ASTHMA IN CHILDREN: SOME IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS

Give details of treatment to any new doctor consulted.
Should the child need any kind of medical attention which may or may not be related to asthma or allergies, from a doctor who is not familiar with his case, it is vital that parents should be able to tell the doctor as much as possible about the child’s treatment. If the child is being treated with the steroid drugs or has taken them in the previous year, it is essential to let the doctor know about them, particularly if the child is going to need a surgery and/ or anaesthesia. This also applies to dental operations.
Don’t stop treatment suddenly. Unless you are told otherwise by the usual doctor, it is unwise to stop any medicine suddenly. Generally, medicines are tapered off over a period of a few days on doctor’s advice. This is a medical decision, and parents should rely on expert advice.
Know what to do for an attack. Even if the child’s asthma is well under control, parents should ask the doctor the procedure if it gets worse or a severe attack develops. Usually, this will mean increasing the regular medicines. Parents should be sure how to do this safely and effectively. In some cases it will mean adding stand-by medicines to the usual treatment for a few days.
Know when to call the doctor. There is no doubt that some of the most difficult attacks occur in the children of the most capable parents because they tend to continue to treat the child for too long before calling the doctor. If the child is not improving over a few hours despite the recommended treatment, it is usually worth speaking to the doctor.
Don’t take advice except from the doctor. There are a great many old wive’s tales about asthma which are at best useless and at worst dangerous. It is unwise for parents to seek or take advice from anyone other than a qualified doctor. This applies particularly to anyone offering to ‘cure’ the child by any means of faith healing, hypnotism etc.
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