Cough variant Asthma in children? What parents should know

Among common diseases among children, Cough variant asthma has always been a high incidence disease, and it is also a disease that many parents are more worried about. So what are the symptoms and manifestations of childhood asthma? How to treat it? Today, let’s learn more about pediatric asthma.

1. What is asthma?

The full name of asthma is bronchial asthma, which is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Its main clinical manifestations are recurrent wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, which often occur or worsen at night and/or early morning.

The specific pattern and severity of respiratory symptoms vary over time and are often accompanied by variable expiratory airflow limitation.

Cough variant asthma is most common among children, most of whom develop the disease at the age of 5 or younger. If childhood asthma is not cured after the age of 5, it is easy for the disease to recur repeatedly in the future.

2. What are the symptoms of asthma?

Symptoms of asthma, which children are prone to Cough variant asthma

1. Common symptoms:

(1) Cough

Coughing is the most common symptom of childhood Cough variant asthma. Children with asthma often have dry coughs, with less sputum, mainly white foamy sputum, and generally no purulent sputum.

(2) Panting

Wheezing is the main symptom of childhood asthma. The wheezing of children with asthma is a wheezing sound that sounds like a flute. So when a child has a flute-like wheezing sound, parents must be alert to whether the child has childhood Cough variant asthma.

(3) Chest tightness and shortness of breath

Some children with asthma may experience chest tightness and shortness of breath, especially when playing. If children often experience chest tightness, lack of breath, shortness of breath, and other symptoms during play, parents must send their children to the doctor in time for an asthma check.

(4) Others

In general, patients, especially children and adolescents with more severe attacks, will experience symptoms such as vomiting during asthma attacks, and even worse, incontinence of stool and urine. When severe asthma attacks continue, there may be neurological and mental symptoms such as headache, dizziness, anxiety, confusion, drowsiness, and coma. If combined with infection, there may be fever. After the attack, there are often systemic symptoms such as fatigue and weakness.

After understanding the symptoms of asthma in children, you should pay attention to some changes in the child’s body at ordinary times. If the child has symptoms such as difficulty breathing, coughing, sputum, chest pain, drowsiness, and headache, you should pay attention to it, because these symptoms are suggesting that your child may have asthma. Only early detection can lead to early treatment. And for the health of the child, if you have this disease, you should take your child to a regular hospital for treatment.

2. When do the attacks usually occur?

It often occurs suddenly and repeatedly or worsens in paroxysmal forms; it often occurs or worsens at night or early in the morning; it often occurs or worsens in the autumn and winter or when the seasons change.

Symptoms can be relieved on their own or by taking antiasthmatic drugs, and there may be a significant period of remission.

3. Parents of children with these characteristics need to pay attention to “Is your child likely to have Cough variant asthma?”

These children often have allergic diseases such as eczema, allergic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, or a family history of allergic diseases such as asthma.

Therefore, parents are reminded that when a child experiences such a condition, first of all, do not panic. If the child is known to be suffering from asthma, medication and medical treatment can be given in time to help the child through the acute attack period. If the condition is unknown, please take the child to the hospital for medical treatment in time for early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment.

3. Why is the incidence rate higher among children? What are the hazards of childhood Cough variant asthma?

The causes of asthma are divided into genetic factors and acquired environmental factors. If parents or other family members have allergic constitutions, then the probability of the child inheriting allergic constitutions is relatively high, making it easy to suffer from allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis; and acquired environmental factors include serious air pollution and bacterial infection in the living environment, drastic weather changes during the change of seasons, or even greater psychological pressure and more contact with allergic substances, etc. These reasons can irritate the patient’s respiratory tract, causing respiratory tract narrowing and leading to asthma attacks.

Several major hazards of childhood Cough variant asthma that cannot be ignored

1. Chest deformity and rib fractures

Thoracic deformity is quite common in asthma, and can be seen in patients who have had asthma since childhood or have been suffering from the disease for a long time. Rib fractures occur when the diaphragm contracts violently and the airway is blocked during a severe cough or wheezing attack, resulting in rib fractures.

