Your child's health is everything. If you observe some worrisome respiratory symptoms, please contact your pediatrician at Blue Ridge Pediatrics in Raleigh, NC. Your youngster may need asthma treatment, and our caring physicians can provide the symptom management and medications necessary for optimal well-being and your peace of mind.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease involving inflammation of the airway (trachea and bronchi in the lungs), as well as muscular spasms. Heavy mucous production, coughing (particularly at night), along with pronounced wheezing, fatigue, and shortness of breath all characterize an acute asthma attack.
Unfortunately, approximately 6.2 million children in the United States have asthma, reports the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). More commonly affecting boys, this condition impacts the quality of life with missed school days and limitations on exercise and recreational activities.
Asthma treatment with your pediatrician in Raleigh, NC, combined with your careful at-home monitoring, can change the course of the disease dramatically. Families who identify asthma symptoms, know and avoid triggers, and use medications consistently and properly see improvement in how children both feel and function.
Asthma causes
Many factors trigger this lung hypersensitivity. While there's no question that heredity plays a large role in whether or not a child develops asthma, these factors also increase the severity and frequency of symptoms:
- Environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and cold weather
- Exercise
- Allergies to pet dander, mold, pollen, dust mites, insect stings, and some foods
- Stress
Asthma can start at any age, but it is most concerning in the very young, the very old, and those who have other serious health conditions. Vigilant care is also important.
How to manage asthma
At Blue Ridge Pediatrics in Raleigh, NC, your child's doctor begins asthma evaluation with a complete physical examination and a review of your child's symptoms. The pediatrician may recommend allergy testing and lung function tests, such as spirometry, to fully understand the problem.
Treatment may include:
- Short-acting medications (bronchodilators) for sudden attacks
- Long-term medications to reduce inflammation
- Over-the-counter asthma treatments or immunotherapy (shots or drops)
- Avoiding asthma triggers
- Following an asthma action plan so families, caregivers, teachers, and others know how to handle an asthma emergency
Staying on track
When you, your child, and your pediatrician partner in asthma care, symptoms decrease dramatically, and the patient takes control. Management begins with a call to Blue Ridge Pediatrics in Raleigh, NC, and a comfortable, informative consultation with one of our wonderful doctors. Phone us today at (919) 782-0021 for an appointment at our Blue Ridge Road or Cerny Street locations.