asthma if there is eczema and hay fever in the family. Asthma, hay fever and eczema are similar allergic reactions, one in the lungs, one the nose and one the skin.

How is asthma triggered?
Symptoms are nearly always triggered by:
Infection. In children these are usually viral colds.
Exercise. A common trigger, but these episodes are usually short.
Allergy to things like house dust, cats, pollen etc.
Emotional upset or excitement.
Smoke
Fumes e.g. paint, nail varnish and aerosol sprays.

How will asthma affect my child?
Your child may have trouble sleeping through coughing at night and or may have difficulty in exercising. These problems can be overcome by the correct management.

How do I know when my child’s asthma is worsening?
There are a number of developments to watch out for:
Increased breathlessness
Increased cough, especially at night and after exercise
Waking up with asthma at night
Needing more and more treatment with less and less effect.

From about six years on, children should be able to use a peak flow meter. This measures how well the lungs are working.

Peak flow meters are available free of charge through the health board, which will require a doctor’s letter. You can buy one from your pharmacist. The Asthma Society also has them on sale.

Are there things I can do to help my child’s asthma?
Yes, by avoiding asthma triggers:
Don’t smoke and don’t let people smoke in your home
Try to keep dust down in bedrooms by a combination of damp dusting and weekly vacuuming. Wherever possible woollen blankets, feather filled duvets and pillows should be avoided. To avoid the house dust mite, special mattress and pillow covers can be purchased. If bunk beds are used, children with asthma should sleep on the top bunk.
Children with asthma should never sleep in the same room as pets
Although exercise can trigger asthma it should not be restricted. It may be necessary for some children to use medicine before exercise. Keeping fit helps asthma, but be sensible, children should not be made to exercise if they are unwell
It is impossible to stop children catching viral colds and so probably not worth trying. Flu injections are not recommended for children

What about other treatments?
There are alternative treatments available which may be useful. Discuss these with your GP. Never discontinue asthma medicines without talking to your doctor or nurse – this could be dangerous.

Certain kinds of food or drink may make asthma worse. If you are worried that a particular food or drink is affecting your child’s asthma, discuss if with your doctor or nurse.

As children grow, will their asthma medicines change?
Medicines used for the pre-school child with asthma are no different from those of older children but the dose is less for younger children. However special consideration needs to be given to the delivery device (how it is to be taken) and what is practical for the individual situation. Your doctor will discuss the choices.

What are steroid tablets in asthma?
Steroid tablets are very useful in treating asthma. For children they are generally used in high doses for short periods of a few days. Used in this way they are very safe and effective at bringing troublesome attacks of asthma under control quickly.

What should be done during an asthma episode?
It is important to recognise and treat worsening asthma as early as possible. Mild symptoms include shortness of breath, slight wheeze, cough, or chest tightness. In a moderate episode there may be a loud wheeze, obvious breathing difficulty, persistent cough and an ability to speak only in short sentences. A reliever inhaler is needed for immediate relief. It is important that an action plan is drawn up for your child in conjunction with the doctor or practice nurse. For older children a peak flow meter can measure how the lungs are working. A drop in peak flow reading means worsening asthma and a change/increase in medicines.

What if my child’s asthma gets worse at school?
Discuss your child’s asthma with the teacher so that there is a plan in place for when the child has an episode of asthma. Explain about prevention and recognition of asthma symptoms and supervise the treatment of asthma episodes early. The school should have a spare inhaler, with the child’s name on it, available for emergency use and the child should have one in their bag for easy access. Ensure that the school has your written permission to give reliever medicine in an emergency and that your contact phone numbers are kept up to date in school records.

For more information, contact the Asthma Society of Ireland on freephone, 1850 44 54 64.

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