RELIEF SYMPTOMS

Advice For Parents Of Children With Asthma Children use the same medications for asthma as adults. The amount and type of medication your child will need depends on the severity of the asthma. For mild intermittent cases, your doctor may prescribe only a bronchodilator - a medication that helps breathing by relaxing the tight ring of muscle around the airways - for quick relief as soon as symptoms begin. More frequent or persistent cases will require articles cat relief symptoms daily medication to reduce the swelling of the linings of the airways and to prevent attacks. For children with mild, persistent asthma, the National Institutes of Health guideline recommends beginning treatment with cromolyn sodium or nedocromil sodium, with careful monitoring for four to six weeks. If these medications do not relieve symptoms, then inhaled corticosteroids at a low dose are started. The guideline recommends that treatment of children with corticosteroids, which should be gradually tapered to the relief symptoms relief symptoms lowest dose that relieves symptoms. In addition, long-acting bronchodilators may be used. When theophylline is used, blood levels are carefully monitored. Some antileukotriene medications also are approved for use in children as young as 5. Recent studies on hundreds of children also found that montelukast (Singulair), a leukotriene blocker, the newest class of drugs to treat asthma, was effective in 6- to 14-year-olds with chronic mild to moderate asthma. Results of any treatment should be monitored and discussed asthma mold allergies relief symptoms with your doctor. In most cases, a particular treatment is stopped if benefits are not apparent. Your doctor may suggest an alternative treatment. Similar guidelines are recommended for infants and very young children. Although steroids must be used cautiously in young children because of potential side effects, some studies are now under way to learn whether earlier use may prevent some of the chronic airway inflammation that is associated with childhood asthma. The decision about medications for asthma facts relief symptoms young