2. Pneumothorax and mediastinal emphysema

When breathing, the movement of the chest wall acts like a bellows, allowing air to enter and exit the lungs. During an asthma attack, due to the obstruction of the small airways, the pressure in the alveoli can be higher when coughing. At this time, some weaker alveoli may rupture, and the ruptured alveoli may connect together to form bullae. It is also possible that the air may flow through the interstitial lungs to the mediastinum to form mediastinal emphysema. The more common situation is that the air flows into the pleural cavity outside the lungs, forming a pneumothorax.

3. Cor pulmonale and emphysema

If childhood asthma is not diagnosed and treated actively, it may induce cor pulmonale and emphysema, threatening the child’s life and health.

4. Growth retardation

Normal asthma does not cause much damage to children’s growth and development, but year-round asthma attacks or long-term use of corticosteroids may cause greater damage to children’s growth and development due to hypoxia or the inhibitory effects of corticosteroids on protein synthesis.

5. How did the child get asthma?

Asthma in children can be caused by different triggers, the main causes include two categories: genetic factors and other external factors.

1. Genetic factors

The article “The Relationship between Pediatric Asthma and Family Asthma” in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Practical Pediatric Clinical Medicine mentioned that the prevalence of asthma in relatives at all levels is higher than the general population, and the heritability of asthma is around 80%. If one parent has asthma, the child’s chance of developing asthma is 2-5 times higher than other children; if both parents have asthma, the child has about a 50% chance of developing the disease.

2. Dust mites, mold, pollen, etc.

The survey found that more than 70% of childhood asthma is caused by dust mites, and more than 80% of asthmatic children and adolescents have a strong positive reaction to dust mite skin tests. Infancy is the main period of dust mite sensitization. Dust mites use human dander as their main food source. The temperature, humidity and food source of the bed are most suitable for the growth of house dust mites. Therefore, there are more house dust mites in the dust on the bed, which is an important reason why dust mite allergic asthma is prone to attack at night.

Animal fur, poultry feathers, cotton fibers, plush toys, wool carpets, etc. can also easily induce allergic inflammation of the airways and cause asthma attacks. In addition, some people have found that cockroaches can also induce asthma.

Pollen has obvious seasonality, which is mainly determined by the type of plant and can be divided into spring pollen, summer pollen and winter pollen.

Mold allergy has a certain seasonality, with the peak incidence generally being from June to September. However, mold and its metabolites may be present in the air all year round, so asthma induced by mold sensitization often presents as year-round attacks or year-round attacks that worsen seasonally.

3. Infection issues

Infections such as viruses, bacteria, and mycoplasma can induce asthma in children, among which viral infection is the main factor causing allergic inflammation of the airways and then inducing asthma attacks. In a professional paper titled “The Role of Respiratory Virus Infection in the Pathogenesis of Wheezing and Bronchial Asthma in Infants and Young Children” published in June 2015, the International Journal of Respiratory Diseases mentioned that viral infection has a synergistic effect with the formation of chronic airway inflammation and secondary asthma in children. There is a correlation between viral infection in infancy and persistent wheezing and asthma, and it is related to the severity of respiratory infection. Early control of infection symptoms and reducing the frequency and severity of viral infection are of great significance for the occurrence of wheezing and asthma in the future.

4. Climate factors

Asthma attacks occur all year round. In autumn and winter, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and children are weaker and have difficulty adapting to the drastic changes in the environment. In addition, smog weather and air pollution are also one of the causes of asthma.

5. Mental factors

If a child is emotionally stimulated, such as crying or laughing, or extremely frightened, the chance of inducing acute asthma will increase significantly. Therefore, as a parent, you must pay attention to protecting your baby and not let your baby’s emotions fluctuate too much.

