Acute and Chronic Disease Reports
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Risk Factors that Cause Asthma in Infants and Toddlers

Zhang Junhong^{* *}Correspondence: Zhang Junhong, Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China, Email:

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Description

Asthma is a condition where ones airways will be narrow and inflamed creating additional mucus. This makes breathing challenging and cause coughing, wheezing when you exhale, and shortness of breath. In some people asthma is just a cause of annoyance. A child is more likely to develop asthma in their early years if his/her mother had smoked while she was pregnant or because they have a specific allergy or it can be due to their family history of asthma or allergies. Usually baby or toddler asthma symptoms are rapid breathing, struggling to breathe (nostrils flaring, skin is sucking in around and between ribs or above the sternum, or exaggerated belly movement), panting while performing everyday tasks like playing, wheezing (a whistling sound), ongoing coughing, eating or sucking difficulties, fatigue and a lack of enthusiasm in usual or favored activities. Cyanosis is a tissue colour change that affects mucous membranes, including the tongue, lips, and skin around the eyes. It can be a symptom of acute asthma. On darker skin tones, the colour appears grey or whitish, while on lighter skin tones, it appears bluish. Compared to older children and adults, infants and toddlers have substantially narrower airways. In fact, the youngster may have trouble breathing if even minor obstructions brought on by viral infections, restrictive airways, or mucus. Infants and young children with asthma are difficult to diagnose. They are unable to express their feelings since they cannot speak clearly. Numerous causes could be causing a restless infant. Even when their chests feel tight or they have breathing difficulties, toddlers and preschoolers are frequently active. The majority of asthma medications used for older children and adults can be given to infants or toddlers. The youngster may take it differently and at a lower dosage. Inhaled medications quickly relieve symptoms and cause minor negative effects. Inhaled medicines are typically used to treat the symptoms of asthma in young children. Typically, infants are treated with medication delivered through nebulizer or inhaler using a spacer and mask. A nebulizer is a tiny device that uses compressed air to make a medication mist that a newborn can inhale through a tiny face mask. It is also referred to as a "breathing machine." Treatments with a nebulizer last around ten minutes. An aerochamber, or small tube, known as a spacer is used to store the medication that is released by an attached inhaler. Children can breathe in the medication thanks to the inhaler/spacer device. The effectiveness of medications administered using a nebulizer and an inhaler with a spacer and mask is identical. Sometimes, a toddler may react better to an inhaler with a spacer and mask. Several different medications are used to treat asthma. In order to relieve acute symptoms, bronchodilators, often known as "rescue" or "reliever" medications, widen the airways. Asthma symptoms can be controlled by using controller medications like inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting bronchodilators, combination drugs, or leukotriene modifiers on a long-term basis. Depending on how severe and frequently child symptoms occur, a variety of drugs are provided to many asthma sufferers, including infants and toddlers. Even though the symptoms of asthma can changes with time, age and lifestyle. A kid's symptoms may improve as they age because they might be better prepared to manage airway irritation and swelling. When they are in their late thirties or early forties, about half of those individuals get asthma symptoms once more. When infants breathe, one could notice that their tummy moves more than usual and that their nostrils may flare. Laryngomalacia is a different illness whose symptoms may resemble to those of asthma. This includes having a weakening in the cartilage directly below the vocal chords from birth. Since asthma is a chronic disorder, the primary difference between it and several of the health problems is that asthma symptoms usually persist. Even after a brief illness, an infant with asthma has smaller and more quickly inflamed lungs than an infant without asthma. Allergies from dust environment or high polluted area are also a main reason behind this disease. Doctors can diagnose asthma using this pattern. Some of the minor facts that can be used in home for better treatment of asthma in babies are preventing smoking in the area near the baby as well as removal of dust particles from nearby areas properly. There should be clean materials used for infants including bed sheets, towels and other products. Timely and early diagnosis with proper care can help the child to lead a comfortable life ahead in the future.