Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma in Childhood - Research Paper Example

? Asthma: Differences in occurrences, diagnosis, and treatment Asthma: Differences in occurrences, diagnosis, and treatment Diagnosisand treatment of asthma in childhood: a PRACTALL consensus report In many developed countries, asthma is one of the primary long lasting diseases widespread among the youngsters. But still it has not been much focused upon and pediatric asthma remains on the rise. It is said to be more common among children who have had family history of atopy, and attacks appear on exposure to infections, different allergens, vigorous exercise, pollutants in the air, and, mainly, tobacco smoke. Many kids start suffering from the early stages of asthma, such as panting and coughing. But as medical diagnosis can be performed from the age of five, children should get treatment as early as possible, and monitoring of the disease becomes vital. Children suffering from asthma usually have recurring attacks or flare ups, which involves the constriction of the airways. This is mainly caused by triggering factors such as allergies, exercise and infections. There are certain genetic factors which have been linked with the occurring of asthma in preadolescent kids. Reports on mono and dizygotic twins, together with recurrent history of asthma in the family, lay the genetic basis for asthma. Recently, genome wide screens and positional cloning have been recognized as techniques that can help to identify the genes that are related to asthma in certain populations. The influence of genetic variation on asthma shows the diverse nature of this, and leads to the fact that asthma can be caused by changing environmental factors. This indicates why many parents have children with asthma while the former themselves do not suffer from it. Environmental factors and the daily routine of kids can be a triggering factor to their asthma. Indoor or outdoor contact with allergic substances can be a major trigger for asthma attacks. Usually, early exposure to allergens can lead to continuity of asthma and decreased performance of the lungs. Food allergy is also a type of allergy that can trigger asthma in a kid. It is basically an allergen that leads to a development of further symptoms of asthma in children under the age of four. As far as infection induced asthma is concerned, there have been mixed views. There are some reports which show that exposure to infections such as hepatitis A can prevent asthma and continuous exposure to small infections can shield someone against asthma. On the other hand, there are other reports which state that bacteria and germs instigate asthma attacks. It has been shown that viral infections in the respiratory tract are the main cause of asthma attacks in childhood. Viruses such as rhinoviruses, which cause sneezing and coughing, are accountable for most of the asthma attacks, while suffering from serious infections can lead to continuance of frequent asthma attacks, when the children are growing up. This is because infections can increase the swollenness of the smooth muscles and cause further inflammation in the airways. Moving on, tobacco smoke has been regarded as a major trigger for asthma attacks, and this can happen anytime during childhood and cause a variety of symptoms. An increase in oxidative stress and further inflammation of the airways can be caused directly by inhaling tobacco smoke. People, who already have a considerably serious case of asthma and still are in some way inhaling tobacco smoke, can ensure the continuity of asthma in future and they also become impervious to the asthma medication. Moreover, children are much at a risk to develop asthma if they are exposed to tobacco smoke as they have smaller air pipes. Therefore, people who prevent smoking are at a much less risk to developing asthma or other similar diseases. Air pollutants have also been extensively considered as a major trigger for asthma attacks. They cause major harm to our lungs and cause inflammation in the air pipes. Along with this, various irritants such as perfume are also a chief trigger for asthma attacks. Exercise, too, may cause frequent asthma attacks in children. But at the same time, daily exercises are essential for keeping the children fit and should not be removed from the schedule. Moreover, infrequent or low physical exercises can also lead to advancement in asthma among youngsters. Psychological factors such as stress among children can also lead to frequent asthma attacks or development of asthma as they grow up. A relationship between stress and asthma exists and stress is said to worsen a case of asthma in a child. There are some instructions that need to be followed in order to keep the risk of asthma to a minimum. Recognizing and assessing factors that trigger asthma should be made a part of patient education and on how to control the environment. Asthma phenotypes in children should always be recognized. Symptoms that occur between asthma attacks are key factors in recognizing childhood asthma. Although they are not any definite diagnostic tools to detect asthma during infancy, continuous sneezing and coughing should be regarded as a sign that the baby might be suffering from asthma. Proper diagnosis is only viable when a long term medical history is at hand, and by making the child undertake different tests such as bronchodilator test or anti-inflammatory test (Bacharier et al., 2008). References Bacharier, L. B., Boner, A., Carlsen, K.