Is your child wheezing, coughing and gasping for breath too often? Recognizing asthma triggers can help ward off attacks. Here’s how to help kids breathe easier…
A smoggy day, second-hand smoke or Chinese food – these can be a parent’s worst nightmare if your child has asthma.
That’s because they all can trigger life-threatening asthma symptoms. In fact, about 30% of such attacks result from environmental factors, according to 2002 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
A parent’s best defense against asthma is recognizing and reducing triggers. That includes keeping you and your kids calm and avoiding food additives, according to the latest research.
“It effectively reduces asthma symptoms,” says Cherie L. Hyssong, a certified asthma educator and coordinator of the pulmonary lab at Frederick Memorial Healthcare System in Maryland.
Read on for 8 triggers, some surprising, and the steps to take to ward off attacks.
1. Extreme emotions
You love to hear your child laugh, but watch out: Hysterical laughter can set off an asthma attack. So can stress and anxiety. That’s because the lungs and brain are connected by the vagus nerve, one of the longest in the body, and stimulating it can cause asthma attacks.
Anti-asthma approach: No parent can control a child’s emotions. But you can keep home life calm by helping with homework, relaxing together or even doing art projects.
In fact, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Allergy Clinical Immunology, National Jewish Health Hospital researchers found that art therapy decreased the frequency of asthma symptoms.
Control your own stress levels too. Moms who often express anxiety, anger or irritation can worsen children’s asthma symptoms, especially when they’re young, according to a 2010 study published in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine.
There’s no question that parenting a child with asthma can increase stress and make you doubt yourself, says Taiha Wagner, L.P.N., a pediatric asthma specialist in Eden Prairie, Minn.
“But taking time to recharge your mental and emotional batteries will help you feel more at ease and lessen the chances your stress will become an asthma trigger for your child,” she says.
2. Food allergies
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, children with food allergies are 2-4 times more likely to have asthma and other respiratory allergies.
“And the more food sensitivities a child has, the greater their asthma-related inflammation,” Wagner says. Some food can trigger an asthma attack within minutes.
Anti-asthma approach: Keep a record of foods that set off your child’s symptoms and try to avoid them. Common triggers include gluten, yeast and sugar - all increase respiratory inflammation.
Dairy foods are another potential problem; they increase mucous production in the lungs. Give children other calcium-rich foods, such as fortified milk alternatives and breakfast cereals, leafy vegetables, broccoli and almonds.
3. Food additives
Manufacturers often add ingredients to products to enhance flavor, color or appearance. But these additives can worsen asthma symptoms.
One to watch for is monosodium glutamate (MSG), which improves flavor in many foods, including Chinese cuisine, lunch meat, and sausage patties and links, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in 2010.
“MSG stimulates nerve cells in the mouth, lungs and other areas involved in asthma attacks,” explains William J. Calhoun, M.D., vice chair for research, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Another potentially troublesome additive is tartrazine, also known as FD&C yellow #5, according to a ground-breaking 1985 University of Toronto study. It’s commonly found in breakfast cereals, cake mixes, chocolate and butterscotch chips, packaged frostings, many candies and other foods.
Tartrazine can cause inflammation in the stomach lining and elsewhere in the body, including airways, Calhoun says.
Anti-asthma approach: Unfortunately, consumers have no easy way to detect MSG, a form of glutamic acid. The federal government requires the crystalline amino acid to be labeled when it’s directly added to a product, but not in other forms.
For example, “autolyzed yeast," "maltodextrin," "sodium caseinate," and "soy sauce" are the common names of ingredients with MSG, according to Truth in Labeling, an anti-MSG advocacy group.
When ordering Chinese takeout, look for the phrases, “No MSG” or “MSG-free,” on the menu. Ask your server if you’re not sure.
Avoiding tartrazine is easier. Stay away from “fake” yellow foods and “stick to naturally yellow foods like beans, squash and corn,” Calhoun says.
4. Air quality
If your child has asthma, pay close attention to weather and air quality reports. Cold air, smog, ozone, pollen, second-hand smoke and even some perfumes and air fresheners can settle in lungs, causing irritation and inflammation.
Anti-asthma approach: You can’t control outdoor triggers, but you can avoid them.
