Asthma Attacks

Typically, a patient with asthma attacks has an opened airway from a few minutes until several hours. A severe type of asthma attack is rare but this is lasting much longer, they usually require immediate help. It’s very important that patients recognize the asthma symptoms and immediately treat a mild type of asthma attacks when you see an asthma symptom so as to prevent an episode of asthma.

Asthma attacks symptoms include: coughing, tightness of the chest, problems on breathing, wheezing. You should visit your physician when you’re having this type of asthma symptoms.

Knowing those symptoms of asthma

Those signs of asthma are the changes happening before or in the start of the asthma attacks. The asthma symptoms can start even before the recognized asthma signs and this are the warning signs telling that you have a worsening case on asthma.

Generally speaking, these types of signs aren’t severe in stopping you with your day to day life activities. But when you recognize the signs, you’ll be able to stop the asthma attacks or to prevent this to worsen. Early asthma symptoms include:

• Frequent coughing • Easily stressed or weakening during exercise • Lose of breath or shortened breath easily. • To wheeze or cough during exercise • Being upset easily or grouchy, feeling of tiredness, gloomy feelings. • Changing or decreasing lung functions when being measured on the peak flow meter. • Signs of having allergy or colds like runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, etc… • Sleep problems

Knowing the childhood symptoms

There is a percentage rate of 10 up to 12% on US with asthma attacks, only on children. It’s the leading recurrent type of illness to children. There’s an increasing incidence on asthma attacks especially on children. This is starting even during childhood, puberty, etc.. the asthma symptoms.

Christiana Care posted a photo: Camp Provides Safe Summer Fun for Kids With Asthma (Greenville, DE)—Louis Savino enjoyed the time of his young life this summer, petting horses, bowling and swimming. These may seem like everyday activities for a 9-year-old, but having everyday fun has its challenges for children with asthma.

Louis, a Middletown, Del., resident, attended Asthma Camp, where volunteers from Christiana Care made certain Louis and 10 other campers stayed healthy while they played games and learned how to manage their asthma.

"Volunteers are integral to the success of the camp," says Will Braunlein, program specialist for the American Lung Association. "People from Christiana Care step up each and every year."

Mary Gant, a Christiana Care nurse and registered respiratory therapist, has volunteered for 12 years. This year, she helped guide a canoe trip on the Brandywine River.

"Kids whose triggers are heat or humidity or physical exercise learn that they can still have an excellent time canoeing and swimming if they pre-medicate," she says. "Parents tell us their kids don't like to take their medications in front of other children, but they don't worry about it here."

Based at Christiana Care's Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute, the week-long Asthma Camp is designed to educate children ages 7 to 11 on ways to deal with such asthma triggers as pollen, smoke and animals.

For example, kids who react to animals learned that it's OK to pet a horse, as long as you wash your face and hands afterward.

"It's a fun environment that stimulates learning," Braunlein says.

Christiana Care allows employees to devote work hours to volunteering at the camp. It's important to reach out to the community, says Fran Gott, Christiana Care's clinical manager of respiratory care and a former Asthma Camp volunteer himself.

"We try to accommodate schedules so the camp has the support of respiratory therapists, day in and day out," he says. "We are committed to helping these children who are severe asthmatics attend camp like any other kids."
Louis and the other campers learned about asthma through such hands-on activities as filling toilet-paper tubes with cotton candy and then dissolving the cotton candy with spray from a water gun.

"The water gun is like our inhalers," he says. "It clears out the tubes so we can breathe better."
One of the best parts of camp is getting to know other kids who have asthma.

"Summer is supposed to be fun," Louis says. "I learned a lot at Asthma Camp—and had fun at the same time."
Christiana Care posted a photo: Camp Provides Safe Summer Fun for Kids With Asthma (Greenville, DE)—Louis Savino enjoyed the time of his young life this summer, petting horses, bowling and swimming. These may seem like everyday activities for a 9-year-old, but having everyday fun has its challenges for children with asthma.

Louis, a Middletown, Del., resident, attended Asthma Camp, where volunteers from Christiana Care made certain Louis and 10 other campers stayed healthy while they played games and learned how to manage their asthma.

"Volunteers are integral to the success of the camp," says Will Braunlein, program specialist for the American Lung Association. "People from Christiana Care step up each and every year."

Mary Gant, a Christiana Care nurse and registered respiratory therapist, has volunteered for 12 years. This year, she helped guide a canoe trip on the Brandywine River.

"Kids whose triggers are heat or humidity or physical exercise learn that they can still have an excellent time canoeing and swimming if they pre-medicate," she says. "Parents tell us their kids don't like to take their medications in front of other children, but they don't worry about it here."

Based at Christiana Care's Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute, the week-long Asthma Camp is designed to educate children ages 7 to 11 on ways to deal with such asthma triggers as pollen, smoke and animals.

For example, kids who react to animals learned that it's OK to pet a horse, as long as you wash your face and hands afterward.

"It's a fun environment that stimulates learning," Braunlein says.

Christiana Care allows employees to devote work hours to volunteering at the camp. It's important to reach out to the community, says Fran Gott, Christiana Care's clinical manager of respiratory care and a former Asthma Camp volunteer himself.

"We try to accommodate schedules so the camp has the support of respiratory therapists, day in and day out," he says. "We are committed to helping these children who are severe asthmatics attend camp like any other kids."
Louis and the other campers learned about asthma through such hands-on activities as filling toilet-paper tubes with cotton candy and then dissolving the cotton candy with spray from a water gun.

"The water gun is like our inhalers," he says. "It clears out the tubes so we can breathe better."
One of the best parts of camp is getting to know other kids who have asthma.

"Summer is supposed to be fun," Louis says. "I learned a lot at Asthma Camp—and had fun at the same time."

Asthma Library Resources