subject: Infant Asthma: How To Treat The Symptoms And The Child [print this page] What Causes Infant Asthma? What Causes Infant Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation and swelling in the bronchial tubes of the lungs. This can lead to occasional breathing difficulties or a severe life-threatening condition. It depends on the symptoms that will show up in your infant. Since your baby cannot tell you what is wrong, he or she will be dependent upon the observations of your childs condition.
The major thing that you do at home to prevent future attacks is to avoid possible triggers. The most common ones are infections, smoke, dust, pet dander, mold, and pollen. It is best to remove any offending agents from the infant's environment.
Symptoms To Look For
When your infant has breathing difficulties, look for signs of distress. If you notice that the infant coughs a great deal of the time, listen for the sounds that he or she makes. An infant with asthma may have mild coughing that lasts for days to weeks, and then rapidly gets worse. Some children may start coughing a great deal and have difficulty breathing afterwards.
The most common symptoms are wheezing, coughing, and rapid breathing. Also look for things like poor feeding and poor sleeping. If your infant makes strange noises after playing or eating, it is a sign that something is wrong.
Planning A Course Of Medical Treatment
With the help of your infants doctor, you can plan a course of action. After your infants doctor takes a physical exam and runs some laboratory tests, he or she will have a good idea of what is causing the attacks and plan a course of action.
Make sure that you watch your infant for the triggers that set off attacks. It may start with a coughing fit or attack and change into a more serious condition. Children in respiratory distress usually have increased pulse or breathing. The most common triggers are smoke, mold, animal dander, dust and pollen. Once you find the possible triggers, keep a list and talk with your doctor.
When To Seek Emergency Care
When your infant has breathing difficulties, look for the signs of distress, and closely monitor the condition. This will help you to find the triggers that are setting off attacks. The infant may begin coughing and may not be able to stop. Breathing may become labored and there may be a fast pulse and rapid breaths.
If you suspect that your infant is in distress, seek emergency care right away. Your doctor is your best source to find out what is wrong. Emergency medical treatment is necessary if the infant is struggling to breathe as indicated by the sides pulling inward, an unusually high rate of breathing, or heavy sweating.
There are a number of medical treatments and natural remedies to control this illness and keep symptoms at bay. This medical condition tends to weaken the young immature lungs of young babies and make it vulnerable to other illnesses. Thankfully, symptoms can be controlled with the right kind of treatment. If your baby has asthma, your infant can breathe normally with a proper management plan.