6. Medication

Such as aspirin, propranolol, indomethacin, penicillin, sulfonamides, various protein preparations, serum preparations and certain aerosols.

7. Dietary factors

Including all kinds of seafood, such as hairtail, marine fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish, etc.; animal protein, such as eggs, milk, pork, mutton, beef, etc.; plant protein, such as soy products, sesame, peanuts, flour, etc., and some tropical fruits, such as kiwi, mango, pineapple, etc., also often induce asthma. In addition, eating too sweet or too salty can also trigger asthma attacks, and even chocolate, cold drinks, tomatoes, etc. can also induce asthma.

8. Smoky environment

Smoke is the enemy of many asthma patients and can easily trigger symptoms. Therefore, families with asthma children must create an absolutely smoke-free environment to prevent the harm of second-hand and third-hand smoke to children.

6. How much do you know about misunderstandings about childhood Cough variant asthma?

Some parents believe that “asthma cannot be cured, so long-term treatment is not necessary”; some parents worry that “exercise will aggravate asthma and do not allow their children to attend physical education classes”; and some parents believe that if there is no “wheezing”, it is not asthma; asthma will naturally get better when the child grows up… Cognitive misunderstandings such as these have led to a very low diagnosis rate of childhood asthma in my country.

For those parents who either have “insufficient knowledge” or “excessive worry”, we have compiled some information, hoping to help more people learn to treat childhood asthma scientifically.

1. How does asthma usually occur?

More than 80% of children with bronchial asthma suffer from allergic asthma, which is a very harmful chronic airway inflammatory disease mainly caused by genetic factors or environmental factors such as allergens, cold air, respiratory viral infections, etc. It often presents with wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough as the primary symptoms and is prone to recurrence.

Dust mites are another common allergen and one of the most important related allergens in Chinese children with asthma.

The air conditioner provides a breeding ground for dust mites, which enter the room with the air flow, posing a hidden danger for asthma attacks. In addition, animal fur, poultry feathers, cotton fibers, plush toys, wool carpets, etc. are also likely to cause asthma attacks in children.

In addition, spring pollen allergies and rainy season mold allergies can also trigger acute asthma attacks in children.

2. Will asthma get better on its own without treatment?

In clinical practice, we do encounter some children with asthma whose asthma attacks become less frequent or even cured as they grow older and their immunity improves. Some parents even think that asthma is a “normal phenomenon” in childhood and a “trouble” in children’s growth.

Little do they know that this kind of thinking is extremely harmful.

Repeated asthma attacks can affect children’s respiratory function and cause irreversible damage to the respiratory system. Childhood asthma is different from adult asthma. Because children’s lungs are in the growth and development stage, their immune function will gradually improve. Childhood asthma is completely controllable and even reversible. If childhood asthma is not treated promptly and effectively, some children will develop the disease into adults, making it more difficult to treat.

Therefore, asthma control treatment should be started as early as possible, and the treatment response of asthma in childhood is still very good.

3. Asthma cannot be cured and treatment is useless?

Asthma attacks always recur, so some parents are very discouraged and think that asthma cannot be cured and treatment is useless. In fact, through standardized treatment and scientific management, the symptoms of asthma patients can disappear, which can avoid acute attacks leading to death and long-term inflammation leading to irreversible changes in lung structure, thereby damaging lung function.

4. What are the treatment principles for recurrent asthma attacks in children?

Asthma has an acute attack period and a remission period. In clinical practice, some parents are particularly nervous when their children have an asthma attack and actively cooperate with doctors in treatment. However, once the condition is under control and the asthma enters the remission period, they often relax their vigilance and take it for granted that their children will no longer take medicine. In this way, when children suddenly catch a cold, exercise vigorously, or the temperature changes, inhale cold air and irritating gases, or come into contact with allergens such as dust mites and animal fur, asthma may “revive”.

