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Village Pediatrics News
  • Flu Vaccines (Quadrivalent & Preservative-Free) will be available starting October 3rd. All children 6 months and above should receive the flu vaccine annually. Call to make your appointment.
  • With children back to school and flu season approaching encourage your children to wash their hands more frequently.
  • Looking for a pediatrician for your unborn child? Make an appointment for a meet and greet with our physicians. We have pre-natal visits every other Thursday at 5:00pm. Please call to make your appointment.

Treating Children with Asthma

It is surprising and alarming to know that asthma is the chief medical condition that affects young children today. 10% to 12% of all children in the US develop this condition and this percentage is rapidly increasing with each passing year. At Village Pediatrics, we fully understand the intricacies of the condition, how to detect it, preventive actions to avoid it and how to treat it. Our goal is to help all our young patients suffering from this disorder at varying stages of seriousness and helping them to lead as normal a life as possible while living with the condition. We also take great care to educate parents and caregivers on how they can best support their children suffering from asthma.

What is Asthma?
Asthma is a respiratory condition that is often difficult to diagnose in small children. It is associated with shortness of breath, wheezing and a chronic cough. Essentially, it occurs because the airways that leads air from the windpipe to the lungs begin to contract. This causes the muscles around them to tighten significantly resulting in substantial irritation on the inner walls of these airways. Subsequently, excessive mucus is produced. This process of the airways narrowing and muscles contracting is called an asthma attack.

Causes of Asthma
Asthma is known to be genetically transmitted condition so if someone in the family faced this disorder; there is a greater chance for your child to suffer from it as well. It is linked to any allergic conditions that have been inherited from the parents including eczema. Often children who suffer from eczema ultimately develop asthma given their allergic proclivity.

It is also known that asthma can also be caused by agents in the air or environment that cause the airways to narrow and muscles to tighten. Some of the most well known agents are pollen and dust but depending on each child’s individual allergic immunity, different agents can have varied impacts.

Symptoms of Asthma in children
When the airways begin to narrow, the patient is forced to take in deeper breaths. Depending on the seriousness of the airway restriction, this activity of taking deep breaths can be visibly noticed or recognized. It is often referred to as wheezing. Other symptoms include a chronic cough combined with shortness of breath and flaring of the nostrils while breathing. You might also find that your child is getting inactive, lacking the stamina or energy to run around as he or she used to. All the symptoms are less easy to identify when the child is not involved in some active exercise.

Treatment of Asthma
The first step of treating asthma is to try and restrict your child’s exposure to the factors that are causing his or her allergic reaction. Next, depending on the severity of the condition, you may be provided with an inhaler for your child with varying medications to suit each child’s exact condition. In addition, drugs may be prescribed to help with the treatment.

Treating asthma in young children extends beyond diagnosing and prescribing medication. It is about following this up with regular checks ups to monitor the current state of the condition and validating the medication. At Village Pediatrics, we provide end to end compassionate care for your little one.

Winthrop Medical Affiliates

View All of our Affiliates

Village Pediatrics News
  • Looking for a pediatrician for your unborn child? Make an appointment to meet and greet with our physicians. We have pre-natal visits every other Thursday at 5:00pm. Please call to make your appointment.
  • Check-Up season is here again don’t waste time and book your appointments early for camp and school.
  • Warm weather is upon us and sunscreen and water safety is very important. All children should have sunscreen applied whenever they are going to be outside and should be reapplied often. Children should never be left unattended near pools, beaches and lakes.