Asthma
inhaled bronchodilator, such as albuterol. Albuterol relaxes the muscles around the airways, allowing them to open up and make it easier to move air in and out. Measuring these numbers adds scientifi c certainty to the asthma diagnosis, much like using a thermometer to assess a fever, rather than relying on feeling warm. If your child’s spirometry is
normal and his exercise symp- toms continue after a reasonable period of physical conditioning, a referral for exercise testing or other specialized lung testing may be in order.
Kids shouldn’t have to stop playing a musical instrument, or stop participating in any sport or activity, due to asthma
lung function may be assessed, using spi- rometry. Your provider, an allergy and asthma specialist, or a pulmonologist can do this test. Spirometry measures the amount of air you can breathe in and out, and how fast you can breathe all the air out of your lungs. Asthma makes it harder and slower to exhale the air out of the lungs. It’s often helpful to do spirometry before and after administering an
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Next Steps If your child is diagnosed with EIA, the next step is to create an asthma action plan, which is an important tool your provider, child and family develop to help you manage asthma. Even kids who have rare or intermittent asthma can have serious, life- threatening asthma episodes. You should give a copy of the
asthma action plan to the school nurse and coaches. Routine or follow-up asthma visits are important because they are a great time to re- view this plan and assess your child’s asthma control. Some children and adolescents use too much medication, and some don’t use enough. This is the time to assess how much medication your child needs to stay as active
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