Keep children indoors and use air conditioners when the pollen count is above 4.9 or air quality is worse than moderate (above 101) from ground-level ozone or smog. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitors air quality daily and posts results at Air Now.
Other steps:
Avoid smokers’ hangouts in public places like the mall, store and restaurant entrances.
Before heading outdoors on a chilly day, remind your child to breathe through his nose, not mouth, to prevent cold air from irritating the lungs. And have him breathe through a scarf.
Don’t use air fresheners and scented candles.
Change heating and air-conditioning systems filters at least every three months.
Ban smoking in your home and prevent your child from visiting homes filled with second-hand smoke.
5. Exercise
Does your child wheeze, cough or have trouble breathing after exercise? The cause may be exercise-induced bronchospasm, triggered after exertion and exacerbated in frigid weather.
When air passes through the nostrils, it’s warmed and dampened before it reaches airways and lungs. But exercising kids often breathe through the mouth instead. That means cold, dry air travels directly into their airways, triggering asthma attacks.
Anti-asthma approach: Don’t keep your child sitting in front of the TV to avoid exercise altogether. Instead, have her take up less-strenuous sports, such as horseback riding, gymnastics or swimming. Avoid endurance sports like long-distance running and cycling, Hyssong advises.
Talk to your pediatrician and the school nurse and teacher about low-impact exercises that your child can do when she can’t participate in strenuous physical education classes.
Plus, file an Asthma Action Plan with the nurse and others who care for your children. It should detail treatments and steps to take in an emergency or if symptoms flare up.
6. Respiratory infections
Respiratory viruses are one of the most common causes of an asthma attack in children. Unfortunately, there’s no way to completely prevent your child from getting a cold or flu, which are often spread at schools, daycare centers and playgroups. But you can reduce their exposure to germs.
Anti-asthma approach: Teach children to cover their mouths with a tissue or arm – not hands – when they cough or sneeze, and to wash hands frequently.
There’s a good chance your child won’t get sick as often as he nears the tween and teen years, says Michael Welch, M.D., co-director of the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center, and clinical professor at the University of California School of Medicine, both in San Diego.
“They have better hygiene habits,” he explains.
7. Control household insects and dust
Dust mites, tiny microscopic spider-like creatures, feed on dead skin and infest beds, stuffed animals, pillows and carpets by the tens of millions. When inhaled, their feces and bodies set off asthma symptoms.
Cockroaches, commonly found in crowded inner cities and the South, also worsen asthma through their saliva, droppings or body parts, according to a 2005 National Institutes of Health study.
Anti-asthma approach: Thorough, routine cleaning is your best bet.
To kill mites, wash your child’s sheets at least once a week in hot water.
Put hypoallergenic covers on pillows and mattresses to reduce mite populations.
Limit the number of stuffed animals on your child’s bed or in the bedroom, Welch says.
Vacuum carpets at least once a week and remove throw rugs from bedrooms or play areas to cut down on dust, mites and cockroach remains.
Store food in air-tight containers, take out garbage daily and clean all crumbs immediately to reduce the odds cockroaches will feed on leftovers.
8. Animals
About 20%-30% of people with asthma are also allergic to animals, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. But it’s not the animal’s fur that your child is allergic to: It's the dander - tiny particles of skin and hair, saliva and urine of any warm-blooded pet. Dogs, cats, hamsters, birds, guinea pigs, and even mice have dander.
For kids with severe animal allergies, just being in contact with someone with their pet’s fur on their clothing sets off an attack.
Anti-asthma strategy: Going pet-free is best. If that’s not an option, try a furless species, such as fish. Talk to your child’s doctor about species and breeds your child may be able to live with.
If you have already furry friends, reduce your child’s exposure:
Keep pets out of your child’s bedroom.
Try to prevent children from kissing or hugging pets.
Use a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filter to clean air of dander.
Vacuum carpets often.
Also, beware of pets outside your home. Before a play date, ask ahead about animals living at the friend’s home. You may need to move the play date to your house.
Consult your doctor about how you can best manage your child’s asthma or if you suspect your child may have asthma.
How Much Do You Know About Asthma?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17.5 million of all American adults and 7.5 million children have asthma, the disease that makes it hard to breathe from inflammation in the lungs and airways. Doctors say understanding how to manage and treat the disease, as well as spot the symptoms, can help a person with asthma enjoy a “normal” life.
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