Asthma In Children: Prevention

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Prevention

While there is no certain way to prevent asthma, you can take steps to reduce your child's airway inflammation and the likelihood of asthma attacks.

No one is sure if breast-feeding affects a child's risk of getting asthma. Some studies show that breast-feeding protects a child from getting asthma.^{10, 11} Other studies show that breast-feeding, especially when mothers with asthma breast-feed, may actually increase a child's risk of getting asthma.¹² Two large studies found that breast-feeding had no effect on the development of asthma.^{13, 14} Mothers are still encouraged to breast-feed their children for all the other proven health benefits that come from breast-feeding.

Preventing asthma attacks

The main focus of prevention is on reducing the number, length, and severity of asthma attacks. The best way to prevent asthma attacks in your child is to follow your doctor's recommendations and make sure your child takes asthma control medications as directed. By doing this, it is possible, in most cases, to prevent asthma attacks. Also, by avoiding triggers, your child may be able to prevent or reduce the severity of symptoms. For more information on identifying your child's triggers, see:

Asthma: Identifying your triggers.

Below is a list of specific triggers. If you know that any of these triggers cause your child's symptoms to become worse, you should avoid or limit your child's exposure to them.

Upper respiratory infections

Upper respiratory infections, including the common cold, cause 85% of asthma attacks in young children.²¹ Basic preventive measures include the following:

• Avoid contact with other people who are ill. If there is an ill child in the home, separate him or her from other children, if possible. Put the child in a room alone to sleep.
• If you have a respiratory infection, such as a cold or the flu, or if you are caring for someone with a respiratory infection, wash your hands before caring for your child. Hand-washing eliminates the germs on your hands and the spread of germs to your child when you touch your child or touch an object he or she might touch.
• Do not smoke. Secondhand smoke irritates the mucous membranes in your child's nose, sinuses, and lungs and increases his or her risk for respiratory infections.
• Children with asthma and their family members should have a flu shot (influenza vaccine (What is a PDF document?) ) every year.

Irritants in the air

Common irritants in the air, such as tobacco smoke and air pollution, can trigger asthma symptoms in some children.

Controlling tobacco smoke is important because it is a major cause of asthma symptoms in children and adults. If your child has asthma, try to avoid being around others who are smoking, and ask people not to smoke in your house.

• Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy increase the risk for wheezing in their newborn babies.
• Exposure of young children to secondhand tobacco smoke increases the likelihood that the children will develop asthma and increases the severity of symptoms if they already have the disease.

Consider keeping your child inside when air pollution levels are high. Other irritants in the air (such as fumes from gas, oil, or kerosene, or wood-burning stoves) can sometimes irritate the bronchial tubes. Avoiding these may decrease asthma symptoms.

Allergens

Your child may be allergic to certain substances (allergens). You may decrease your child's asthma symptoms by limiting exposure to those substances.

To help reduce your child's exposure to allergens:

• Control cockroaches, especially if you and your child live in an inner-city area or the southern part of the United States.
• Control dust mites. House dust mites have been linked with the development of asthma in children.¹
• Control animal dander and pet allergens. If your pet is a known trigger for your child, you may need to think about giving your pet away. If that is too hard, taking steps such as keeping your pet out of your child's bedroom and dusting and vacuuming often may help your child's asthma.
• Control indoor mold, especially if you live in an area with high humidity.

It also may be necessary to avoid exposure to other types of triggers that cause asthma symptoms.

• Control your child's exposure to pollens in the air. Watch local weather reports or read the local newspaper for pollen counts in your area.
• Limit your child's exercise outdoors in cold weather. The air may irritate airways. Have your child wear a scarf around his or her face and breathe through the nose.
• Have your child avoid foods that may cause asthma symptoms. Some children have symptoms after eating processed potatoes, shrimp, or dried fruit. These foods and liquids contain sulfites, which may cause asthma symptoms.
• Consider using acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) for pain relief instead of similar medications such as ibuprofen if they increase asthma symptoms. (Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20 because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.)

Some research indicates that children who have older siblings or who attend day care may receive some protection from developing asthma.²² One theory as to the increasing prevalence of asthma suggests that low exposure to some bacteria and infections may prevent children's immune systems from forming the cells necessary to protect against asthma.

Last updated:	March 22, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics, Harold S. Nelson, MD - Allergy and Immunology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Denele Ivins