Pathology
What is inflammation?
Swelling - or an increase of blood flow that causes the area to get swollen
Name three different symptoms of asthma.
Any three of the following: coughing, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath, retractions, trouble walking or talking, discoloration in nails and lips, unresponsiveness
What is an environmental trigger?
Something in the air that can cause a child with asthma to start having symptoms.
What is a rescue medicine?
Medicine that makes children feel better quickly and stops an asthma attack after it has started. Relieves symptoms within 10 to 15 minutes. It should NOT be taken every day.
What is one thing you can do as a parent to help control your child's asthma?
Eliminate environmental triggers; make sure they take their medicines as prescribed; visit the doctor; create and follow an asthma action plan - and any variation of these answers.
What is a bronchiole?
Small tubes that connect the lungs to the airway.
Which is the most common symptom of asthma?
A dry cough that won't go away
What is an allergen?
A type of trigger that causes symptoms because the child is allergic to it. This varies from child to child, and so not every child's asthma is triggered by allergens.
What is a controller medicine?
A medicine that helps to prevent asthma symptoms. However, it will NOT make children feel better quickly or stop an asthma attack. Controller medicines need to be taken every day to be effective, based on doctor's directions.
What is an Asthma Action Plan?
A plan you create with your child's doctor that details how to manage your child's asthma. It includes medicines to take, the dose, and how often to take them, plus triggers and symptoms to look out for and what to do if your child is having symptoms.
What is asthma?
A chronic condition in which the bronchiole or airway gets inflamed, causing constriction. (Constriction also causes trouble breathing, coughing, wheezing, etc.)
What are retractions?
When the skin sucks in around the neck and ribs because from difficulty breathing.
What are irritants?
What is an oral corticosteroid?
A medicine given for a short period of time by a doctor to stop a severe asthma attack. It usually comes in the form of liquid for small children, and should always be taken as directed by a doctor.
How often should your child visit the doctor?
Every six months - to update the Asthma Action Plan
What is constriction?
When the bronchiole becomes inflamed and begins to close, making it difficult to breathe and trapping air in the lungs.
What is the most common irritant for triggering an asthma attack?
Secondhand Smoke (SHS) and the vapor from a vape.
What is a spacer?
A chamber with a mask that makes it easier for children to take inhaled medicines.
What should you write down and bring with you to the doctor's office?
Any of the following: questions, observed symptoms, how often the child is getting sick, details about any ER visits
What are alveoli?
Tiny sacs in the lungs that fill with air, connected to the bronchioles.
Which symptom do children sometimes confuse with a tummy ache?
Chest pain - because their torsos are so little, it can be easy to confuse what feels ill.
What is the ONLY effective way to get rid of Secondhand Smoke in the home?
To smoke outside and ONLY outside. NOTE: Even just smoking in one room of the house will fill the entire house with cigarette smoke and remains a powerful irritant for children with asthma.
Why is it important to use a spacer with an inhaler?
Any of the following: It keeps the medicine from getting trapped at the back of the throat/in the mouth. It makes sure that there is no way for the medicine to escape. It makes it easier for children to take their medicine.
Name the three zones on the Asthma Action Plan, what zone means, and the steps to take if your child is in each zone.
Green - good to go; child is experiencing no symptoms and able to do all activities. Medicine includes daily controllers as prescribed, otherwise no medicine is indicated. Yellow - slow down. Mild to moderate symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, some chest pain. Medicine includes rescue medicine as prescribed - give to child and monitor to see if symptoms improve. May need to call doctor. Red - Call 9-1-1. Symptoms include discoloration in nails or lips, retractions, trouble walking or talking, or unresponsiveness. Also included - if medicine was given and symptoms got worse.