Diagnosing Childhood Asthma

When our son was three months old, he suffered from RSV, which turned into bronchiolitis. The doctor told us what to watch for to make sure it isn't childhood asthma. There are two types of asthma, allergic and nonallergic. When your child is five or older, there is a breathing test that can be performed to measure the speed and amount of air moving in and out of the lungs. In younger kids, we need to rely on symptoms.

We were informed that chronicity is the best way to determine if your child has asthma. If your child has trouble breathing one time, it may never happen again. If your child has frequent coughing or respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchiolitis) they should be evaluated for asthma.

Some ways to tell if your little one is having trouble breathing according too William Anderson, M.D., an allergy and immunology specialist, are

Rapid breathing 0 children should breath around 20-25 times per minute.

Retraction between the ribs is a sign of airway narrowing.

Wheezing or whistling sounds when a child exhales.

Frequently a child who has asthma at a young age will outgrow it and have no further trouble as an adult.