The autumn is the time of year when hospital admissions for asthma attacks soar. With children returning to school and the weather getting colder and more damp, bugs and infections spread, with the potential to trigger attacks. If your child is susceptible to them, you need to know how to prevent asthma attacks at school.
With the possibility of some attacks in children being fatal, this advice from Asthma and Lung UK is essential reading for parents.
How to prevent asthma attacks
1. Make sure children take their preventer medication
In the summer holidays there are fewer infections and triggers around. It is easy to forget about your asthma preventer. But your child should take it regularly. Make sure children and young people take control of their medication and take it as prescribed. This dampens down the inflammation in the airways that gets set off by triggers.
2. Make sure children have an up-to-date asthma review
All asthmatic children should have an annual asthma review with a medical professional. This might be done in person, on the phone or on a video call. If they haven’t had it, contact their health professional to arrange it.
3. Be aware of the warning signs
It’s vital that everyone who the child comes into regular contact with knows what the warning signs of asthma are. If children are get short of breath and start coughing, they may need to seek appropriate medical help. Parents, carers and educators being aware of the signs and seeking appropriate help is very important to prevent asthma attacks.
4. Make sure their reliever inhaler is always to hand
Reliever or rescue inhalers, which are usually blue, work quickly to relax the muscles in the airways so asthmatics can breathe more easily. It’s important that children have access to their reliever inhaler whenever they need it, as triggers and symptoms are unpredictable.
If children have symptoms including a gradually persistent cough, struggling to breathe when sleeping, or asthma that’s getting worse, then they should take their rescue inhaler as prescribed in the asthma action plan.
Asthma and Lung UK describes an asthma action plan as telling you and anyone with you what medicine you take every day, what to do if your symptoms get worse, what to do if you’re having an asthma attack and when to call 999.
5. Make sure the school knows your child has asthma
Parents should inform the school at the beginning of the school year that the child has got asthma. Make sure you give a copy of the child’s asthma action plan to the school.
Asthma and Lung UK recommends that parents ask their child’s doctor for an extra reliever inhaler to give to the school. It should preferably be in its original packaging, so the school can read the prescription label.
6. Be aware of your school’s medical conditions policy
Knowing your school’s medical conditions policy and maintaining good communication is crucial. Read up on the policy, which should be on their website. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. You need to be completely confident that everyone is on the same page.
7. Eligible children should have a flu jab
Children who are eligible should get a flu jab in October to prevent asthma attacks. It’s for the normal viral infections rather than Covid, and they are more likely to trigger asthma.
