Asthma is a condition where the airway becomes blocked. In some cases, the blockage is temporary, although in others there may be a need for emergency intervention. Infant asthma is defined as a development of asthma that primarily occurs in children between 5 and 12 years of age, although it can develop in babies. Young children are susceptible to acquiring asthma because of the level of sensitivity in their lungs and respiratory systems. In the majority of cases where infants and young children develop asthma, it is due to a respiratory virus. Their airways are much smaller, and if there is a viral infection present, mucous buildup can make breathing more difficult.
Breathing
The most common symptoms of asthma in young children are wheezing, coughing or sounding as if they are fighting to take in air (gasping). They may be irritable due to the tightness in their chests, or unable to catch their breath when crying. Coughing tends to worsen at night. Other signs may be the sound of fluid when breathing in, or mucous buildup that does not go away. Breathing difficulties may not be noticeable and can vary on intensity in infants and very small children. During the nighttime hours, they may show all symptoms and have difficulty sleeping, but in the daytime hours they appear to be just fine.
Illness
Infant asthma symptoms are usually caused by exposure to a cold or upper respiratory virus. If the child has something other than these two illnesses, her breathing difficulties will last beyond 1 or 2 weeks, as by this time many colds will clear up. Children with symptoms of asthma seem to catch colds often. The coughing or shortness of breath episodes disappear and then suddenly reappear within a few days or weeks. Any time period that seems abnormal for an infant or young child to be ill or having difficulty taking in air needs to be taken care of immediately by a physician.
Appearance
Physically, a child will show signs of distress through his chest and stomach. Infants and small children are known as "belly breathers," meaning that rather than seeing their chests rise and fall while breathing, you will see it in their stomachs. With asthma, their forced breathing will be noticed in the stomach by how rapidly it rises and falls. From the chest cavity, infants and small children who are fighting to take in air will cause the chest wall to suck inward below the ribs when inhaling. This appearance of skin sucking in may also be seen in the neck of some children when attempting to inhale. At any time, if the child begins to turn bluish or pale, emergency medical attention is needed as he is no longer taking in adequate oxygen.
Enviornment
Determining if a child has asthma can also be done by evaluating her environment. Homes with dust, pollen, cigarette smoke, chemicals, mold or other pollutions in the air can cause asthma to develop. It is very important to keep children away from such hazards. If the child has allergies, there are medications available like Benedryl to ease the affects of hazards in the air. This will not work on asthma however.
Examination
A physician can determine whether or not a child or infant has asthma through a number of tests. She will do physical examinations to listen and watch the child's breathing, order chest X-rays and lung function tests (spirometry). If it is determined that the child does have asthma, he may be prescribed medications such as Advair, or other bronchiodilators, to relax inflamed airways and ease breathing.
Expert Insight
Diagnosing asthma in infants is difficult due to similar symptoms being caused by other respiratory issues. One such issue is infant GERD. GERD shows all the same signs and symptoms of asthma, except for that it is due to an immaturity of the infant's digestive system which causes the breathing issues. In this situation, a physician will recommend switching infant formulas to see if the effects diminish or go away. As the infant grows, GERD symptoms may go away. Other conditions that can be confused with asthma in infants include lung immaturity, pneumonia, sinusitis and RSV.
