Is asthma safe in children?

Asthma causes episodes of narrowed, inflamed airways. A child may cough, wheeze, feel tightness in the chest, or become short of breath, especially with viral infections, exercise, allergens, smoke, or cold air. Symptoms can vary from day to day, and a child may appear well between episodes.

Good control means the child can take part in normal activities with minimal symptoms and has a clear plan for flare-ups. The plan should name prescribed reliever and preventer medicines and explain how to use any spacer.

Give medicines exactly as prescribed and check inhaler technique at appointments. Keep the reliever inhaler and spacer accessible at home, school, and during activities as advised. Reduce exposure to smoke and known triggers, and record nighttime cough, exercise symptoms, or missed school so the clinician can review control.

Follow the child’s action plan during a flare. Seek emergency help if the child is struggling to speak or drink, breathing rapidly or with marked effort, becoming unusually sleepy, turning blue around the lips, or not improving after the prescribed reliever. Do not leave a severely breathless child alone.

Ask how to recognise this child’s early warning signs, how many reliever doses require a call, and what information school or nursery staff need in the written action plan.