Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it difficult for air to pass through your lungs properly. It can start at any age and nearly 26 million Americans have asthma, 7 million of them being children. Unfortunately, there is no cure of asthma. However, with proper management, people living with asthma can live completely normal and healthy lives.
The pediatricians at High Lakes Health Care are specially trained and have experiencing diagnosing and treating asthma in children. Our testing process will ensure an accurate diagnosis is made and your pediatrician will recommend a treatment plan that best fits your child’s symptoms and lifestyle.
The best way to prevent serious complications from asthma is to meet with your child’s pediatrician if they show any signs or symptoms. Learn more about asthma and schedule your child’s appointment with High Lakes Health Care at any of our offices in Bend, Redmond or Sisters today!
The swollen airways in the lungs become sensitive to certain triggers, and when those triggers enter the body, those airways create extra mucus making it difficult to breathe which leads to asthma attacks, complications and sometimes death. The key is to understand the triggers that cause asthma. Sometimes, you may not even know you have it until you’re exposed to those triggers. This means the environment you live in is a huge cause and risk factor of asthma. Additionally, genetics is a risk factor for asthma.
You may be wondering if your child has asthma, but unsure if it’s something else. If any of these symptoms occur chronically or only around certain triggers, they may have asthma:
However, it’s very possible a variety of other conditions are causing these symptoms, such as different allergies. Consult with your pediatrician about whether or not your child has asthma.
Your pediatrician will need to conduct tests to diagnose your child. First, they will ask symptoms, medical history, experiences, etc. to get a good sense if asthma is a possibility. After that, the most common test is called a Spirometry, in which the pediatrician will use a device to measure the air flow of the lungs.
Typically, if your child has the above symptoms, has a parent with asthma and also has allergies (including skin allergies), your pediatrician will conduct lung functioning test. After that, usually, a trial period of asthma medication will be given, depending on the results, with a follow-up appointment to monitor the outcome.
The best time to deal with an asthma attack is before your child has one. That means seeing your pediatrician at High Lakes Health Care if you think they might have asthma but are not currently diagnosed. Frequent coughing and wheezing that lasts for several days can be an early indicator that you have the condition. Working with the your pediatrician is important to managing your child’s asthma over the long term. He or she may prescribe various treatments, including daily medications and/or the use of rescue inhalers for asthma attacks. It is not uncommon for the condition to change over time, and various treatments may be needed by our doctors as your child’s symptoms change.
If your child’s asthma symptoms get worse over time, call High Lakes Health Care in Bend, OR or schedule your appointment online today!
1 (541) 278-8375 