Asthma is a very dangerous disease and can cause death if it is not treated. Fortunately, there is no reason for this to happen as your child's doctor will develop a good treatment plan for them. These treatments will also help alleviate your child's discomfort they are likely feeling. There are also things you can do on your own to help your child. First, learn the early warning signs so you know an asthma attack is going to happen soon, and then learn about the different treatment options available.

Early Warning Signs

Knowing the early warning signs of an impending asthma attack can help your child get treatment early to prevent the attack from getting worse. Some of these signs include:

• Frequent coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Tiredness and weakness when playing
• Cold symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, and sore throat.

If your child is experiencing these symptoms they should take their asthma medication immediately to stop the asthma attack or to lessen how bad the attack is.

Asthma Triggers

Your child's doctor can help you determine what your child's asthma triggers are so they can avoid them. This does not include physical activity, however, because even though your child has asthma they should still stay active to keep them healthy.

You may notice that your child has more asthma systems during the spring. If so, they are likely allergic to pollen. To take care of this, their doctor will send them to an allergy specialist to treat the allergy. If you have an animal, their fur may trigger an asthma attack. If so you would need to find your pet a new home.

Treatment Options

There is no cure for asthma but there are treatment options. Your doctor will go over a treatment plan with your child. The doctor will likely prescribe medication. There are different medicines available so they will work with your child to determine what works best for them.

The doctor will prescribe an inhaler to your child. This works great because when your child inhales the medication goes directly to their lungs. They should carry their inhaler with them wherever they go in case they are away from home and feel an asthma attack coming on.  The doctor will show your child how to use their inhaler because not all of them work in the same way.

The doctor will also likely subscribe long term control medications that your child will have to take daily. These medicines can help prevent an asthma attack completely. One preferred type of long term medication is inhaling corticosteroids, as this medication helps with inflammation of the lungs.

For more information, talk to doctors at clinics like Cookingham Allergy & Asthma Associates, P.C.