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Asthma – What are Childhood Asthma Prenventions? | Prevention For Child Asthma | Asthma Prevention For Children

Allergic responses to perennial environmental allergens, such as dust, mold, or indoor pets, can worsen asthma and can be unrecognized because of the mistaken idea that children cannot develop allergy until they are several years old. It is essential that the child be protected from irritants, most importantly tobacco smoke. Chronic irritation of the airway of an asthmatic child exposed to secondary smoke may make asthma difficult to control.

Uncontrolled medical problems, including allergic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux can also make asthma worse, and should be treated if also present.You may also be able to prevent asthma attacks if you can predict when your child is going to have an asthma attack and begin his medications early. You can learn to predict attacks by watching for warning signs, including a drop in peak flows, worsening allergies, runny nose, cough, exposure to a known trigger, etc.

Periodic assessments and ongoing monitoring of asthma are essential to determine if therapy is adequate. Children and their parents need to understand how to use a peak flow meter and to understand the symptoms and signs of an asthma exacerbation. Regular follow-up visits are important to maintain asthma control and to reassess medication requirements.Exclusive breastfeeding.

Although somewhat controversial, there is some evidence that exclusive breastfeeding during early infancy may be associated with reduction of allergy development. This may be due, at least in part, to the avoidance of cow’s milk and soy proteins in addition to the benefits of breast milk.Hydrolyzed milk formulas. Hydrolyzed formulas use milk proteins that are broken down into small parts, and therefore are less allergenic.

When used exclusively or when combined with breast milk, there seems to be some protective effect of these formulas on the development of allergic diseases.Maternal avoidance of allergenic foods during pregnancy. There does not appear to be a long term benefit for mothers to avoid highly allergenic foods during pregnancy, and may be harmful if the diet affects weight-gain of the mother and baby.

Patients with known allergic asthma should avoid precipitants. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure exacerbates pre-existing asthma. Children of mothers smoking more than 10 cigarettes per day are at highest risk.For patients with exercise-induced asthma, a short-acting beta agonist used 10 to 15 minutes before exercise may provide protection for up to 3 hours.

Vaccination in asthma may prevent exacerbations. Influenza healthcare burden appears to be higher in children with asthma.Current guidelines recommend influenza vaccination for all children aged above 6 months with asthma, although there is a lack of paediatric evidence to support this.Vaccine coverage remains low despite these recommendations.Pneumococcal vaccine is now part of the routine vaccination schedule in many countries. It has also not demonstrated a proven benefit in asthma control.

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