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[Treatment of asthma crisis in children]
G Dutau1, S Fejji, A Juchet-Gibon
1Unité des maladies respiratoires et allergiques de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, CHU Purpan, Toulouse, France.
Insights
Asthma exacerbations often signal treatment failure, requiring reassessment. Recognizing severe asthma signs and seeking timely emergency care are crucial for effective management.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Allergy and Immunology
- Emergency Medicine
Context:
- Acute asthma exacerbations frequently indicate suboptimal first-line therapy.
- Severe episodes are often linked to delayed recognition of critical signs and inadequate emergency care.
- Established guidelines exist for managing asthma attacks at home and in emergency settings.
Purpose:
- To review and present guidelines for the management of acute asthma attacks.
- To highlight the importance of reconsidering initial treatment when exacerbations occur.
- To define criteria for emergency department referral and hospitalization.
Summary:
- Acute asthma exacerbations often result from treatment failure, necessitating a review of therapeutic strategies.
- Failure to recognize severe asthma symptoms or delayed emergency medical attention contributes to poor outcomes.
- Consensus guidelines provide a framework for home management, emergency referral, and hospitalization criteria for acute asthma.
Impact:
- Improved recognition of severe asthma signs can lead to earlier intervention.
- Adherence to established guidelines can optimize the management of acute asthma episodes.
- Reconsideration of first-line treatments may reduce the frequency and severity of asthma exacerbations.
Abstract:
The occurrence of an acute exacerbation of asthma frequently reflects failure of a first line treatment that has to be reconsidered. Severe episodes of acute asthma are often related to non-recognition of signs of gravity, inadequate treatment and/or delayed access to an emergency department. Several consensus conferences have established guidelines for management of asthma attacks in the patient's home, and have defined the symptoms which should lead the physician to refer the patient to an emergency department and the criteria of hospitalization when the patient does not respond properly to the treatment. Guidelines for management of acute asthma based on the currently recommended therapeutic schedules are presented.