EARLY ONSET/ CHILDHOOD ASTHMA

- Childhood asthma and adult asthma have the same underlying cause — continuous inflammation of the airways leading to the lungs – which makes the airways overly sensitive and prone to tightening and constricting when irritated

- Treatable- with right meds and action plan

Signs and Symptoms

- coughing

- wheezing- not all children with asthma wheeze; not all children who have wheezing episodes have asthma

- s.o.b

- chest congestion

- chest tightness

Additional signs and symptoms of asthma in infants include:

- Rattly cough

- Recurrent bronchitis with croup, bronchiolitis or pneumonia

Causes

Most common triggers

Irritants

- tobacco smoke

- exercise

- weather changes or cold air

- environmental pollutants

Allergens

- dust mites

- pet dander

- pollen

- mold

Other factors

- Upper resp infections

- Rhinitis/ sinusitis

- GORD

Risk factors

- family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), hives or eczema

- env. factors:

o prev. allergic reactions (stuffy nose/ skin rash) to env. allergens

o exposure to tobacco smoke

o living in large urban area with ↑ exposure to env. air pollutants

o low birth weight- ↓ pulmonary function and consequently develop asthma

o obesity - ↑ abdominal and chest wall mass in obese people causes ↓ functional residual capacity. And since lung volume is a major determinant of airway diameter, it is possible that these changes in residual capacity allow smooth airway muscles to shorten excessively when activated.

Adult onset asthma

- onset of asthma for the first time in someone of middle age or older

- usual symptoms of asthma are generally present: varying degrees of breathlessness, wheeze and productive cough..

- develops after age 20; possible to first develop asthma at age 50, 60 or even later in life

- less common than asthma in children

- affects more women than men

- many develop asthma in childhood but symptoms can appear at any time in life

-

Causes

- symptoms are less likely to be triggered by allergies eg house-dust mites, animals and pollens

- symptoms are more likely to be triggered by:

o flu, clods or other viral infections

o exercise

o laughing or getting excited

o depression/anxiety

o meds inc aspirin and other NSAIDS, oral beta-blockers for HPT and HD and beta-blocker eyedrops for glaucoma

o irritants eg cigarette smoke, cold air, perfumes and chemical fumes.

- Indiv who had allergies as children/ young adults with no asthma symptoms could develop asthma as older adults