Asthma

My baby's wheezing. Could she have asthma?

You may be alarmed if you hear your baby wheezing, but the chances are that it's not asthma. Many babies and young children wheeze when they have an upper respiratory tract infection or a cold.

Asthma, on the other hand, is an inflammation of the lungs' small breathing tubes (bronchioles). If the wheezing frequently recurs in the absence of a cold, ask for your doctor's opinion.

In a baby, the airways are so small that they can make a wheezing sound which is not true asthma. Wheezing can be quite common in early childhood, and unless the attacks persist past the age of three, most doctors say there's no cause for alarm.

Doctors only make a firm diagnosis of asthma when they see a pattern of symptoms emerging over a period of time.

What causes asthma?

Asthma in most children and adults is a reaction to a trigger – usually tobacco smoke, pet fur, mould spores, dust mites, or pollen (although respiratory infections and exercise in cold air can also trigger an attack).

As in other types of allergies, the trigger stimulates IgE antibodies to produce histamine and other chemical mediators. Chemicals released by the antibodies swell the lung's lining and tighten the muscles of the airway, and they also start producing mucus.

What are the risk factors for asthma?

A baby who lives with a parent who smokes is nearly four times more likely to wheeze compared with a child in a smoke-free home.

Genetics play a role, too. Children with asthmatic parents often inherit a susceptibility to asthma, and can develop it at a much faster rate than children who don’t have asthma in the family.

Living in large towns and poor housing conditions seem to make babies and children more vulnerable to the illness, too.

I've heard asthma's on the rise. Why?

Asthma is increasing. Industrialisation, energy-efficient houses and eradication of many childhood illnesses, such as measles and mumps, may be partly to blame.

For reasons unknown, asthma isn't much of a problem in pre-industrial societies. But when development moves in, asthma follows.

We are spending more time sealed in energy-efficient houses. Indoor air is ripe with allergens, such as dust mites or pet hair. If children spend much of their time in front of the TV or computer, they spend less time outside in the fresh air. All this seems to have translated to an increase in asthma.

The ever-ready immune system, too, which used to be busy defending the body against chickenpox and rubella, now has little more to do than combat an onslaught of dust mites, the microscopic pests whose presence is related to asthma.

It may be that the immune system responds to an allergen a little too zealously (like putting out a match with a hosepipe), which might contribute to asthma as well.

Can asthma be cured?

Asthma is a long-term (chronic) condition, and there is no known cure. However, asthma can be successfully managed with medicines, and by reducing the exposure to the trigger for the asthma when possible.

If your child has asthma, it shouldn't prevent her from taking exercise and leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Many children outgrow asthma, or the severity lessens as they get older. Work with your doctor to find the best treatment and method to manage your child's asthma.