Summary: An asthma attack can be truly scary, especially for a kid. Avoid feeling helpless and learn how to help your child prevent these attacks.Did you know that an average of 36,000 children miss school every day because of asthma symptoms, which leads to roughly 14 million lost school days each year? Allergens, the environment and changes in temperature can all cause an increase in your child's mucus production and inflammation in your child's large and small airways, making it harder to breathe. Most parents are unaware of the symptoms associated with asthma, and most children's cases are left untreated. But you don't have to feel helpless; there are some ways to be proactive. Be careful, though. No matter how hard it may be, try not to take matters into your own hands, especially now when everything is searchable online. If you must turn to the internet, a valuable resource is Get Smart About Asthma. Ultimately, it is most important to take your child to a physician to check their inflammation levels in order to determine whether or not your child has asthma. A way to monitor your child to see if the symptoms are present is to look for shortness of breath or chronic coughing. Another symptom to keep an eye out for is if your child is waking up in the middle of the night or has a hard time falling asleep. Board certified allergist, Dr. Bassem Chahine, discusses with Dr. Mike ways you can help your child overcome asthma.
