Childhood Asthma

Asthma is a long-term (chronic) lung disease that affects your airways. Your airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. When you have asthma, you can’t get air into your lungs because your airways swell and get too narrow.

Like a pinched straw, this makes it hard for you to breathe, which can cause wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. Certain triggers can set off or worsen these symptoms, causing an asthma attack. Attacks can come on fast or develop slowly, and they may be life-threatening.

Asthma can begin at any age, but it most often starts during childhood when your child’s immune system is still developing. Most children who get asthma have their first symptom by age 5. Asthma can cause your child to miss school and even end up in the hospital. It’s important to have an asthma treatment plan to help manage your child’s condition.

How common is asthma in childhood?

Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children. It affects about 7.5 million children in the United States. The rate of the condition in children is steadily increasing. It’s also one of the main causes of missed school for children and missed work for parents.

Why are more children getting asthma?

Researchers believe several factors may be leading to more and more children developing asthma. These factors include:

• Exposure to more allergens such as dust, air pollution and secondhand smoke.
• Not enough exposure to childhood illnesses that build up their immune systems.
• Lower rates of breastfeeding (chestfeeding), which prevent babies from receiving important immune system substances.