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Asthma - Signs and Symptoms

The number of children with childhood asthma is at an all-time high—5.5 million children under the age of 15 in the U.S. alone. This number is double the amount of children that had this illness in 1980. While it is reaching epidemic proportions, there is much research going on for parents to be able to handle their child's asthma. The following is some much-needed information about the signs and symptoms of childhood asthma that can help parents to better be able to determine if it is possible that their child has asthma:

• Frequent coughing—
This is one of the most common, but can easily be misinterpreted as a cold or allergy. One of the most distinguishable points about frequent coughing when it is associated with asthma is that it occurs even more frequently at night time. This is because asthma almost always gets worse during the night.

• Frequent respiratory infections—
This may include bronchitis, pneumonia or simply chest colds. If your child has respiratory infections often, especially if it brings wheezing with it, you should have your child checked for asthma.

• Wheezing—
Many children won't have this symptom, but it is one of the telltale signs that a child has asthma. The wheezing may occur with the nighttime coughs, or with the respiratory infection. With young babies and children, the wheezing might not appear or be obvious until later.

• Coughing after running or crying—
Many children won't get a large amount of colds, but they will cough at night and possibly cough after crying or running. This is a common sign of childhood asthma and you should have your child screened if this is the case.

• Rattly cough—
This is most common in infants and young children, but a rattly cough is nothing to ignore even in older children because it can be a sign of asthma.

• Chest tightness—
If your child has a tightness of the chest, it may not always be obvious until they have some other sign as well, such as coughing or wheezing. This is a symptom of asthma, but it is also a symptom of many other respiratory diseases, so your doctor may want to screen for those as well.

• Shortness of breath or rapid breathing—
Either of these can occur with many respiratory infections, but is most considered with asthma if it is accompanied by other asthma symptoms such as wheezing. This will be an obvious sign, though, because your child will take short, rapid breaths, and it is noticeable that it doesn't seem like they are getting enough air.

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