Therefore, asthma treatment must be continued during the remission period. The goal of treating pediatric asthma is to control symptoms and maintain normal activity levels and exercise capacity; to make lung function levels as close to normal as possible; to prevent acute asthma attacks and life-threatening conditions caused by asthma; and to avoid adverse reactions caused by asthma medications. The principle of treatment is that the earlier the treatment, the better, and long-term, continuous, standardized, and individualized treatment is required.

In the process of standardized treatment, through early intervention, standardized treatment and continuous management, the acute attacks of asthma in patients can be reduced, the goal of preventing and controlling asthma can be achieved, and the quality of life of children can be improved. Moreover, standardized treatment can reduce damage to lung function and prevent the occurrence of adult asthma.

5. Do people with asthma need to limit exercise?

First of all, everyone should understand that the ultimate goal of treating childhood asthma is to control asthma. Our goal is to enable children with asthma to live and study normally like other normal children.

Therefore, we should not only not restrict the activities of asthmatic children, but also create a good atmosphere to encourage them to engage in appropriate exercise.

Of course, exercise should be targeted and gradual, and there is no need to do some highly competitive sports at the beginning. This can not only enhance children’s physique, but also promote the development of lung function, increase lung capacity, and enhance the defense ability of the respiratory tract.

Asthma is also related to obesity. For obese children with asthma, it is recommended to increase physical exercise and lose weight.

6. Does asthma often occur only in winter and spring?

Many parents think that winter and spring are the peak seasons for asthma. However, in summer, the number of children with asthma increases. Some parents do not know enough about asthma and mistakenly believe that the symptoms of asthma should be wheezing and difficulty breathing. They treat their children as having a cold when they only have a cough, thus missing the best treatment time, causing their children’s asthma to recur repeatedly and not heal for a long time, which has an irreversible impact on the children.

Viral diseases decrease in summer, which should be a season with fewer asthma attacks. Why does it trigger and aggravate asthma now?

It turns out that air conditioning in summer is a potential “invisible killer”.

First of all, since the airways of asthmatic children are inflamed, they are easily triggered by the stimulation of cold air. However, in hot weather, people turn on the air conditioner more frequently to cool down, and the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors is large, which has become a trigger for asthma attacks in the summer.

Secondly, staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time will cause the pores to close due to the cold. Which will weaken the body’s stress response ability and reduce the acceptance of cold and hot stimuli, making it more likely for children to have asthma attacks. Thirdly, the air conditioner provides a breeding ground for the growth and reproduction of dust mites. Dust mites enter the room with the air flow, which also buries the hidden danger of asthma attacks. Dust mites and their excrement are extremely strong allergens. It dust mites that are invisible to the naked eye are distribute on clothes, mattresses, carpets. Even in the air conditioner case,

7. Asthma in the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine

According to traditional Chinese medicine, asthma occurs when old phlegm lurks in the lungs. It is often expose to external factors, emotions, diet, fatigue, etc., resulting in phlegm blocking. The airway, the lungs failing to descend, the lung qi rising, and the phlegm and qi fighting each other, causing the disease. The disease is located in the lungs, spleen, and kidneys. When breathing, there is a hissing noise in the throat. Which is “wheezing”; and when breathing, opening the mouth wide, raising the shoulders, and breathing rapidly is “wheezing”. If the two occur simultaneously, it is asthma.

Asthma must be accompanied by wheezing, but wheezing does not necessarily have to be accompanied by asthma. “Clinical Guide to Medical Cases of Asthma” says “Old asthma… a chronic disease… cold people’s back acupoints, the lung system is combined, and old evil blocks qi and phlegm.” “Clinical Guide to Medical Cases of Asthma” “childish asthma.”

According to traditional Chinese medicine, asthma is caused by insufficient function of the lungs, spleen, and kidneys. Water and dampness gather inside the body to form phlegm and fluid. When it is triggered by external pathogens, phlegm rises with air. The air is blocked by phlegm and entangled with each other, blocking the airway. The lungs fail to descend and cough, wheezing, and sputum occur. Traditional Chinese medicine divides the onset of asthma into cold syndrome and hot syndrome. The remission period of asthma is generally regard as a deficiency syndrome. The fundamental treatment is to tonify the lungs, strengthen the spleen, and benefit the kidneys.

