Asthma in Children Imagine a young child competing with his or her fellow classmates during recess and immediately losing the ability to breathe normally. He or she stops in the middle of the competition and falls to the ground while holding his or her chest trying to find air. When you are young, being able to keep up with your peers during recess and sporting events is very important, however, having asthma restricts this. Asthma has a significant impact on childhood development and the diagnosis of asthma for children 18 years and younger has dramatically increased over the years. Asthma is known as a “chronic inflammation of the small and large airways” with “evident bronchial hyper-responsiveness, airflow obstruction, and in some patients, sub-basement fibrosis and over-secretion of mucus” (Toole, 2013). The constant recreation of the lung walls can even occur in young children and “lead to permanent lung damages and reduced lung function” (Toole, 2013). While one of the factors is genetics, many of the following can be prevented or managed. Obesity, exposure to secondhand smoke, and hospitalization with pneumonia in the early years of life have all been suggested to increase children’s risk of developing asthma. The most common environmental, individual, and agent factors that increase the risk of this serious childhood health problem are obesity, exposure to secondhand smoke, and hospitalization with pneumonia. In the United States, “the prevalence of childhood asthma has increased from 3.5% in 1980 to 9.6% in 2009” and “according to a recent nationwide survey targeting 0-to 17-year-olds in the USA, nearly 25% and 13% were obese and diagnosed with asthma respectively” (Liu, Kieckhefer, & Gau, 2013). According to t... ... middle of paper ... ...n improve adherence to medication” (Toole, 2013). School-based interventions through an asthma program clearly show to be the most practical, cost-effective way to reach out to children with asthma and manage their condition. Asthma is a serious respiratory condition that many children suffer from. The risk factor that should be addressed for this population is obesity. Addressing the need to keep children at an ideal weight is an easy way to reduce the chances of a child being diagnosed with asthma and managing their condition once diagnosed. I strongly believe that the schools should adopt an asthma program in order to reach out to children that suffer from asthma and who are not receiving proper care. These tertiary prevention programs can provide them with the appropriate education and maximize their quality of life throughout childhood into their adulthood.
Asthma is a disease of the lung that is usually either inherited or it may develop as a severe allergic reaction to a variety of causes. Not everyone who has allergies develops asthma though and not everyone who has asthma has allergies. It is a chronic inflammatory disease 3,5 and it can be very frustrating and difficult to live with if not treated properly. Exercise induced asthma (EIA) is also known as exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). The term exercise induced asthma has been around for quite some time and has been described with symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, tight feeling in the chest and fatigue. 1,2,3,4 It is usually defined by the following or some close variant: “a condition in which vigorous physical activity triggers acute airway narrowing in people with heightened airway reactivity.”3,4
Ebbeling, Cara B., Dorota B. Pawlak, and David S. Ludwig. "Childhood Obesity: Public-health Crisis, Common Sense Cure." THE LANCET 360 (2002): 473-82. Print.
Exercise-induced asthma is an acute transient airway narrowing that occurs during and most often after exercise. It is objectively defined as a 10% fall in forced expiratory volume in the first second from baseline that may be measured up to thirty minutes following exercise (M&M). Exercise-induced asthma occurs not only in elite athletes and asthmatics, but it can also be found in non-asthmatics. The stimulation of exercise-induced asthma can range anywhere from inhaling allergens to hyperventilation or intense exercise. The management and prevention of exercise-induced asthma is a series of trials to reduce the effects of prolonged bronchoconstriction.
Currently 24 million Americans of all ages have the chronic illness asthma. The prevalence of asthma has increased from 7.3% (20.3 million persons) in 2001 to 8.2% (24.6 million persons) in 2009, a 12.3% increase (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2011). In 2009, the prevalence of asthma was greater among children (9.6%) than adults (7.7%), and was particularly high among boys (11.3%) and non-Hispanic black children (17.0%) (CDC, 2011). Among all children, the asthma rate significantly increased during 2001-2009 from 8.7% to 9.6%, with...
Asthma is the most common long-term condition for young children in Ballarat and the leading cause of hospitalisation for children under 14 years. The impacts of asthma can be significant for young sufferers and their families, and may include school absences, the need for urgent medical assistance and even premature death.
