• Asthma is a chronic (or long-term) condition. 5-10% of children in the US have asthma.
• Air passages to the lungs to become inflamed, swollen, and narrowed. The swelling can narrow passages enough to reduce or block airflow to and from the lungs. As air moves through the narrowed airway, it can make a wheezing sound.
• The airways are very sensitive and may be inflamed even though symptoms are not always present. The severity of the inflammation can change over time. Some children “grow out of” their asthma.
• In an asthma "attack," the airways become narrowed or blocked. The inner lining of the airways becomes inflamed (swollen and irritated), and the outer muscles tighten around the airways, making breathing difficult.
• Asthma attacks can be triggered by different things for different people.
• A child whose asthma is under control will look like any other child, will be able to play normally, and will only rarely have asthma symptoms. This control is one of the goals of asthma care, that is, to have the child live a normal life.

• We don’t know what causes asthma.
• Children are more likely to have asthma if other people in their family have asthma. However, many children with no family history of the disease also have asthma.
• Asthma is also more common in children with allergies or eczema.
• Exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke or pollutants or certain viral infections make children more likely to develop asthma.

Symptoms of asthma may come and go.

Your child’s asthma might include some (or all) of these symptoms:

• Repeated coughing, especially at night or in the early morning, with exercise, or with colds.
• Wheezing (a high-pitched whistling sound heard in the chest during breathing).
• Trouble breathing.
• Feeling chest “tightness”.
• Decreased ability to exercise or self-limiting exercise.

Symptoms of a severe asthma attack might include:

• Coughing that is difficult to stop or leads to vomiting.
• Chest pain.
• Speaking in short sentences or phrases only. In children who are not talking yet, you might notice them having difficulty breathing while they are feeding.
• Sinking in of skin or muscles between the ribs or the notch at the base of the throat.
• Infants may have flared nostrils when trying to breathe in or significant movement of the abdomen with breathing.
• Trouble walking or playing.

• There is no simple test to diagnose asthma. It's often difficult to diagnose, especially in young children.
• Your child's doctor will need to ask you specific questions about your child's health and then a careful physical exam is done. The information that you provide will help your child's doctor determine if your child has asthma.
• Some children don't feel better after using medicines. If medicines don't work, tests may be done to check for other conditions that can make asthma worse or have the same symptoms as asthma.

• There are many different asthma medications to help your child.  Your provider will go over the medications your child needs. Be sure you give them to your child as instructed.
• Often, asthma attacks can be reduced by identifying and trying to eliminate your child’s triggers.
• Regular check-ins with your child’s provider are very important to make sure your child’s asthma is well controlled.
• If you request a refill of your child’s medication and it has been too long since your child’s healthcare provider has discussed asthma with you, they might request that you schedule an appointment prior to receiving any additional refills.

• It is helpful to identify what triggers your child’s asthma.
• Your child might have more than one trigger. Not everyone has the same trigger.
• Some common triggers are:
  • Allergens: common allergens include dust mites, animal fur/hair/dander, cockroach, pollen, mold.
  • Infections of the lungs and sinuses: both viral and bacterial infections
  • Irritants in the environment: including secondhand smoke (cigarettes, vaping, etc.), other smoke, air pollution, odors/fragrances/chemicals.
  • Exercise
  • Emotional stress: laughing or crying hard.