Early Signs of Asthma But Parents Delay Treatment

According to Doctor Jane Garbutt, MBChB, parents of young asthmatic children, age 2-10 accurately recognized the onset of an attack of asthma, at least 80% of the time. They noted an increase in respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and wheeze along with non-specific changes including change in behavior, vomiting, and dark circles under the eyes. The early warning signs were usually the same with each exacerbation of asthma. The use of objective monitoring, e.g. measuring lung function using a peak flow meter or keeping a symptom diary was reported less than 25% of the time. However, even when recognizing these early signs and symptoms of asthma, parents often delayed increasing the intensity of the asthma treatment, at times until the child was gasping for breath or using accessory muscles for breathing. . read more.