Asthma, one of the most common chronic diseases in children, is seen in one out of every 10 children on average. Prof. Dr. Şule Çağlayan Sözmen from the Pediatric Allergy Department of Medicana Health Group said that the disease can be controlled with the cooperation of physician, patient and family in the treatment of asthma and regular follow-up and treatment.
Asthma in children is usually caused by allergens such as house dust, pollen, cats, dogs, viral infections, air pollution and cigarette smoke. Medicana International Izmir Hospital Pediatric Allergy Specialist Prof. Dr. Şule Çağlayan Sözmen said that if asthma is treated well in childhood and lung damage is prevented, the likelihood of the disease continuing in adulthood will decrease.
Stating that asthma can occur with triggers such as allergens, cold air, cigarette smoke, heavy odors, air pollution, chemicals, exercise, Sözmen said, “Children with asthma have complaints such as intermittent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, chest tightness. There is complete well-being in between. Other diseases should be considered in symptoms that persist, do not improve or gradually worsen. Children with asthma may sometimes experience an asthma attack when their symptoms suddenly intensify. These attacks require urgent and careful treatment.”
Family education is important
Prof. Dr. Şule Çağlayan Sözmen emphasized that education, prevention, drug treatment and immunotherapy when necessary are important in the treatment of allergic asthma and said, “Education includes providing information about the nature of the disease and what children should pay attention to. Since viral infections can trigger asthma, flu vaccination, hand hygiene and avoiding crowded environments are important. In addition, smoking should not be allowed in the house and chemicals such as perfume should be avoided.” Referring to the fact that the drugs used in the treatment of allergic asthma do not eliminate the disease, Sözmen pointed out that the wrong use of medication makes the treatment unsuccessful and noted that families should be well educated on this issue.
Do not overwhelm your children
Sözmen emphasized that parents whose children have allergies, especially asthma, try to prevent their children from getting sick with prohibitions such as “Don't go out, don't run, don't do sports” and said the following: “As long as asthma is under control, we physicians want children to do sports. Because sports have the effect of increasing lung capacity and protect our children from obesity. Unfortunately, obesity in asthmatic patients increases the likelihood of an asthma attack and can cause asthma to be more difficult to control. Of course, caution should be exercised in sports such as extreme cold exposure such as skiing or deep diving, but asthma is not a disease that restricts sports in general.”