Cold syndrome

Asthma with cold syndrome: rapid breathing, wheezing in the throat like the sound of a water chicken. Fullness and stuffiness in the chest, weak cough, thin sputum with foam. Or sticky and foamy sputum, cold body and fear of cold, no thirst. Or thirst and preference for hot drinks, prone to attack in cold weather or by cold, pale tongue, and tight pulse.

This Asthma fever syndrome: rapid breathing, wheezing in the throat, rough breathing with phlegm, intermittent coughing, thick phlegm, difficulty in coughing and spitting out, yellow or white phlegm, sweating, bitter taste in the mouth, thirst and desire to drink, no aversion to cold, red tongue, yellow and greasy tongue coating, and slippery and rapid pulse.

Asthma deficiency syndrome: low wheezing in the throat, shortness of breath, severe wheezing when moving, spontaneous sweating and fear of wind, coughing up clear and thin white sputum, fatigue, sore waist and weak legs, fear of cold and cold limbs, palpitations, brain spinning and tinnitus, pale tongue, and deep and fine pulse.

8. How to prevent asthma attacks in children?

1. Keep the indoor air fresh, free of irritating odors such as smoke and paint, and smoking is strictly prohibited. Open windows more often for ventilation. Keep the room temperature appropriate, and pay attention to preventing cold currents and keeping warm.

2. Avoid contact with possible allergens and other pathogenic factors, reduce contact with pollen. Wash carpets and bedding weekly. It is best not to keep pets in families with children who are prone to allergies.

3. Pay attention to a light diet, eat more easily digestible foods rich in vitamins. Encourage children to drink more water. Avoid eating spicy, sour, numb, hot, fried and allergic proteins that may induce asthma attacks. Eat less cold drinks and sweets.

4. The temperature in the morning and evening is relatively low. In order to keep warm, parents should add clothes to their children in time. When they sweat a lot, they should take off clothes for a short time and wipe them in time. As Cough variant asthma attacks often occur at night, parents should strengthen care.

5. Actively prevent upper respiratory tract infections and avoid crowded public places to reduce the chance of infection.

6. When a Cough variant asthma attack occurs, you should stay in bed in a semi-recumbent position. It is not advisable to use pillows filled with feathers or old cotton wool to avoid inducing or aggravating asthma.

7. Exercise moderately at ordinary times, increase outdoor activities when the weather is good. Carry out cold resistance training in a plan and step-by-step manner to increase the body’s ability to adapt to cold air. Appropriate participation in sports activities can also improve the body’s resistance.

8. When turning on the air conditioner in summer, enjoy the coolness while keeping the indoor air clean.

More prevent

9. Assist children to adjust their mentality, get rid of fear and tension. Try to keep a relax and happy mood, encourage children to enhance their self-confidence, eliminate impatience. Which is conducive to reducing the number of Cough variant asthma attacks and alleviating symptoms. Children with anxiety or depression symptoms can consider arranging a mental health assessment to avoid excessive mood swings in children.

10. For overweight and obese children with asthma, weight loss can be considered to improve Cough variant asthma control.

Actively observe the symptoms of Cough variant asthma attacks. If the child becomes irritable, has an itchy throat, chest tightness, or blue lips. Use medication to relieve the symptoms in a timely manner. Send the child to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

Asthma is a preventable disease. Not everyone with a genetic gene for asthma will suffer from asthma. Acquired environmental factors play an important role. If we try to avoid the acquired environmental factors that lead to asthma. Such as promoting good birth and upbringing, improving living environment. Controlling environmental pollution, actively preventing respiratory infections, improving allergic constitution, avoiding contact with allergens, etc. We can completely prevent the occurrence of asthma.