Asthma is a frightening condition as children struggle to breathe and their parents try to help. You can be prepared for asthma flares when you seek care from Maria Hoffman-Guardia, MD, at Pediatric Associates at Ridge in McAllen, Texas. She provide treatments that help control asthma, give you medications to relieve asthma attacks, and support your child’s ability to live an active life. Call the office today or request an appointment online to get asthma treatment for your child.
Asthma is a chronic medical condition caused by lung airways that are constantly inflamed. The ongoing inflammation makes the airways hypersensitive.
When your child inhales substances that trigger their asthma, their airways immediately react by swelling, narrowing, and producing excess mucus. As a result, air can’t get through the airways, and your child struggles to breathe.
Asthma causes one or more of the following:
One type of asthma causes a cough without other symptoms. Many children develop asthma symptoms shortly after starting athletic activities (exercise-induced asthma).
If your child has allergies, there’s a good chance their allergens trigger asthma flares. Common asthma triggers include:
The frequency and severity of asthma flare-ups vary for each child, no matter what triggers their symptoms.
Your Pediatric Associates at Ridge provider performs spirometry, a lung function test to diagnose asthma. Spirometry is an easy, painless test that involves breathing through a tube placed in your child’s mouth. A machine connected to the tube measures the amount of air they inhale and how quickly they exhale it.
If your provider suspects your child has allergies, they may also do allergy testing to identify the allergens.
After diagnosing asthma, your provider recommends treatments, such as:
Your provider helps you identify triggers and create a plan to avoid them.
If your child has frequent or severe asthma attacks caused by allergens, getting allergy shots reduces flare-ups.
Every child with asthma needs a rescue inhaler. Inhalers contain medicine that quickly opens their airways when an asthma attack begins. Your provider may also prescribe daily medications that reduce the number and severity of future flare-ups.
Bringing your child in for an evaluation means you’ll be prepared with a plan and a rescue inhaler in the event of a severe asthma attack. Call Pediatric Associates at Ridge or request an appointment online today.