How to Tell if Your Child Has Asthma or Allergies – When to Visit the Emergency Room
The medical world is still not sure what causes people to get asthma. However, if a child has a family history of asthma or some allergies or a mother who smoked during pregnancy, they are more likely to get asthma. An illness that occurs in the lungs is one of the most common causes of asthma. Although both children and adult contract respiratory infections, children are at a higher risk. We at Frontline ER would like to help you understand the signs to observe to know that your kids have asthma. We will also be talking about when to go to the ER.
Signs Your Child Has allergies or Asthma
- Wheezing
Your child may grow well for the first few years. However, you have recently noticed that he or she breathes faster on some occasions. Besides that, he or she may have a cough that often wakes you up and often has to catch his or her breath while playing. If you notice this issue increasing in frequency, your child may have asthma.
- Reactive airway disease RAD
If your child contracts a nasty cold just a few months after birth and it lasts several weeks with wheezing, he or she may have contracted RSV, a cold virus. If after that the child experiences excessive wheezing each time he or she catches a cold, it may be asthma.
- Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB)
Your ten-year-old athletic child always complains of chest pain each time he or she engages in intense sports. During play, he or she usually has to sit down often to catch his or her breath. Besides that, if your child often starts coughing while running but is usually okay the rest of the time, it might be a sign of asthma or allergies.
- A nighttime Cough
Your child has no known medical condition. However, for years, he or she has had a nighttime cough. This cough wakes up the child at night and it usually sounds tight without any other flu or cold symptoms. This could be a sign they have a mild type of asthma caused by bedroom allergy.
- Seasonal Wheezing
Your child may have coughing and wheezing during only a specific season. For instance, it could be during spring or summer. This is a sign that they usually suffer from an undiagnosed allergy.
When to Visit the ER
If you are a parent who has asthma, the main goal is to avoid ER visits. However, it is important to know when to visit the ER such as Frontline ER. It is better to be prepared to make this decision before a flare-up than to try to make the right choice. Here are some of the reasons you need to visit the ER if your child has asthma.
- Ask a friend
It does not matter if your child has had asthma for years, it can be hard to make the decision on your own. When this happens, you can be able to tell whether you are panicking or it is going to be the right choice.
- Use the Peak Flowmeter
A peak flowmeter is a device you can use to determine the highest number you can blow when you are okay. It is important to blow into the pf meter twice a day. Once when you wake up and once before you sleep. After two weeks, choose the highest you blew as your best.
From then on, your child should always blow 80% and above of your personal best. If your child blows below 80%, you need to give them the inhaler. They should then wait half an hour and blow into the pf again. If the pf is still below 80 percent, they need to start thinking of an ER visit if they notice other accompanying symptoms like chest tightness.
- Inhaler overuse
If you find your chest becoming so tight so often that you use the inhaler more than recommended, you need to visit the ER.
- Second Guessing
If you begin to second-guess what you need to do, it is time for an ER visit. Besides, if you are thinking things are not so bad and they will get better after an hour, you need to visit the ER. If your asthma management plan is failing, an ER visit will help. Even if things do not get worse, you will be given an albuterol treatment and you can go home with peace of mind.
- Downplaying your Asthma
If you find yourself saying that your asthma is not that bad, there is a good chance you are downplaying it. It is time for you to get to the ER. Second-guessing and downplaying are the two main reasons asthmatics do not go to the ER when they need to.
Most ER doctors would rather you go to the ER for mild asthma symptoms rather than come in while the child is gasping for breath. It is easier to fix mild asthma than to try to save a child from the brink of death.
