Asthma is a disease that affects a person’s respiratory system, including the nose, mouth, windpipe, lungs, and passageways that take air from the nose and mouth to the lungs and back again. When an allergic or irritating substance enters the lungs the airways tighten and go into spasm and the lining of the airways swell and get clogged with mucus, making it harder to breathe in and out.

An asthma attack can be triggered by a number of different things. The most common cause of an attack, especially for children, is the common cold. Other triggers for an asthma attack include:

• Allergies (grass, weeds, pollen, pet dander, dust, mold, dust mites)
• Exercise
• Changes in weather
• Second-hand tobacco smoke
• Emotional stress
• Allergic reactions such as hay fever and eczema

Although asthma can be scary, there are ways to treat it and more than half of young people will outgrow it by adulthood. Your child’s doctor may prescribe a couple of different medications, one for preventing attacks and one to help stop an attack once it has started. When these medications are taken as directed, asthma symptoms completely clear up and prevent permanent lung changes.

Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is an infection of the lung that can be caused by several different types of viruses. The infection usually occurs during the winter and early spring months and only affects children under the age of two.

Bronchiolitis is caused by narrowing of the bronchioles or the smallest airways of the lungs. The narrowing of the airways is usually caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and will last 7-14 days. Its symptoms are similar to asthma and include:

• Slight fever and runny nose
• Wheezing
• Rapid breathing
• Tight breathing
• Coughing

The fever and runny nose usually worsen for the first two to three days and then start to get better. Wheezing will last around seven days and the cough typically lasts up to two weeks.

Bronchiolitis is contagious, but will not affect older children. It is spread through contact with saliva and mucus, just like a cold. Prevent others from getting the infection by keeping your child home until his or her cough is gone and washing hands frequently.

Croup

Croup is a viral infection of the vocal cords, voice box, and trachea that causes a tight, low-pitched “barking” cough and a hoarse voice. Croup commonly occurs during the fall and winter and usually affects children ages six months to three years.

Croup can be caused by a number of viruses, such as the parainfluenza virus, RSV or, in rare cases, the influenza virus. It appears when a child has a cold, causing the vocal cords to swell.

A child with croup will have a distinctive “barking” cough that sounds like a seal and will become hoarse. He or she may also make a loud, high-pitched, raspy sound when breathing in. This sound is called stridor, which is caused when the opening of the vocal cords become narrow.

With severe croup, breathing may become difficult. If stridor or tight breathing suddenly develops, run a hot shower with the door closed. While waiting for the room to fog up, have your child breathe through a warm, wet washcloth placed loosely over the nose and mouth. Once the bathroom is steamed, sit inside the room with your child for at least 10 minutes so he or she can breathe the warm mist.

This method should work to calm your child’s breathing difficulty. If breathing does not subside, call a doctor immediately. If your child turns blue, faints or stops breathing call 9-1-1.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that is caused by a virus or bacteria. Eighty percent of all pneumonia cases are mild. This majority of pneumonia cases are caused by one of many viruses, including the adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza virus, RSV, or the parainfluenza virus. The other twenty percent of pneumonia cases are caused by bacteria and can be very serious.

When a person has pneumonia, the lungs fill with fluid. The symptoms of pneumonia vary depending on the child’s age and the cause of the pneumonia. Symptoms may include:

• Labored breathing that causes the muscles under the rib cage retract or draw inward with each breath
• Rapid breathing
• Chest and abdominal pain
• Coughing
• Fever which is often accompanied by chills\
• Decreased activity
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite

With antibiotics, bacterial pneumonia will begin to improve within 24 to 48 hours. However, it may take a child with viral pneumonia two to four weeks to completely recover.