Medical Questions » Asthma Questions » Question No. 97
| Question: | Can a three year old get asthma? |
| Answer: | YES! Asthma is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in medicine, and is very often overlooked in young children because theit symptoms vary from those traditionally associated with asthma. There may be minimal wheezing and shortness of breath in infants, and they tend to have a chronic cough, be small for their age and suffer from repeated respiratory infections.
There is no specific diagnostic test, but if they can cooperate, abnormalities may be seen when the child breathes into a machine that tests lung function, and minor changes may be seen on an X-ray of the chest. The main diagnosis depends on the clinical acumen of the doctor. If the correct treatment is given, the child will rapidly loose the cough, and become more active and generally healthier.
Prevention is more important than treatment in asthma, and the long-term management should be designed to prevent its recurrence. Liquid medications are easy to use, but are not as effective as inhaled drugs. As soon as possible, an asthmatic child should learn to use a puffer, usually with the assistance of a spacing device which can be recommended by your doctor. The larger spacers (such as the ' Nebuhaler' ) are easy for children to use and are as effective as the more expensive nebulising machines, which must be used in more severe and difficult cases.
If your child has a chronic cough, it could be asthma. |
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