Many children show signs of asthma, how to combat or keep it at bay?

Malaysia
September 11, 2007 5:36pm CST
Asthma has increasingly become a major problem in babies and children nowadays. I even showed asthma signs when I was a child but it's all stopped *and I don't remember when and how*. And now my daughter inherits it but I don't seem to recognize it from the start.
1 response
• Australia
28 Sep 07
It is possible to grow out of asthma, which is probably what happened to you. I am sorry our daughter has asthma. It must be worrying for you. The most important thing you must do is (a) get a "peak flow meter" so you can monitor your daughter's airways. You should get her to blow into the monitor every morning and keep a record of her score. That way, if you try treatments, you will know whether they're working. There is NO OTHER way to judge for sure whether a treatment is working, because it can be hard to tell accurately from observation. (b) get her an appointment with a good specialist. She may only need one visit, to assess her and give her a treatmentplan. I know many parents are reluctant to put their children on daily medication, however more and more studies are proving that with asthma, it's the best thing. Every time your daughter wheezes, it's causing damage to her airways. These days, the best specialists know that if they can prevent someone wheezing when they are a small child, they can grow out of it and it will never come back. Whereas normally, children who have asthma do grow out of it in their twenties or thirties. But because their airways are damaged, the asthma comes back when they get older.
• Malaysia
29 Sep 07
Thank you.. the information u gave is really great. Can I get the peak flow meter frm d pharmacy?
• Australia
30 Sep 07
Yes, you should be able to get a peak flow meter from a good pharmacy. They usually have instructions enclosed, which include a table showing what score a normal person should be able to manage, so you have something to compare it to.
• Malaysia
21 Oct 07
Thq.. i must get in in one of these days for her..