-H., Eigenmann, P. A., Frischer, T., Gotz, M., Helms, P. J., Hunt, J., Liu, A., Papadopoulos, N., Platts-Mills, T., Pohunek, P., Simons, F. E., Valovirta, E., Wahn, U., Wildhaber, J., & European Pediatric Asthma Group. (2008). Diagnosis and treatment of asthma in childhood: a PRACTALL consensus report. Allergy, 63, 5-34. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2007.01586.x/full Occurrence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age Asthma, as discussed in the previous article, is highly common in children and adolescents. One of the biggest problems asthma creates for children and young adults is the practice of sports. Rigorous physical exercises have been known to cause frequent asthma attacks or flare ups. According to the latest reports, swimming is a sport which contributes most to the factors leading to an asthma attack. The real reasons why swimming would cause symptoms of asthma to appear frequently are still not clear, but exposure to chlorine compounds that are used to clean the pool are the most likely suspects, as they lead to inflammation of the air pipes and cause the constriction of the airways. Children and adolescents who swim regularly and suffer from asthma attacks should be studied because, although they are susceptible to the chlorine compounds, they also have a greater occurrence of asthma symptoms than in adults. Also, a thorough diagnosis and plan of treatment could prevent the development of this problem and lead to less frequent attacks of asthma. The study conducted to research on this issue studied amateur swimmers between eight and seventeen years of age. Before beginning their swimming, the children were first made to answer a quiz and then they were to take a spirometry test. Many studies have been conducted in order to research the occurrence of asthma attacks of adult swimmers, but little is still known about amateur swimmers and their frequent asthma attacks while swimming. The results of the above study showed that symptoms of asthma are present in amateur swimmers, and a number of these swimmers have a problem of constricted air pipes and inflamed air ways. As exercise such as swimming is also essential to prevent asthma from developing, and athletes who do it without taking their required medication can suffer from asthma symptoms while swimming. The fact that some of these amateur swimmers suffer from air way constriction while swimming without showing any symptoms for asthma demonstrates the frequency of asthma attacks in this age group which has been undermined for some time. In order to treat this, direct medication is not enough. The swimmers and their coaches or parents must be educated in this area, and should be made aware of the asthma symptoms and other risks of the sport (Fiks et al., 2012). References Fiks, I. N., Pereira de Albuquerque, A. L., Dias, L., Fernandes de Carvalho, C. R., & Ribeiro de Carvalho, C. B. (2012).Occurrence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 38(1), 24-32. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1806-37132012000100005&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en Factors Influencing Gender Differences in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma in Childhood This article refers to the fact that gender differences play a significant role in diagnosing and treating asthma. There is actual proof that symptoms and occurrence of asthma differ by gender, and these differences vary when a person grows older. But the factors that lead to the gender differences in diagnosis of asthma in children are still not explored to the full. The earlier recognition of asthma symptoms in boys might be a good indication that gender differences do occur among people suffering from asthma. So if asthma symptoms occur much earlier in boys, they receive early and frequent consultations, and, therefore, more chances to be diagnosed. On the other hand, the differences in diagnosis between the two genders could also be because boys and girls show different symptoms, and, thus, present asthma in a different way. This would be possible if boys and girls were showing different reactions to allergens, which normally confirm the diagnosis of asthma in a child. To find out if gender differences in the occurrence of allergic reactions result in the difference in diagnosis of asthma between boys and girls, an evaluation was carried out by gender to determine the number of subjects who received an overall diagnosis if asthma and if that was continuously sneezing and coughing. Atopic children or children suffering from varying mild infections were said to have asthma without taking their genders into consideration. But boys with recurrent sneezing and eczema were more prone to be diagnosed with asthma than the girls, who also showed both symptoms. The study showed that gender differences, in fact, do exist in diagnosing and treating asthma in children. Boys are more probable in developing early onset symptoms of asthma than girls, and when they grow old, the symptoms develop and a gender difference in the occurrence and appearance of asthma symptoms no longer exists. Girls, on the other hand, after having continuous sneezing and coughing at an early age, are less likely to be diagnosed with asthma or their symptoms to be considered as factors that would trigger asthma later in future; as a result, they are not given any asthma medication as well (Anne L. et al 2006) References Wright, A. L., Stern, D. A., Kauffmann, F., & Martinez, F. D. (2006). Factors Influencing Gender Differences in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma in Childhood: The Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study. Pediatr Pulmonol., 