parental guidance
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Essential care for asthmatic children
Fortunately, most children who suffer from asthma manage to control their symptoms until the attacks are really unusual. However, it is essential that both they and their parents know about this disease and the treatments that they require, what are its triggers to avoid and essential care for asthmatic children.
The more they know about the disease, the better the quality of life they can offer the child and their abilities to control it so that they lead a completely normal life. Below we offer a series of indications that will be useful in the care of children suffering from asthma.
Establish an action plan and follow it when necessary
The parents of a child who suffers from asthma must establish an action plan in the event of an attack and the child must be aware of what actions to take in the face of this emergency.
In general, the indications of said plan contain those that have been given by the treating physician, including medications, doses and how to take them, as well as the prevention of triggers how to act before an attack and another recognize it properly and control it in case it appears.
In this way it will be possible to control the episodes or prevent them and they will only have to go to the pediatrician if they really need help.
Provide medications according to the specialist’s prescription
Children with asthma need to take daily medications to keep their airways from growing and others that are only used in the event of an attack to open the airways as quickly as possible.
Most of these medications are administered through a nebulizer or inhaler to get them into the lungs, sometimes they can also be taken in pill or liquid form in any way needed, follow the Doctor’s prescription about dosages and how often you should take them.
Identify triggers and avoid them
The triggers are elements that can affect the airway and eventually cause an asthma attack, among them pollen stands out in the changes in the weather seasons, infections such as common colds, among others, it will be necessary for parents to determine what are the triggers that affect your child particularly and avoid as many as possible. To ensure that attacks are kept to a minimum.
Get the flu shot every year
Given that one of the main triggers of asthma in children is the flu, it is essential that they receive a booster through vaccination against this disease, which is so common, and in this way reduce the chances of becoming infected.
Use devices to ensure the child’s health
It is now possible to predict when a child is about to have an asthma attack by using specialized tools such as a flow meter or even keeping an asthma diary, which will help track symptoms, how often they occur and allow medication to be adjusted to maximize its effectiveness.
The peak flow meter is a handheld device that measures a child’s ability to push air out of their lungs and helps determine when the airways are blocked as a characteristic of seizures.
Identify signs of an attack
When children have already suffered episodes like these before, it is common for it to manifest in certain signs that can be noted by parents as a warning to detect a possible attack Before the symptoms are evident and act in a timely manner by providing the medications that are necessary.
Usually these signs refer to changes in appearance, mood or breathing. Some even simply say they feel a little weird, so it is always appropriate to be aware of children, especially when they are young.