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Monday, December 13, 2004
Huuu (wheeze) bak
By Doris Louise Cellona-Obra
Dear tita doc
* Difficulty in breathing. Chest tightness. Ubouboubo. Wheeze, wheeze. “Halak.” Berta A. of P.del Rosario asks about her seven-year-old son who has asthma.
My child is an asthmatic. My husband and myself are not asthmatic.
If neither parents are asthmatic, there is still a 10% chance that they will have an asthmatic child. If one parent has asthma or allergies, the chances that their child will have asthma increase to 25%. If both parents have asthma or allergies, the stakes go higher as their offspring will have a 50% chance of being asthmatic.
Will my other child catch asthma from his brother?
Since asthma is not caused by an infectious agent like bacteria, viruses, or fungi, there is nothing that your son can pass on for his brother to catch. Although asthma can be triggered by an infection, notably a viral infection, it is not by itself an infectious disease so it is not contagious.
I only give my child’s anti-asthma medicines if his attacks are bad para dili siya “ma-immune.”
In asthma, there is an inflammation of the airways leading to a decrease in their caliber. Also, there is sudden bronchoconstriction which further decreases the size of the airways. Both bronchoconstriction and inflammation lead to difficulty in breathing (it’s just like breathing through a pair of blocked drinking straws!) and eventual air hunger. Withholding anti-asthma medications will further increase both inflammation and bronchoconstriction. This could result in your child’s sudden collapse and death.
The longer a child has signs and symptoms of asthma, no matter how mild it is, the more dangerous it is. The best way is to give the “relievers” (drugs such as terbutaline, salbutamol, ipratropium bromide, or procaterol) at the first sign or symptom of an asthma attack. The so-called “controllers” (drugs like fluticasone, budesonide, or montelukast) are to be taken every day as maintenance, irregardless of the presence or absence of symptoms. The relievers take care of acute attacks; the controllers decrease the inflammation in the airways thus preventing further attacks.
Wouldn’t my child become an addict?
None of the anti-asthma drugs are addicting, not even the drugs that are given via inhalers and are inhaled.
Will sea breeze really do wonders for my asthmatic child?
If the sea breeze or the cottage by the sea that you are renting do not contain stuff that can trigger your child’s asthma (ex. cockroaches, dust, and dust mites, for starters), and if you do not go to the beach when it is too cold, then yes, sea breeze can be beneficial for your child. Being at the beach also makes most people switch on to relaxation mode. Since children are very sensitive to the moods of their parents, your being relaxed will also de-stress your child. This is good because stress can trigger an already existing asthma.
Will he outgrow his asthma?
It is true that 60-80% of asthmatic children do become symptom-free when they become teenagers. Unfortunately, it is also true that more than 85% of them will have recurrence of their asthma years later. So, an asthmatic child will most probably grow up to be an asthmatic adult.
I would like to have my son excused from his P.E. classes so his asthma will not get worse.
You are sending the wrong message to your son and helping turn him into an asthma cripple. You are, in effect, telling him that he cannot do things and achieve goals because he has asthma. You are letting asthma take control of his life and yours.
Give your son the correct reliever and controller drugs. Once his asthma has been controlled, hold on to this control by continuing his maintenance medications. And then let him live as normal a life as possible.
Today, let him be asthma-free and attend his P.E. classes. Tomorrow, let him still be asthma-free and conquer the world.
Truly yours,
Tita Doc
(Send queries to ppsccev(at)yahoo(dot)com or by snail mail at PPS-CCEV M.O.#9, BOP, Gothong Bldg.,Lllorente St., Cebu City)
(December 13, 2004 issue)
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