Parents of children who have asthma often seem to fret about the condition more than their kids do. They dread any change in weather, clean their homes repeatedly, and worry when they see their children running or playing. They live in fear of hearing the sounds of wheezing, coughing, gasping, and shallow breathing from their kids.

A child with asthma certainly needs extra care and protection, but a better understanding of the condition itself may help parents guard their kids against asthma attacks – and provide both children and adults with peace of mind.

The word asthma comes from the Greek word aazein, which means “to pant or exhale with the mouth open.” In the early 20th century, asthma was regarded as a psychosomatic disorder, meaning that it was believed to be affected by mental or emotional factors. It was only in the 1960s that the inflammatory nature of asthma was first recognized.

Asthma is a condition where the airways in the lungs become inflamed. This inflammation is brought on by a trigger such as pollen, dust, mold, air pollution, cigarette smoke, illness, or cold weather. In children, asthma has a substantial effect on schoolwork, play time, and sleeping patterns. If left untreated, the condition often leads to asthma attacks that can be stressful and dangerous.

During an asthma attack, the mucus in the lungs clogs the airways, which causes the air tubes in the lungs to constrict and swell up. The child exhibits symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and breathing problems accompanied by mucus discharge, congestion, tightening of the chest, chest pain, and fatigue.

To keep your child safe from asthma, recognize the unique triggers that aggravate the asthma in your child. You must identify the irritants that can generate an asthma attack, and keep your child away from them as much as possible. Some common asthma-inducing irritants include:

• Pollen

• Dust

• Pet dander

• Mold

• Food preservatives

• Tobacco smoke

• Cold or flu

• Perfumes

• Aspirin

• Strenuous exercise

• Drastic temperature change

• Emotional situations

Once you recognize a trigger, you must take appropriate steps to avoid it. For example, if pollen causes an asthma attack in your child, you should close your windows and doors to keep pollen out. If mold is the irritant, you must keep areas of your home like the kitchen and bathroom clean and dry, and perhaps use a dehumidifier to prevent mold growth. To avoid dust, you should wash your drapes regularly in hot water, keep the child’s stuffed toys clean, and treat your carpets with hypoallergenic chemicals to repel dust mites. If pet dander triggers asthma attacks, you should not let pets enter your child’s room and may want to consider keeping the animals outdoors at all times. Since air pollution and tobacco smoke tend to aggravate a child’s asthma, you should try to minimize exposure to these substances.

Using a Peak Flow Meter

In order to assess how much your child is being affected by asthma, you must constantly monitor your child's breathing ability. You can do this with the help of a peak flow meter, which is a device that measures the amount of air coming out of the lungs. In children with asthma, the airflow being emitted from the lungs is abnormally low. With the help of a peak flow meter, you can measure your child's airflow and determine the seriousness of his or her asthma.

The device has a scale with an indicator on it. When the child blows into the mouthpiece of the peak flow meter, the reading on the scale is shown by the indicator. A group of three readings is taken, and the highest of the three is recorded. After a two-week period of regular testing, the highest reading recorded is known as the child's personal best score. Once this score is noted, you can compare the child's daily readings on the peak flow meter to his or her personal best score. This will give you an idea whether or not your child's condition is improving.

The peak flow meter has three zones which are marked by different colors that indicate how your child is faring. The daily peak scores are categorized into one of these zones to determine the severity of your child's asthma at any given time:

• Green zone: When your child blows a reading that is 80 to 100 percent of the personal best score, his or her asthma is under control. Your child probably does not show any symptoms of asthma, though he or she should still keep taking any recommended preventive medication.

• Yellow zone: When your child blows a reading that is 50 to 80 percent of the personal best score, your child's asthma is getting worse. The child is likely showing symptoms like wheezing and coughing. Therefore, you should consult your doctor for advice on how to reverse the deterioration of this condition.

• Red zone: When your child blows a reading that is below 50 percent of the personal best score, this indicates a medical emergency. Your child's fingernails and lips may turn bluish in color, and he or she may have severe breathing problems, coughing, and wheezing. In this situation, you must seek medical attention for your child immediately.

Though you cannot cure asthma, there are several medications which can treat its symptoms. To stop an asthma attack, the physician may prescribe a bronchodilator (which is also known as an emergency inhaler). When a child breathes in the medicine from a bronchodilator, it opens up the blocked airways in the lungs and helps facilitate easier breathing.

To prevent asthma attacks from happening, the doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications which must be taken daily. These medications help keep the airways from swelling and prevent restriction of the airflow from the lungs.

Living with Asthma

Life for a child with asthma can be challenging. As a parent, it is your responsibility to inform school administrators, teachers, nurses, and coaches about your child’s condition. If your child is given a bronchodilator, he or she may feel embarrassed to use in front of other children and may even try to hide an asthma attack. Communicate to your child the importance of using the bronchodilator.

Above all, you must stress to your child that asthma is not a disability; it is just a health condition that can be managed successfully. The more emotional support you give your child, the easier it will be for him or her to deal with the condition. Once the child accepts the reality of asthma and resolves to control it, he or she is much more likely to lead a healthy, productive life.