Asthma Treatment Options

How your pediatrician in Tampa, FL, can help when your child has asthma

When your child has asthma, it’s only natural to be uneasy. You are always on alert for an asthma attack. You may be hesitant for your child to be active, fearing for an asthma episode. Fortunately, your pediatrician can treat your child’s asthma, so you both can live a happy life.

Dr. Michele Johnson-Towson at Pediatric Place Of Tampa, in Tampa, FL, offers comprehensive medical care for children, including asthma treatment.

So, how can you tell if your child has asthma? Your pediatrician can test your child’s lung function and breathing to determine for sure whether your child has asthma. These are some of the most common signs and symptoms for you to look out for:

• Frequent episodes of severe wheezing and coughing
• Difficulty breathing, especially when your child is active
• Chest tightness and discomfort
• Chronic episodes of bronchitis

It may be more difficult to tell if your infant or toddler has asthma. These are some of the most common signs and symptoms in infants and toddlers:

• Feeding slowly
• Breathing difficulty while feeding
• Quickly becoming fatigued
• Coughing while doing an activity
• Increasing symptoms at night

Asthma can become worse with allergies, so the first step in treatment is for your pediatrician to do allergy testing to find out what your child is allergic to. When you know what allergens affect your child, you can keep your child away from the allergens.

Your pediatrician can treat the underlying allergies with:

• Allergy injections
• Sublingual immunotherapy

Along with allergy treatment, your pediatrician can treat your child’s asthma. Typical asthma treatment consists of:

• Rescue inhalers to help with sudden, acute symptoms
• Long-term asthma medications to provide long-term relief

An acute asthma attack can be fatal, so you need to call 911 if your child is experiencing:

• Sudden gasping for breath
• Inability to speak due to breathing issues
• Deep breathing causes the abdomen to go under the ribcage

You and your child don’t have to live in fear of asthma because your pediatrician can help. To learn more about asthma treatment options, talk with an expert. Call Dr. Michele Johnson-Towson at Pediatric Place Of Tampa, in Tampa, FL, at (813) 264-2288. Call now!