Asthma Kids

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The things that cause asthma to flare up are called triggers. You saw some of these in the video.
Here’s a fun activity about triggers, including mine.

Can you guess what these triggers are?

A trigger for asthma can be something in the air you breathe or something you do, take or feel.

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  Cold/Flu Germs

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  Smoke

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  Pollen

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  Dust Mites

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  Perfumes & Deoderants

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  Chemicals

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Other triggers are exercising; weather changes; some medicines; some chemicals in foods; laughing a lot; feeling very sad.

Asthma is different for everyone. Some kids with asthma might have one or two things that trigger their asthma. Other kids can have lots of things that trigger asthma. Their doctor will help them to know what triggers their asthma and will give them asthma medicines to help

Lots of kids have asthma triggered by exercise. But exercise also helps to keep us healthy. Kids with asthma triggered by exercise may need to take their asthma medicines before they exercise to help them to play sport and be active. This means kids with asthma can do everything that others can to help them be healthy.

I have 3 asthma triggers – when I get a cold or the flu, exercise and when I laugh a lot!

Now you know a bit more about me and my asthma triggers – try to remember them for later. If you have friends with asthma, ask them what triggers their asthma and talk about what it feels like for them.

Now let’s look at what happens in the body when someone has an asthma flare up.

Asthma Flare Up

For lots of the time most kids with asthma are fine. If their asthma gets worse from triggers we call this a flare up. A flare up happens when the triggers cause changes in the airways in the lungs. Some of these airways are very small, like a hair from your head. Look at the difference in the healthy airway and the asthma airway.

Check this out! See how much easier it is for air to flow through a healthy airway.

Woah, that’s a lot more effort to breathe than normal!

When a flare up happens, lots of kids with asthma say that their chest can feel tight (like someone is squeezing them hard), but asthma feels different for everyone.

If you have asthma: when you feel a tight chest or it gets hard to breathe (maybe with a wheeze noise) or you cough a lot, this tells you that you need to do something about your asthma – for most kids this means to take their asthma reliever puffer. If you don’t have your asthma puffer, ask someone to help you.

How you can help (if you don’t have asthma): If you see someone holding their chest or having trouble breathing or coughing a lot, ask them if they have asthma and if you can help. Stay with them and get someone else to get an adult (teacher or parent) or get their asthma medication (blue puffer and spacer). Help them to sit up on a chair or on the ground.

An asthma flare up happens when?

• You pull a hair from your head
• Someone squeezes your arm
• The airways in the lungs tighten up

Try Again.

…making it hard to breathe.

An asthma flare up can feel like?

• Normal breathing
• A tight chest
• A bee sting

Try Again.

Some kids say a bad flare up can feel like someone is sitting on their chest.

As you can see, asthma is serious. I’ve had to go to hospital three times with asthma. It’s real scary when it gets so hard to breathe.

Now that I know a lot about asthma, it’s easier for me to understand how to look after my asthma properly. I’m lucky to have good friends who know how to help me too. This next bit will help you know about how kids can look after their asthma and help each other.

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Looking After Your Asthma

When a kid has an asthma flare up, they need to take their asthma medicine as soon as possible. Without asthma medicine a flare up can get worse – what we call an asthma attack.

There are lots of different asthma medicines and it can be confusing. Here’s a simple way of understanding most of these medicines.

Relievers: Use for asthma flare ups

Nearly everyone with asthma has a blue puffer. They make it easier to breathe very quickly by untightening the airway muscles. The spacer makes it easy to breathe the medicine into the lungs. A blue reliever puffer and spacer are what you use in an asthma emergency.

A dry powder taken through a turbuhaler. No spacer needed.

Preventers: Use every day

When asthma flares up more than twice in a week, your doctor might put you on another asthma medicine. These are called preventers and they help reduce the redness and swelling and dry up the mucus in the airways. Preventer medicine helps the airways to get well and stay well. You must keep taking them until the doctor starts to reduce the dose slowly and checks you are okay without it.

There are lots of different preventers. Here are some that are used for kids.

Preventers are usually taken every morning and/or night (whatever the doctor says). It can take a few weeks for them to start working and reduce the number of flare ups you have. Its important to keep taking them when your asthma feels well so you can keep feeling well. It is always best to use a spacer with any puffer.

Some of these devices don't need a puffer. They are called turbuhalers, accuhalers or autohalers. Some kids have tablets for their asthma.

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Here are some situations where I need to take my asthma medication over a busy weekend. Click on the reliever or preventer medication to help me manage my asthma.

Which asthma medication should I take every morning?

• Reliever
• Preventer

Try Again.

That’s right. I always take my asthma preventer medication straight after breakfast – it’s easier to remember to take it at that time every morning.

Which one should I take every night?

• Reliever
• Preventer

Try Again.

That’s it. Dad always watches the news and I like to see the sports. I take my preventer after the news finishes every night, plus I have a reminder on the fridge, just in case I forget. I’m always looking in the fridge!

Now I’m off to my first ever soccer game.

Mum & Dad always check that I have my asthma medicine with me when we go out, but I remember most of the time now anyway. Exercise is a trigger for my asthma.

Which medication do I need before I play soccer?

• Reliever
• Preventer

Try Again.

Right! My doctor said that by taking this before I play sport I can join in every time. Sometimes I have to stop and take more but that doesn’t happen much.

Now it’s the Sunday and I’m going to Jimmy’s birthday party – he’s my best friend. During the clown act at the party I laughed so much that I had an asthma flare up.

Which asthma medication should I take?

• Reliever
• Preventer

Try Again.

Right. Jimmy’s Mum helped me with my blue reliever straight away and I was OK. The clown called me “Giggles” and told me he has asthma too.

Thanks for keeping me well on this busy weekend. See, asthma is pretty easy to manage most of the time, even a flare up.

Breathing Easy

You are doing terrific!

This is the last bit before your certificate…

Which of these tells us someone has good asthma control?

In a week:

• Lots of asthma flare ups
• A few asthma flare ups
• No asthma flare ups

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• Take asthma preventer every day
• Take asthma preventer when feeling unwell

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• Take asthma reliever less than twice a week
• Take asthma reliever more than twice a week

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• Sleep well at night
• Wake up coughing and wheezing most nights
• Wake up coughing and wheezing some nights

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• Join in all activities at school
• Join in some activities at school

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• Avoid playing sport and running around
• Play sport and run around when they want to

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• Cough and wheeze a lot
• Cough and wheeze sometimes
• Breathe Easy with no cough or wheeze

Now you know what good asthma control is like. With good asthma control, a kid with asthma can do anything other kids can.

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These people can help you and your family with asthma:

Your doctor

They know all about asthma and can give you an Asthma Action Plan. This helps you and your family to know what to do to manage your asthma and what to do if it flares up.

The Asthma Foundation

If you want to know more about asthma and looking after it, they have people who can talk with you and your family.

Teachers in schools

Thousands of teachers have done asthma training and know what to do if you have a flare up or an asthma attack. Most schools have Asthma Emergency Kits too. Ask someone to get a teacher if you ever need asthma medicine at school.