health
Winter and
childhood asthma Winter can be a difficult time of the year for children living with asthma. Cold, dry air, sudden changes in the weather and fluctuations in temperatures can all irritate their already inflamed airways. When you add it all up, the impact of cold weather on breathing can be serious and the colder months a recipe for exacerbations or flare-ups. Persistent inf lammation
An asthmatic child has a degree of inflammation present in their airways at all times. This inflammation causes the bronchial tubes to narrow, making it harder for air to get to the lungs, even when they they’re not having a flare-up from a trigger like cold air. That being so, it points to reason that treatment goals should focus on reducing inflammation1. According to the Allergy Association of South Africa (ALLSA) chronic control relies on anti-inflammatory maintenance2. This is true whether your child has mild, moderate, or severe asthma. The approach to treatment and management of asthma is almost identical and reducing inflammation is at the heart of it.3 ALLSA says the same applies for asthma attacks. Mild asthma doesn’t preclude children from having an asthma attack. The risk is equally high regardless of disease severity, adherence to treatment, or level of control.4, 5, 6 This is significant because mild asthmatic patients are regarded as the silent majority of asthmatics and in children, mild asthma is more frequent, symptomatic, and less controlled than in adults.7,8
Mild asthma doesn’t preclude children from having an asthma attack. 70
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