Parents with Children Asthma Sufferers

• Asthma Information for Parents

  Asthma affected nearly 10% of all U.S. children in 2009. Growing up is rough for all kids, it can be even rougher for a kid with asthma. The last thing they want to be seen as "different." There are things you as a parent can do to help your child take charge of their asthma and feel great! Learn what else other than asthma might be causing your child to wheeze, learn how to recognize asthma symptoms in young children, learn how to deal with asthma in your child's school, and learn how to talk with your child about asthma.

  

• Explaining Asthma to a Child

  When a child is small, it can be hard to explain what asthma is. Try the tips below to make this job a little easier. Always use pictures to help you explain, and ask your doctor for pictures if you don’t have any. You will need to fit these explanations to your child’s asthma symptoms and action plan.

  

• Smoking and Asthma

  Being a smoker is an obvious risk for kids and teens with asthma, but just being around people who smoke - and breathing in secondhand smoke - can cause problems, too. Parents can help kids and teens with asthma by protecting them from the effects of tobacco smoke.

  

• Do Allergies Cause Asthma?

  Although allergies and asthma are separate conditions, they are related. People who have allergies — particularly those that affect the nose and eyes — are more likely to have asthma. If you have allergies or asthma, your child is more likely to have it, too, because the tendency to develop these conditions is often inherited...

  

• What's a Peak Flow Meter?

  A peak flow meter measures the flow of air as it's expelled from the lungs. An inexpensive, portable device called a peak flow meter can measure how well your child's lungs are working, which can help you and your child manage his or her asthma and avoid major flare-ups.

  

• What's the Difference Between a Nebulizer and an Inhaler?

  Inhalers and nebulizers are two different devices used to deliver rescue or controller asthma medications directly into your child's lungs. Your child's doctor will decide what type of device is best for your child.

  

• What's the Difference Between Rescue and Controller Medications?

  Asthma medicine comes in two main types: controller medicine and rescue medicine. Rescue medications work immediately to relieve asthma symptoms when they occur. Controller medications work over a period of time to reduce airway inflammation and help prevent asthma symptoms from occurring.

  

• What's an Asthma Flare-Up?

  An asthma flare-up can cause coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, trouble breathing. A person having a flare-up also might sweat or feel heart beating faster. If the flare-up is severe, the person may struggle to breathe even while sitting still. He or she may not be able to speak more than few words at a time without pausing for breath.

  

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