Patients with bronchial asthma have prominent eosinophil granule discharge.1 A distinct feature of eosinophils is that they contain large granules which contain a number of unique proteins, and the ability to produce and release a cytotoxic protein, like leukotrienes.1-2 Eosinophil derived cells play an important role in the destruction of helminthic larvae. However in some situations, for example chronic bronchial asthma and the hypereosinophilia, the cell may be responsible for considerable tissue damage within the body.2 Allergic inflammation is connected with marked infiltration of eosinophils in affected tissues.3 Eosinophils is considered the principal cause of the airway damage that occurs in chronic asthma. Mast-cell degranulation and
Exercise-induced asthma is the narrowing of the airways, or bronchoconstriction, which is induced by exercise. During exercise, as people begin to breathe faster, they breathe more through their mouth than their nose. Air taken in through the mouth is colder and dryer than air inhaled through the nose, and this cold, dry air is the primary
Most of you may not think of asthma as a killer disease, yet more that 5,000 Americans die of asthma each year. According to the Mayo Clinic web page, asthma also accounts for more that 400,000 hospital discharges annually. As the number of people with asthma increases, the more likely you are to come in contact with a person who has the disease. As far as I can remember, I have had asthma my whole life. My mother and one of my sisters also have asthma, so I have a first hand experience with it. This morning, I will discuss some interesting facts about asthma, I will specifically focus on what it is, warning signs, symptoms, causes, and the treatments that are used.
Asthma is a long lasting lung illness that aggravates and tightens the airways. It might at times be called bronchial asthma or reactive airway disease. Some symptoms of asthma are excruciating episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. Coughing can often occur at night and at times in the morning. But overall these symptoms are quite common in an asthma attack. Asthma is known to have no cure but can be controlled and improved over time. Asthma is identified by the inflammation of the bronchial tubes that causes an increased production of secretions inside the tubes. Symptoms are caused in people with asthma when the airways tighten, inflame, or contain mucous. Treatment for asthma can vary at times depending on the level of asthma; they can be given anti-inflammatory medicines, asthma inhalers, or a breathing machine. Respiratory tubes that are frequently inflamed may become sensitive to allergens or irritants. There is likely a portion of respiratory hyper reactivity in all individuals. However, asthmatics and allergic individuals have a greater degree of bronchial hyper reactivity than people with no asthma. People that are more prone, their bronchial tubes are more likely to inflame by allergens such as smoke or exercise. Each person is different therefore asthma affects people differently when exposed to their triggers.
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
Asthma is a chronic breathing problem that affects nearly 5 million children in the United States. It is caused by swelling and closing of the airways inside the lungs which makes it hard to breathe. There are many reasons that kids can have asthma "attacks". These things are called triggers; some triggers might consist of: Pollen from trees, grass, and other types of plants. Also; mold, dust, weather changes, perfume, pet fur, smoke and exercise. There are many more things that can trigger asthma. When you have an asthma attack the muscles around the airways tighten making the airways smaller which causes you to have difficulty breathing. Asthma does not have a cure but there are many methods to keeping your asthma under control. Taking your medication as directed and knowing when you are having an asthma attack are the two most important things you can do to keep control of your asthma.
Asthma is a disease that currently has no cure and can only be controlled and managed through different treatment methods. If asthma is treated well it can prevent the flare up of symptoms such as coughing, diminish the dependence on quick relief medication, and help to minimize asthma attacks. One of the key factors to successful treatment of asthma is the creation of an asthma action plan with the help of a doctor that outlines medications and other tasks to help control the patient’s asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?"). The amount of treatment changes based on the severity of the asthma when it is first diagnosed and may be the dosage may be increased or decreased depending on how under control the patient’s asthma is. One of the main ways that asthma can be controlled is by becoming aware of the things that trigger attacks. For instance staying away from allergens such as pollen, animal fur, and air pollution can help minimize and manage the symptoms associated with asthma. Also if it is not possible to avoid the allergens that cause a patient’s asthma to flare up, they may need to see an allergist. These health professionals can help diagnosis what may need to be done in other forms of treatment such as allergy shots that can help decrease the severity of the asthma ("How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled?").
One leading factor in health complications for both adults and children around the world, is obesity (CDCP: Overweight and Obesity, 2015). It is one of the easiest contributing risk factors to control but seems to be among the top deadliest diseases. When children are enduring obesity at an early age, they are experiencing a lesser quality of life due to increased health complications. Those complications can result in worsened morbidity and even early mortality due to limited accessibility to physical activity opportunities (CDCP: Overweight and Obesity,
Ebbeling, C. B., Pawlak, D. B., & Ludwig, D. S. (2002). Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. The lancet, 360(9331), 473-482.
Aims: To implement a multi-pronged strategy that (1) educates parents, students, and school staff about asthma and its management, (2) establishes comprehensive asthma screening programs, (3) develops affordable and long-term management strategies for students with asthma, and (4) increases the rigor of school inspections with regards to air quality and other common asthma triggers.