Can Asthma Be Detected Since Babies?

Medical Video: Pediatric Advice : Asthmatic Infants

Wheezing (soft breath like bro), shortness of breath, and coughing, is one of the symptoms of asthma that occurs in adults. However, if the baby is under one year of age experiencing these symptoms, can you say the symptoms of asthma in the baby? When do babies actually get a diagnosis of asthma? Find out the answer below.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease caused by inflammation in the respiratory tract. This inflammation makes the respiratory tract swollen and very sensitive. As a result, the respiratory tract narrows, causing a lack of air flowing into the lungs.

According to WHO, asthma is a common disease among children. However, experts also do not know the exact cause. Asthma can affect people of all ages, but most often starts in childhood. Risk factors include:

Has a respiratory infection (highest risk)
Have allergies, eczema (allergic conditions on the skin)
Parents or grandparents have asthma (have children)

Among children, boys tend to get asthma more often than girls. However, among adults, women are more often affected by this disease than men.

BIs there asthma in infants?

Generally doctors cannot diagnose or detect asthma in infants. Why is that? This is because in infants aged two years or under, the symptoms of asthma that may appear are still very similar to the symptoms of other respiratory diseases.

As many as 30 percent of babies aged under 3 years, at least experience one to two symptoms of wheezing. The symptoms of wheezing in infants are generally often diagnosed as bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is a common lung infection. This condition causes inflammation and blockages in the small airways (bronchioles) in the lungs. Bronchiolitis is almost always caused by a virus.

Bronchiolitis begins with symptoms that resemble a cold, but then increases to coughing, wheezing, and sometimes difficulty breathing. Symptoms of bronchiolitis in infants can last for several days to several weeks, even up to a month. The following symptoms of bronchiolitis in infants that you must know:

Runny nose
Nasal congestion
Cough
Mild fever (not always happening)
Difficulty breathing
Whistling voice
Ear infection (otitis media) in many babies

What causes bronchiolitis in infants?

Bronchiolitis usually occurs when the virus infects the bronchioles, the smallest airways in the lungs. Infection causes the bronchioles to swell and become inflamed. Mucus builds up in the airways, causing difficult air to flow freely in the lungs.

Most cases of bronchiolitis are caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a common virus that infects almost every 2 year old child. Outbreaks of RSV infection occur every winter. Bronchiolitis can also be caused by other viruses, including viruses that cause flu or colds. Babies can be re-infected with RSV because there are 2 derivatives of the virus.

There are several things that can trigger the development of asthma in infants

You or your partner smokes. This can make a baby four times more at risk of asthma, compared to babies who are free from air smoke in their homes.
Mother smokes while pregnant
Your baby is born with a low birth weight or premature birth
One or both of your baby's parents has asthma, or other allergic conditions, such as eczema.
Babies have allergic conditions such as eczema, or food allergies.
Babies live in homes that have moist or mildew problems.

Need a doctor's examination to diagnose asthma

You need the help of a doctor to diagnose asthma because it is still difficult to detect if your baby is under the age of 2 years. The doctor will help provide a diagnosis of asthma by identifying symptoms caused by it and then the doctor will consider the family's medical history whether anyone has asthma or not.

Can Asthma Be Detected Since Babies?

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