Asthma / Allergy

Asthma / Allergy

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder that produces airway hyper-responsiveness, airflow limitation and persistent respiratory symptoms, such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Airflow limitation is produced by acute bronchoconstriction, airway edema, mucous plug formation, and airway remodeling.

Asthma has immediate and delayed inflammatory responses. During the early phase, mast cells release mediators that lead to vasodilation, edema, and bronchoconstriction

Some conditions that can cause asthma-like symptoms to include:

• Rhinitis
• Sinusitis
• Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Airway abnormalities
• Vocal cord dysfunction
• Respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

The doctor will ask for a detailed description of your child ’s symptoms and health. Your child may also need medical tests.

• In children 5 years of age and older, doctors diagnose asthma with the same tests used to identify the disease in adults. Lung function tests (spirometry) measure how quickly and how much air your child can exhale. Your child may have lung function tests at rest, after exercising and after taking asthma medication.
• In younger children, diagnosis can be difficult because lung function tests aren ’t accurate before 5 years of age. Your doctor will rely on the detailed information you and your child provide about symptoms. Sometimes a diagnosis can ’t be made until later, after months or even years of observing symptoms.