41(4), 318-25. Retrieved from http://www.genderbias.net/docs/resources/guideline/Factors%20influencing%20gender%20differ Final Analysis These articles mainly discuss a key fact that asthma can be more troubling to children and young adults. Significant studies are being done to explore the prevention of asthma attacks in adults, but similar vigorous studies are not being done to prevent asthma flare ups in children. These articles lay the foundations of how asthma really develops in adults; it is because it was not managed properly during childhoods, which leads to frequent asthma symptoms and their development in future. Asthma occurs due to a problem in the lungs, and results in difficulty breathing. It affects the airways in a person’s body, which are called bronchial tubes. In a normal condition, a person breathes air; it enters the body through the nose or mouth, reaches the trachea, and passes through the airways and goes inside the lungs. But in asthma, the bronchial tubes become swollen and inflamed, and, as a result, a lot of thick mucus is produced. Moreover, they become very sensitive to things like dust and smoke, which leads to the smooth muscles around the airways to constrict and stop the airflow. Both the swelling of the airways and squeezing of the soft muscles, contracts the airways and makes it very difficult for a person to breathe. Asthma occurs in most people sporadically and is called an asthma attack or an asthma flare up. It is usually described as a tightening in the chest, with the person feeling shortness of breath and difficulty in taking air in and out of the lungs. Asthma is not caused by just one thing. There can be a variety of environmental and genetic factors causing it. Someone with asthma might have a close relative like parents or siblings with asthma, or he/she might have had it as a child, which developed over the years. Other than this, there are different environmental factors which can lead to an asthma attack. Inhaling allergens like dust, pollen grains etc. can lead to an asthma flare-up. Cigarette smoke, air pollutants can be a major trigger for asthma, while doing exercise can also lead to an attack. As far as diagnosing for asthma is concerned, the doctors will inquire about the patient’s health, family history of asthma and any substances the patient is allergic to. This is followed by a physical examination in which tests such as spirometry and peak flow meter tests are performed, which requires the patient to blow into the machines to see how well his/her lungs are working. The doctor might also suggest to do some allergy tests and to rule out any exercises that can lead to an asthma attack. Asthma cannot be cured, but the attacks can be prevented or handled by taking proper medication. As far as prevention is concerned, people with asthma are asked to avoid things that can lead to an attack, for example, smoking. As exercise is essential for a person’s health, doctors recommend that the trigger leading to an attack should be controlled instead of being avoided. Normally, in case of an asthma attack, the medication is inhaled through a device called the inhaler. It is a medication taken by breathing it into the lungs. But the medication is sometimes also taken in the form of pills or liquids. Asthma medications can be divided into two categories: rescue medication, which is fast medication and is used for urgent purposes. It is successful in controlling the initial symptoms but do not last for long. The other one is controller medication, which is used to cope with and manage asthma and avoid the symptoms from emerging in the first place. These medications are normally taken daily, and are used to keep the asthma in check. The controller medication is used to treat the origin of the problem that is the inflamed airways. I have chosen the following articles because they cover all the major aspects of the topic, namely, occurrences, diagnosis and treatment of Asthma. The first article gives an explanation on the diagnosis and treatment of asthma during childhood. This will help to cover the challenges of asthma faced during childhood. The next article is about teenage swimmers who suffer from asthma and how the asthma occurs. The last article is about the factors influencing gender differences in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. References Bacharier, L. B., Boner, A., Carlsen, K.-H., Eigenmann, P. A., Frischer, T., Gotz, M., Helms, P. J., Hunt, J., Liu, A., Papadopoulos, N., Platts-Mills, T., Pohunek, P., Simons, F. E., Valovirta, E., Wahn, U., Wildhaber, J., & European Pediatric Asthma Group. (2008). Diagnosis and treatment of asthma in childhood: a PRACTALL consensus report. Allergy, 63, 5-34. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2007.01586.x/full Fiks, I. N., Pereira de Albuquerque, A. L., Dias, L., Fernandes de Carvalho, C. R., & Ribeiro de Carvalho, C. B. (2012).Occurrence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 38(1), 24-32. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1806-37132012000100005&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en KidsHealth. org (n.d.). Asthma. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/allergies_immune/asthma.html# Wright, A. L., Stern, D. A., Kauffmann, F., & Martinez, F. D. (2006). Factors Influencing Gender Differences in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma in Childhood: The Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study. Pediatr Pulmonol., 41(4), 318-25. Retrieved from http://www.genderbias.net/docs/resources/guideline/Factors%20influencing%20gender%20differ Read More