This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Shean Aujla about treating & managing asthma in children. Dr. Aujla is a pediatric pulmonologist and Division Director of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine at MUSC Children’s Health.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children, with around 4.5 million children in the U.S. living with this condition. Doctor Shean Aujla is here to talk about the details. Doctor Aujla is a pediatric pulmonologist and she's Division Director of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at MUSC Children's Health. Doctor Aujla, tell us about asthma, specifically in children.
Dr. Aujla: Asthma is a disease of chronic airway inflammation. So what that means is that you have swelling, irritation of the airways. And that's what causes the chest symptoms.
Conner: And at what age might children develop symptoms.
Dr. Aujla: I think there's a common myth out there that you can't diagnose asthma until you're three years old or a little bit older, but that's actually not true. You can develop asthma symptoms in the first year of life. So, it's important in our very, very young infants and children to be aware that you can have asthma type symptoms in that age group.
Conner: And what sorts of symptoms then would we look for?
Dr. Aujla: You can have anything from a chronic or a persistent cough that's not going away. You can have wheezing and a little trouble breathing. So those are the main symptoms I would think about.
Conner: What are the treatment goals for children including young children with asthma.
Dr. Aujla: Your treatment should really focus on two things. One would be improving your daily asthma control. So, for example, if you, you know, cough every day with exercise or you have a nighttime cough every time you go to sleep, we want to decrease that symptom burden. And then the second would be reducing the risk of asthma flare ups that can lead to emergency room or urgent care visits.
Conner: Well, what are the main components then of treating asthma in children?
Dr. Aujla: Well, one of the most important parts would be being on the right medications. And that typically is inhaled medications. So, for example most of our children are on albuterol. And that's an inhaler that we use to open up your airways very quickly. And then many require another inhaler. That is what we would call a maintenance or an asthma controller. And that's a preventative inhaler to help improve your asthma control.
Conner: And what about other things like avoiding triggers? How important is that for managing asthma in kids?
Dr. Aujla: Knowing what triggers you have is very important. So, the most common trigger in children is actually colds, which is why, you know, we see a lot of asthma flare ups in the fall and the winter months. But other common triggers could be seasonal allergies. So, for example, if you have a child with asthma who you know plays soccer outdoors and has a grass allergy, it's going to be important to manage that. Maybe, you know, when you know she or he comes inside, taking a shower, because if you have bad allergies, that could have a negative impact on your asthma control.
Conner: What's new in recent years related to treating asthma in kids?
Dr. Aujla: Asthma therapies have become more individualized, as opposed to one size fits all, depending on the severity of the child's asthma. I would also say that we have more options for younger children age six and above, especially those who have severe asthma.
Conner: Doctor Aujla, thanks for this update about asthma in children.
Dr. Aujla: Thanks for having me.
Conner: Bobbi from the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
