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ASTHMA
Asthma is a respiratory disease in which there is an excess build up of mucus in the wind pipe and swelling of the muscles surrounding the air way. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, tightness in chest and difficulty breathing.
Even though we have knowledge about asthma ten people die form these attacks in Tasmania every year. It is a medical condition that is not taken seriously enough. When it is taken seriously along with proper diagnosis and intervention asthma can be easily managed and allow an asthmatic to live a full and healthy life. It can take as little as four minutes from the start of an attack for a server asthmatic to stop breathing if they do not receive their prescribed or emergency medication.
We held an asthma information evening at Ocean View on Tuesday 6th Sept with a representative from the Asthma Foundation. Thank you to those parents that came along. We hope that it answered your questions and gave you more confidence when dealing with both childhood and adult asthma.
While we as a service endeavour to provide the bet environment of those with potential or serious asthma there are some important factors that we need your help with. Every child with asthma irrespective of how mild or serious needs to have a medical review with a certified doctor. As part of this review your doctor should provide you with a form from the Asthma Foundation stating your child’s asthma triggers, their symptoms, medications, doses and any relating factors that we should be aware of. This then needs to come into care and be place don your child’s file. This is the most important part, without this information we are not in a position to provide the best care for your child.
A few interesting factors that came from the night include many triggers that we were not aware of. While every child/person is different and these triggers may not affect every asthmatic it is something to keep in mind, these include:
o Dust and dust mites
o Pollen from trees and flowers
o Changes in temperature e.g. warm house to cold outdoor environment
o Sport induced
o Cold or flu related
o Cigarette and wood smoke
o Yellow and green food colouring
o Dried fruit – especially sultanas and apricots
o Strong chemical cleaning agents including bleach and domestos
o Heat pumps- because it dries out the air and circulates the dust
o Animals – especially cats
o Food intolerances
o MSG in preserved foods
Every asthmatic is different, responding to different triggers in different ways. If you are unsure about your child’s triggers it is a good idea to keep a diary. When your child has an attack or develops difficulty breathing you should record the events that have led up to the incident going as far back as three days. Over time this should provide a good picture of what affects their asthma. This is an invaluable tool to provide understanding when having an asthma review with your doctor.
We as a centre try to minimize these factors for children with known asthma, but as you are aware we cannot shelter children from everything in life. This is why it’s imperative that a proper asthma plan is developed for your child as an individual. If you have not received an action plan form from your doctor we ask that it is now time to have an asthma review with your doctor. Ask them to complete the Asthma Foundation Action Plan and then bring it to care with your child’s medication. Making sure that all medication is printed with the correct name, dosage and is not expired.
Even if your child has not had an attack/asthma symptoms for weeks, months or years it is still important to have the right medication on hand. Children grow, and as their bodies change so does their asthma and we never know what will trigger an attack. Remember children never grow out of asthma but it can become less severe.
Thank you for your co-operation in providing the best care for your child. If you have any further questions contact your Doctor of the Asthma Foundation (ph: 6223 7725, fax: 6224 2509, http://www.asthmatas.org.au)
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