7 Must-know Facts of Asthma & Respiratory Care in Children

With the rising levels of pollution, Asthma has become a leading health concern for most children. The smoke and the high levels of residual particulate matter (RPM) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) plus the smoke, is very dangerous to children’s health. It can lead to respiratory problems and allergy sensitivities such as allergic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, bronchial asthma, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, pneumonia, common cold, and asthma. While you can not avoid pollution totally, you can brave it out to reduce the impact.

Tips to Care Asthma and Respiratory Care:

1. Be prepared always: If your child is prone to any breathing ailments, during days when there are dust storms, or really high-levels of pollution, check with your doctor on increasing the medication or dosage. Consider nebulization too after consulting your pediatrician.
2. Plan the course of medication: For children, with chronic breathing problems, who take inhalers or nebulizers, plan the schedule of nebulisation/inhalers so as to cover the entire day. Speak to your doctor and get a chart made from him.
3. Try Nasal wash: Nasal wash or nasal irrigation helps in washing out the allergans, dust particles and other irritants, and mucous from the respiratory passages. Nasal irrigators are easily available at most pharmacist shops.  Even a saline water wash such as jal neti is helpful with older children.
4. Give steam: Steam is very helpful and safe for clearing the respiratory passage. You can administer steam regularly as it is has no side-effects. Also, keep saline nasal sprays handy. Once the child is back from the outdoors, and seems to show any symptoms of allergy or irritation, use some saline nasal drops.
5. Ensure hygiene: Get the child to wash his hands frequently, gently wash his eyes and blow his nose if he is feeling any sort of irritation. Ensure the child changes clothes once he is inside his house. The clothes can be washed in luke warm water to kill dust mites. Also, slippers and shoes (especially those worn outdoors) should be kept away from the main living areas of the house.
6. Avoid outdoors in high pollution times: Evenings are generally a time when the air is highly polluted, so avoid taking the child outdoors. Instead, plan play dates, etc for him indoors. The same goes for days when there is a dust-storms.
7. Cover face and mouth: If the child is particularly sensitive to smoke, teach him to cover his face and mouth with a cotton handkerchief, when in high-traffic areas or dust-ridden. Physical barriers like these help in controlling the intake of some pollutants at least.

           Read: Wheezing Causes, Symptoms in Toddlers

But there is nothing that can act and protect your child in a day.  Leading a healthy lifestyle, and feeding your child a healthy diet, rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin D supplements, are some things that can be practiced long term to build him immunity.