As a parent whose child has asthma, you know how stressful it can be to hear your child wheezing or trying to catch their breath. It can also be nerve-racking having to monitor your surroundings and environment to ensure that something doesn’t trigger another attack in your child.
While modern medicine includes treatments to help those with asthma, kids with the condition can still miss out on sports and even have difficulty sleeping. Because of this, it’s no wonder many parents are eager to ask their pediatricians if it is possible for children to grow out of asthma.
So let’s take a look at what’s fact and what’s fiction when it comes to childhood asthma and whether this condition fades as a child grows.
What You Need to Know About Childhood Asthma
Asthma is a long-term disease that causes inflammation and swelling of the airways. While childhood and adult asthma are the same disease, children face unique challenges that adults may not, including falling behind in school because of missed days.
To keep their kids healthy, many parents find they must constantly monitor their children to keep them away from things that could trigger their attacks such as:
- Pet dander or other allergens like pollen
- Secondhand smoke
- Pollution
- Changes in the weather or cold air
Asthma Risk Factors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 12 (6 million) children in the U.S. have asthma.
Children with the following risk factors are more likely to develop asthma:
- Exposure to tobacco smoke at an early age, including before birth
- Family history of asthma
- Obesity
- Other conditions including early viral respiratory illnesses, eczema and allergies
How Do I Know If My Child Has Asthma?
Many children start to show signs of asthma before they are 5 years old. Asthma in young children, like infants and toddlers, can be hard to identify because the symptoms can be subtle, including daytime and/or nighttime cough, and may resemble a head cold or other respiratory illnesses.
Talk to your pediatrician if your child has any of the following symptoms:
- Coughing, especially at night
- Wheezing when they breathe
- Difficulty catching their breath
- Fast breathing that causes skin to pull around the neck and/or ribs
- Frequent colds or other respiratory illnesses
Asthma Treatments and Medications
There are many medications that can help your child manage their asthma symptoms. Some of these medications include:
- Long-term control medications that need to be taken regularly to manage the condition, even if your child is not having symptoms.
- Quick-relief medications called “rescue medications” that are used to prevent asthma attacks or stop an attack from worsening.
- Allergy medications that can help prevent allergy-induced asthma.
Many of these medications are often taken using an inhaler, which delivers the medicine directly to the lungs, where it works quickly and effectively. Your child’s doctor will recommend an asthma action plan to manage your child’s symptoms and triggers.
Can My Child Grow Out of His/Her Asthma?
While there are many new medications that can help your child manage their symptoms, it can be extremely hard for a doctor to state that a child will outgrow asthma. The good news is that some children’s asthma symptoms will lessen as they grow older.
Asthma Care at University Health
With the right medications and limited exposure to triggers, your child can continue to thrive. Our pediatric allergy specialists at University Health’s Allergy & Asthma – Babcock clinic will walk you and your child through managing their asthma. You can also sign up for our Childhood Asthma Education classes.
Community Resources
We are also taking steps to address community needs within Bexar County. This is why we are excited to offer resources for everyone, whether you receive care from us or not. Visit our Institute for Public Health for asthma care-related resources.
