Asthma

Asthma affects around six million children in the United States. If your child struggles to breathe or needs help preventing asthma attacks, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics can help. At their offices in Norwalk and Darien, Connecticut, the team offers asthma testing services, including spirometry. They design a treatment to help your child breathe easier and prevent potentially life-threatening asthma attacks. Call the Center for Advanced Pediatrics office nearest to you today or book an asthma evaluation online.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition causing sudden inflammation that narrows your airways and makes it difficult to breathe. Your lungs also produce excess mucus, further complicating your breathing.

Some children have mild asthma that acts up during exercise or physical activity. Kids with severe asthma can be at risk for having potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.

In addition to physical activity, common asthma triggers include:

• Allergies
• Cold air
• Respiratory infections
• Some medications
• Environmental irritants
• Stress and strong emotions

Your child could be at increased risk of developing asthma if you or other close relatives have the condition.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

Asthma symptoms in children include:

• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness
• Persistent cough

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics if your child has any of these symptoms or if their existing asthma condition is getting worse. The team offers asthma testing on-site to confirm your child’s diagnosis.

They use spirometry testing. This involves your child breathing into a device that measures how much air they can move out of their lungs and how fast. Your child might also need to walk on a treadmill during spirometry testing so that the physicians can evaluate your child’s breathing during exercise.

How is asthma treated?

Your child’s treatment plan for asthma can include a combination of lifestyle changes and medication.

The Center for Advanced Pediatrics team could recommend that your child limit strenuous physical activities to prevent an asthma attack. They can also help you create an emergency action plan in the event your child has an asthma attack.

Several medications are available that control asthma symptoms and prevent new attacks. Your child could benefit from short-acting inhalers that quickly reduce airway inflammation or long-acting oral medications that keep asthma symptoms well-controlled.

Your child might also need immunotherapy or medication to manage allergies that trigger asthma. The pediatrics team provides on-site allergy testing to identify what’s triggering your child’s asthma and allergy symptoms.

To schedule a diagnostic evaluation of symptoms that could be caused by asthma, call the Center for Advanced Pediatrics office nearest to you today or book an appointment online.