If your child has asthma, what can we do when the symptoms get worse and we need to start the action plan quickly? Find out what signs help you know.
If your child has asthma, it is quite likely that you wonder what you can do at times when his symptoms become more intense and worrisome. Certainly, although the little one can lead a perfectly normal life, even though the respiratory disease persists, it is necessary to recognize not only what the worsening symptoms are, but also when to start treatment and what to do at home when the disease worsens.
Asthma basically consists of the narrowing of the airways, which causes difficulty in breathing normally in the person who suffers from it. It is a condition that affects the child’s lungs, and it is a persistent disease, which means that it can affect the child’s lungs for a lifetime, and sometimes they will tend to feel better, and sometimes worse due to the exacerbation of symptoms.
What are the warning symptoms in case of worsening asthma in the child?
While it is true that mild asthma tends to go almost practically unnoticed on many occasions, when asthma becomes moderate or severe it does present a series of obvious and visible symptoms, especially when the so-called asthmatic crisis also arises.
Among the most common warning signs or symptoms, we can mention the following: wheezing (noisy breathing, with a characteristic whistle-like whistle heard in the chest), tiredness and difficulty catching your breath, cough that does not go away and / or even vomiting, which also occurs at night (when the child is calm), breathing faster than usual, sneezing, lack of spirit and other symptoms related to the cold.
In addition, other even more obvious symptoms may appear that clearly indicate that the child’s asthma is worsening: it is difficult for him to speak normally, he feels drowsy, he cannot stop coughing and / or vomiting, his skin or lips are turning. Bluish color, the skin on the chest or neck sags when the little one breathes.
When this happens, it is very important to know how to help your child, and especially, to follow the action plan established with the doctor.
What to do if your child’s asthma gets worse?
If your child is older, he can start treatment by himself, or if he is younger, by his mother or father, or by any other adult who is nearby. In this sense, it is very important that your child knows how to use the medications that should be administered when their symptoms worsen, through the use of the bronchodilator.
The bronchodilator contains two types of medications that help relieve and decrease inflammation, then open the bronchial tubes and allow normal breathing. It can be administered directly to the bronchi by breathing or inhaling through the nose or mouth, or by injections. In this case, it is the pediatrician who will indicate what type of medicine to use, its dose and the frequency of administration.
In the event that the asthma attack becomes severe, it is extremely important to seek immediate emergency medical attention, especially if the following symptoms are observed:
- Your chest and sides roll in when you try to breathe, and this is also very stressful for you.
- Chest pain.
- Increased heartbeat.
- Use the muscles of the abdomen to breathe.
- When you inhale, you widen your nostrils.
Remember that asthma attacks always begin with a cough, and then generate the well-known wheezing or wheezing when breathing, with difficulty breathing.
