Asthma should be monitored carefully in everybody–but especially in younger children. Severe cases can cause serious problems for your child’s health.
Here are some of the things that can cause flare-ups and asthma attacks that can result in trips to the emergency room.
Allergens
Allergies can already create problems for kids even without asthma. The mildest cases might result in irritation of the eyes and throat, sneezing, coughing, redness, and so on. The most severe cases can result in life-threatening allergy attacks where the face and throat swell to a dangerous size, and an EpiPen (as well as a 911 call) is required to save their life.
When a child has asthma, a minor allergic reaction can still agitate them to the point of them being severely uncomfortable. Have your child checked for a reaction against the most common allergens–such as cats, dogs, dust mites, various plants, and other chemicals.
Pests
The trick with allergens is the particles that are in the air. While your child may not be allergic to the pest itself, their droppings can still carry those allergens. In fact, pests are known to carry around the same allergens that cause asthma.
This is the case for a lot of insects and rodents–including mice, rats, cockroaches, and more. Since pests can cause health problems for a number of reasons you should be making sure you keep your home well-maintained. If you discover an infestation larger than what you can reasonably handle, don’t hesitate to contact a professional pest control service. Even an out-of-sight infestation could be damaging if left alone for weeks or months.
Seasonal Problems
A lot of airborne allergens that are plant-related will be more virulent at certain times of the year. Pollen is especially abundant during the spring and summer months when plant life is flourishing and spreading abundantly. Different kinds of local plant life will affect an allergic individual in distinct ways–in other words, you might be able to decrease asthma attacks and allergy symptoms by identifying the issue and moving somewhere where that plant isn’t common. In the meantime, make sure to have the proper medicines to deal with allergies and asthma attacks.
Allergy medicine can be bought without a prescription at any pharmacy. You should also talk to your child’s pediatrician about getting an inhaler. Minimizing their inconvenience and danger will result in a healthier, more well-rounded life for your child.
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