Why Your Child Needs an Asthma Action Plan

How your pediatricians in Clearwater and Westchase, FL, can help you and your child manage asthma symptoms

If your child has asthma, you may feel powerless to stop an asthma attack. Having an asthma action plan can help you and your child feel safe and in control. Your pediatrician can help.

The pediatricians at Clearwater Pediatric Care and Westchase Pediatric Care provide a wide variety of medical services for children, including diagnosis and treatment of asthma.

Your asthma action plan should start with prevention. An asthma attack can be brought on by allergies, so be sure to:

Know what your child is allergic to; you can do this by having allergy testing performed by your pediatrician

Have your child undergo allergy treatment, which can be in the form of allergy shots, or sublingual immunotherapy

Look out for environmental allergies, including:

• Dust; vacuum and dust frequently and use hypoallergenic linens
• Pollens; keep doors and windows closed in spring and summer
• Pet dander; keep pets off of furniture and out of your child's bedroom

In addition to treating your child’s allergies, your pediatrician may recommend several ways to protect your child from an asthma attack. These include:

• Short-acting rescue inhalers, to help your child with an acute asthma attack
• Long-term asthma medication, to provide constant relief from an asthma attack

Make sure to have your child keep these medications on hand to manage an asthma attack.

A severe, acute asthma attack can be life-threatening, so call emergency services if your child is:

• Unable to speak due to breathing difficulties
• Severely gasping and wheezing, even with medications
• Breathing so deeply the chest gets sucked under the ribcage

You and your child can take control of asthma, so it doesn’t control you and your child. To learn more about asthma and why it’s important to have an asthma action plan, call the pediatricians at Clearwater Pediatric Care and Westchase Pediatric Care. You can reach them in the Clearwater, FL, office at (727) 461-1543, or in Westchase, FL, at (813) 818-1543, so call today.