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[The asthmatic child]
P Scheinmann1, J de Blic, C Delacourt
1Service de pneumologie et d'allergologie pédiatriques, hôpital des Enfants Malades, Paris.
Insights
Pediatric asthma management varies by severity, prioritizing inhaled medications and environmental control. Effective treatment requires a collaborative approach involving the child, family, and healthcare team for optimal lifestyle and lung function normalization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
- Allergy and Immunology
Context:
- Asthma is the most common chronic illness in children.
- Effective management is crucial for normalizing lifestyle and pulmonary function.
Purpose:
- To outline current management strategies for pediatric asthma based on disease severity.
- To emphasize the importance of age-appropriate inhalation devices and environmental control.
Summary:
- Mild asthma is managed with intermittent beta-2-agonists.
- Moderate asthma requires non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and consideration of immunotherapy.
- Severe asthma necessitates inhaled corticosteroids, with a preference for inhaled medications across all stages.
Impact:
- Highlights the need for tailored inhalation delivery systems for pediatric patients.
- Underscores the critical role of environmental control and collaborative partnerships in asthma care.
Abstract:
Asthma is the most frequent chronic pediatric disease. Management is based on assessment of severity and should normalize lifestyle as well as pulmonary function. Mild asthma is treated with intermittent beta-2-agonists. Moderate asthma should receive non-steroids prophylactic anti-inflammatory drugs. Immunotherapy should be considered. Severe asthma requires inhaled steroids. At each stage inhaled medications should be preferred. Therefore inhalation delivery system must be adapted for children of different ages and degree of dyspnea. The importance of environment control is well recognized. Establishing a partnership with the child and its family and with the medical staff and with the child's school is always necessary.