Dr. Vijay Chawla

Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by reversible narrowing of the airway. There are multiple risk factors which can trigger an attack of asthma. A few common ones are viral upper respiratory infection, exercise, cold air, environmental allergens like trees, grass pollen. Dust mites are pretty high on that list. Dust, perfumes, animal dander, high humidity are just a few to mention, list can go on and on. Try and recognize your child’s triggers and try to avoid exposure to those. Your child can also use his rescue medication prior to exposure to known allergen and that can help to prevent an acute attack. Make sure your child has his rescue medication on hand all the time and learns using it appropriately. He can use his rescue inhaler every 3 hours to 4 hours if needed. If he has difficulty breathing any time during the course of his asthma attack, he should be taken to nearest medical facility. Rescue medication helps by reducing the bronchi spasm/ narrowing of small airway. He also should be on a maintenance medication, inhaled corticosteroid preparation. There are several of these on the market. Inhaled corticosteroids help by reducing the inflammation in the small airway. These medications should be used every day. If symptoms persist and your child does not get better, you should consult with a physician/primary care provider who may recommend a short course of oral steroids, usually for 5 days.

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