When weather changes happen, there are many things to prepare for such as, what to wear, how to get your house ready, making sure you have any necessary supplies, and so on.
For those who care for children with asthma, they also need to be mindful of how the weather can affect their child’s health.
Asthma has different triggers such as pollutants, allergens, and viruses. Changes to the weather are also a trigger that can cause a reaction in a person’s bronchi or breathing tubes, according to Dr. Satyanarayan Hegde, pediatric pulmonology specialist and chief medical officer at Access Pediatric.
“Sudden changes in temperature, either too hot or too cold, can trigger asthma attacks in sensitive people. Humidity and barometric pressure changes can also contribute to these exacerbations,” he said.
Thunderstorms can be especially triggering. They are well known to cause asthma in sensitive people because they help release and spread allergen spores.
“Additionally, excessive humidity increases the number of mold spores in the air and can cause asthma attacks in people who are allergic to mold,” said Dr. Hegde.
So, what can parents and caregivers who have children with asthma do to prepare for extreme weather changes? Dr. Hegde recommends doing the following:
- Have an asthma action plan in hand
- Ensure there is enough supply of asthma medications, especially their reliever inhaler, albuterol
- Stay inside as much as possible
- Make sure the child is taking asthma controller medication regularly
“Controller medication, which is usually a steroid inhaler, helps train the sensitive bronchi not to react to its triggers, but it only works if taken on a daily basis,” according to Dr. Hegde.
These weather changes tend to impact kids with asthma because their bronchi are sensitive and suddenly contract and swell up, which causes the sudden onset of asthma attacks.
However, Dr. Hegde says weather changes can also impact kids and adults without asthma by causing inflammation of the sinuses and bronchi from irritation. It’s important to note these situations are usually slower onset and typically do not lead to emergencies. They cause sinusitis and bronchitis with lingering sinus drainage and cough.
For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit www.accesspediatric.com