The latest expert consensus: what to do with childhood asthma?

"The child has been coughing repeatedly recently, and sometimes he can't even fall asleep. He is about to go to primary school. I don't know what to do?" The 6-year-old Mingming had been coughing and wheezing frequently a year ago. Some cold medicine will relieve the symptoms, but later found that the cough and asthma are repeated, and the symptoms will be aggravated when the weather changes.

After going to the hospital for examination, he was obviously diagnosed with "bronchial asthma", and the doctor formulated a long-term treatment plan for him. A month ago, my mother felt that her illness was cured, and she was also arguing that she did not want to take medicine, so she stopped the medicine on her own. Unexpectedly, not long after, the weather changed, and the cold relapsed after obviously. 

Just as COPD is the most common chronic airway disease in adults, asthma is the most common chronic airway disease in children. According to statistics, in 2010, the cumulative prevalence of asthma in children under the age of 14 in my country was as high as 3%, and even in developed areas, the control rate of asthma is not ideal. Therefore, the latest "Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Chinese Children's Asthma Action Plan" proposes a new management method for asthma control.

"Semaphore" mode for zone management of asthma in children

Asthma is a disease that requires long-term control, so self-management and family management are particularly important. The China Children's Asthma Program adopts the internationally accepted traffic light management model. It is recommended that parents and children conduct self-management according to their children's symptoms, peak flow monitoring and inducing factors, and take different treatment and intervention measures. 

1. Green Zone

The condition is stable, no symptoms during the day or night, and can study, sleep, play, and exercise normally. Such children can maintain good asthma control as long as they use controller drugs in a standardized manner and avoid triggering factors. However, be careful not to stop taking the drugs on their own when symptoms improve. During regular follow-up and monitoring, they can step down treatment or maintain long-term treatment under the guidance of doctors. .

2. Yellow Zone

Any symptoms such as repeated coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, nighttime coughing or suffocation, fatigue, shortness of breath after exercise, chest tightness and other symptoms indicate that the asthma is not controlled or unstable. Beta2-agonists or bronchodilators to improve symptoms. Always evaluate the condition after taking the medicine, and seek medical attention and follow-up if necessary.

3. Red Zone

If the symptoms of an asthma attack are very severe, such as severe coughing, difficulty breathing, suffocation, flapping of the nose, purple lips, or even difficulty walking or speaking, unable to lie down, crying, restlessness, drowsiness, etc., you should seek medical attention immediately. Or dial 120, and give short-acting beta2-agonists at the same time and can be given 3 consecutive times within 1 hour, 20 minutes apart, and oral hormones such as prednisone or methylprednisolone can be given. Even after being discharged from the hospital, regular follow-up should be performed to assess symptom control, identify triggers for seizures, and adjust medications in a timely manner.

Epilogue

Asthma is a chronic disease that is difficult to cure, and children need "long-term treatment" to be "long-term peaceful". With the joint efforts of doctors, children and parents, good asthma management can help children control their symptoms and enjoy a normal and healthy life.