Asthma in Children - Symptoms
asthma can be mild or severe. Your child may have no
symptoms; severe, daily symptoms; or something in between. How often your child
has symptoms can also change.
Symptoms of asthma may include:
- Wheezing, a whistling noise of varying
loudness that occurs when the airways of the lungs (bronchial tubes )
- Coughing, which is the only symptom for some
- Chest tightness.
- Shortness of breath, which
is rapid, shallow breathing or
- Tiring quickly during exercise.
If your child has only one or two of these symptoms, it
does not necessarily mean he or she has asthma. The more of these symptoms your
child has, the more likely it is that he or she has asthma.
Many children have symptoms that become worse at night (nocturnal
asthma). In all people, lung function changes throughout the day and night. In
children with asthma, this often is very noticeable, especially at night. Nighttime cough and shortness of breath occur frequently. In general, waking at
night because of shortness of breath or cough indicates poorly controlled
It can be hard to know
how severe your child's asthma attack is. Knowing this is important, because
severe attacks may require emergency treatment. But in most cases you can take
care of your child's symptoms at home with an
asthma action plan, which is a written plan that tells
you which medicine your child needs to use and when you should call a doctor or
seek emergency treatment.