Asthma is a bronchial condition in which airways may be chronically inflamed, even when symptoms do not appear. When the asthmatic inhales an allergen or irritant, further inflammation may occur and conditions are ripe for an asthma attack.

During an asthma attack, the smooth muscles of the bronchi (the body’s airway tubes) begin to spasm. The mast cells (a type of white blood cell) in the tissue of a child’s air passages react by producing histamine, leukotrienes and other chemicals that inflame the tissues. As these tissues swell, they produce excess mucus. This mucus fills the airway and combines with the inflammation to constrict breathing (bronchoconstriction), trapping air in the lungs.

A child suffering through an asthma attack may appear to be gasping for breath. But in fact, asthmatics have trouble breathing because their lungs are overinflated. They cannot easily exhale the air trapped in their lungs because their airways are constricted due to the inflammation and extra mucus produced. Uncontrolled, asthma can lead to other lung-related complications, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

Asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among children under the age of 15 in the United States and is the leading cause of chronic illness among children. During an asthma attack, a child may experience chest tightness, coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, where breathing becomes very difficult and low blood oxygen levels are recorded, asthma attacks can be fatal.

Asthma in children falls into the same four levels of severity as with adults:

• Mild intermittent. Symptoms appear up to two days a week and two nights a month.
  
  
• Mild persistent. Symptoms appear more than two nights a month and more than twice a week, but not more than once in a single day.
  
  
• Moderate persistent. Symptoms occur every day and more than one night a week.
  
  
• Severe persistent. Symptoms occur continuously throughout the day and frequently at night.

Asthma can be especially dangerous for infants, as their lungs do not yet function efficiently enough to cope with an asthma attack. It is important to follow a physician’s asthma control plan (a physician-approved roadmap for monitoring a child’s asthma) at the first sign of an asthma attack in an infant.

Those with infants experiencing an attack should NOT do any of the following:

• Never give an infant large volumes of liquids. Instead, normal amounts should be given.
  
  
• Do not allow an infant to breathe warm, moist air from the shower or another source.
  
  
• Do not have an infant breathe into a bag held tightly over the nose and mouth.
  
  
• Never give an infant over-the-counter antihistamines or cold remedies.

There is no cure for asthma. Once a person’s airways show a tendency towards asthma, the airways will continue to show the tendency and ability to constrict for a lifetime – even during periods when inflammation is not present. Up to half of all children who experience asthma symptoms see them disappear in their teen years. However, 50 percent of those individuals will see symptoms reappear in their 30s or 40s. The reasons behind these changes are not understood.