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Asthma in Children - Symptoms
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
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- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When to Call a Doctor
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Symptoms of asthma can be mild or severe. Your child may have no symptoms; severe, daily symptoms; or something in between. How often your child has symptoms can also change.
Symptoms of asthma may include:
- Wheezing, a whistling noise of varying
loudness that occurs when the airways of the lungs (bronchial tubes
)
narrow. - Coughing, which is the only symptom for some children.
- Chest tightness.
- Shortness of breath, which is rapid, shallow breathing or difficulty breathing.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Tiring quickly during exercise.
If your child has only one or two of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean he or she has asthma. The more of these symptoms your child has, the more likely it is that he or she has asthma.
Many children have symptoms that become worse at night (nocturnal asthma). In all people, lung function changes throughout the day and night. In children with asthma, this often is very noticeable, especially at night. Nighttime cough and shortness of breath occur frequently. In general, waking at night because of shortness of breath or cough indicates poorly controlled asthma.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 17, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Lora J. Stewart | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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