Asthma Control Measures for Your Child

Your allergist/immunologist has diagnosed your child with asthma. It is important to remember that although asthma can be a serious lung disease; your child can still have a normal, healthy life with the proper control measures. There are three important tools you should leave your doctor's office with, in addition to a good understanding of asthma.

1. Daily Management Plan & Action Plan
Your physician will work with you to develop a daily management plan, describing regular medications and measures to keep your child's asthma under control. An action plan, describes actions to take when asthma worsens, including what medications to take and when to contact a physician and/or go to the emergency room or urgent care center. This plan should be written down.

2. Peak Flow Meter
A peak flow meter for asthma is like a thermometer for a fever. It is an instrument that measures the airflow of your child when he/she blows into it quickly and forcefully. The peak flow will drop during an asthma attack and go up when the attack is treated. Experts recommend asthmatic children use them at home to guide decisions about when medications need to be increased or decreased, and to determine when to call a physician and/or seek emergency care.

3. Environmental Control Plan
An environmental control plan outlines steps you can take to make your home a better living environment for people with allergic disease. Most children with asthma also have allergies and these allergies make their asthma symptoms worse. It's very important to know what your child is allergic to and how you can provide a more allergen free environment. A few steps you can take:

• Encase mattress, box springs and pillows with allergen-impermeable covers.
• Launder bedding in hot water (temperatures 130 degrees or hotter) regularly.
• Reduce indoor humidity to less than 50 percent.
• Minimize use of carpets and upholstered furniture.

These measures will have a greater impact if the child is allergic to dust mites.

The ultimate of all these measures is to get asthma under control. That means:

• No coughing.
• No shortness of breath or rapid breathing, wheezing or chest-tightness.
• No waking up at night because of asthma symptoms.
• Normal activities, including play, sports and exercise.
• No episodes of asthma that require a doctor visit, emergency room visit, or urgent care.
• No absences from school or activities
• Normal or near normal lung function.

Learning that your child has asthma can be alarming, but working with your doctor - starting with the first doctor's visit - and educating yourself and your family on the disease is important and helps your child live a healthier, happier life with asthma.

This feature was edited by Stuart A. Friedman, MD, FAAAAI, AAAAI Patients & Consumers Web Editor on 3/18/04.