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Caring for Your Child’s Health
What is Asthma?
Knowing about asthma is a first step toward
achieving good asthma control.
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases
in children. A chronic disease is one that lasts for a
long time. Even when a person is not having asthma
symptoms, the airways are still sensitive and
symptoms could develop again when exposed to a
trigger. Most people with asthma have times when
there is a flare-up of symptoms (an asthma attack or
asthma episode) and times that are symptom-free.
There is no cure for asthma. Because asthma is a
chronic disease, many people take daily treatments to
prevent symptoms. It is important to take steps every
day to control asthma.
the airways causes the typical asthma symptoms like
wheezing, coughing, and feeling short of breath.
Wheezing is a whistling sound in the chest when a
person having asthma problems breathes out.
Sometimes wheezing can only be heard with a
stethoscope (a special listening tool used by health
care providers). Coughing with asthma often sounds
harsh. Usually it is a dry cough but sometimes can
sound wet with mucus.
Normal lungs vs. asthma attack
The exact cause of asthma is unknown. Most people
with asthma have allergies. Asthma and allergies can
be inherited in families. Very young children without
allergies may have asthma symptoms. Sometimes
young children develop asthma because of lung
problems related to premature birth, early exposure
to virus infections, or exposure to tobacco smoke.
What happens to the lungs in asthma?
Two different reactions can occur in the airways with
asthma (see picture). The airways can become
narrow from bronchospasm (tightening of the
muscles around the airways) and from inflammation.
Inflammation causes narrowing of the airways with
swelling and excess mucus. Bronchospasm and
inflammation can occur at the same time or follow
each other. When the airways are narrow, it is hard to
breathe air in and out of the lungs. This narrowing of
air
trachea
(windpipe)
Asthma episodes are a leading cause for missing
school and hospital admissions in children. About 5
million children in the U.S. have asthma.
lungs
bronchus
airway
mucus
alveoli
(airsacs)
normal lungs
trapped air
swollen,
inflamed
airways
asthma attack
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What is Asthma?
What are asthma “triggers?”
Most people are not having asthma symptoms all the
time. The airways react off and on. The airways in
asthma are over-sensitive (sometimes called
“twitchy” or hyper-responsive) to things (triggers)
that a person is exposed to. There are many asthma
triggers, but everyone does not have the same
triggers. A person can have one or many triggers.
Common asthma triggers are viral infections (colds),
weather changes, air pollution, tobacco smoke,
exercise, and allergens. Allergens are more likely
triggers in children than in infants and toddlers.
Common allergens are dust (dustmite), molds,
cockroach, pollens (from trees, grasses or weeds),
and animal fur or feathers.
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You should talk with your child’s health care provider
about specific goals for asthma control.
Common things you can do to achieve good control
over asthma are:
• Watch for asthma symptoms to detect a change in
control
• Know your triggers and try to avoid them
• Take medications as prescribed to prevent and
control symptoms, and
• Treat new symptoms of asthma early and call if
having continued problems.
What types of medicines are used most to
control asthma?
Is asthma the same in everyone who has it? Everyone with asthma needs to have some medicine
Symptoms, triggers, and episodes will vary from
person to person. And in each person, asthma
episodes (attacks) can vary in how severe they are
and how long they last. Some episodes come on very
quickly and some develop over a period of days.
Even someone who has mild asthma can have a
severe asthma episode (attack). Some people with
asthma have mild symptoms. Other people can have
daily problems. Some children begin having asthma
symptoms very early in life. Asthma often starts in
the first five years of life. But, asthma can start at
any age. Sometimes asthma can go away – people
talk about “out-growing” asthma but that doesn’t
always happen. Sometimes asthma can return later in
life in someone who had it as a young child.
What is “good” asthma control?
If a person’s asthma is in good control, the person
should be able to:
• Be active without asthma symptoms, including
participating in sports and other forms of exercise.
• Sleep through the night without waking up
because of asthma symptoms.
• Avoid asthma flare-ups and emergency visits or
hospitalizations.
• Avoid side effects from asthma medicines.
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that can help with acute symptoms. Usually a
bronchodilator medicine that can be inhaled or taken
by mouth and act quickly is used. Bronchodilators
treat bronchospasm in the airways. People may call
this medicine a “rescue medicine” or “quick-relief ”
medicine. Albuterol is a common bronchodilator
medicine. Rescue medicine is used as needed when a
person starts coughing, wheezing or having chest
symptoms from asthma. Sometimes bronchodilators
are used before exercise to prevent symptoms too.
Many people with asthma have frequent asthma
symptoms. Even if they don’t have symptoms every
day, they need both rescue and preventive medicines
to treat and prevent symptoms that are frequent.
Medicines that prevent asthma problems are also
called controller medicines. The most common
asthma controllers are medicines that treat
inflammation in the airways (also called antiinflammatory medications). Preventive medicines
must be taken every day to work. There are several
types of controller medicines that can be tried. Each
person has to find the right combination of medicine
that works to give good asthma control. Sometimes
more medicine is needed to get well or during high
risk times of the year. Then when good asthma
control has been achieved, the person can reduce the
amount of medicine needed. This decision should be
made with the asthma health care provider.
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What is Asthma?
What should I do now?
Learn about asthma. Don’t make the mistake of
going to the doctor only when your child is sick. It is
a good idea to have some regular well asthma checkups during the year. This gives you and your child a
chance to talk about how well asthma is controlled
and plan your asthma care. Try to think ahead to deal
with high risk situations or times of the year that may
require more preventive actions.
Get a written Asthma Action Plan. An asthma action
plan is a plan that you make together with your
child’s health care team. The action plan gives you
guidelines for how to take controller medications,
what to do you notice a change in symptoms, how to
use rescue medications, and when to call the health
care team or go to the hospital. You should keep this
plan handy. Share the plan with others who care for
your child like the school nurse or baby-sitter.
Learn to recognize and watch regularly for asthma
symptoms. You want to catch symptoms early in an
asthma episode. Some people find it helps to keep
notes or a diary. You may be able to see patterns
over time.
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• Make an Asthma Action Plan and share it with all
who care for your child.
Other fact sheets in this series include:
Recognizing Your Child’s Asthma Symptoms
Using an Asthma Symptom Diary
Finding Your Child’s Asthma Triggers
Helping Your Child Avoid Asthma Triggers
Allergy Testing and Your Child
All about Asthma Medicines
Using an Asthma Action Plan
Using a Peak Flow Meter
Working with the Health Care Team to Manage
Asthma
Staying Active with Asthma
Notes and questions
Figure out your child’s asthma triggers and learn
ways to either avoid these triggers or take action
when they cannot be avoided. A diary of daily
activities and exposures with symptoms can help
some people figure out new triggers. Tobacco smoke
can bother anyone’s lungs and should be avoided.
Key points to remember
• Asthma is a common chronic disease that can be
controlled.
• Have regular asthma check-up visits and talk about
goals for control
• Use rescue and controller (preventive) medicines
as prescribed
• Learn about your child’s asthma symptoms and
triggers.
• See what asthma triggers you can avoid.
• Help your child be able to tell others how he or she
is feeling.
Caring for Your Child’s Health at Texas Children’s Hospital
Developed by Texas Children’s Asthma Center.
Texas Children’s Hospital Integrated Delivery System
is committed to a community of healthy children by
providing the finest possible pediatric care, education
and research.
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