Allergies /Asthma
— are the controllers. Rescue medication should also always be available both at home and at school. If you don’t have insurance, ask your pro- vider about prescription assistance programs. Bring your medications and breathing devices to your provider visits, and demonstrate how your child takes inhaled medications. This will help ensure that you use the controllers most effectively. One useful tool is a spacer. Without this device, your child may not achieve control or benefi t from a rescue inhaler.
An asthma action plan helps you self-manage symptoms between provider visits
Sneezing spells usually alternate between a runny and a clogged nose. Sometimes severe symptoms appear: urticaria (hives), angioede- ma (puffi ness) or dangerous anaphylaxis. It’s important to address allergies, as they
are a huge trigger for kids with asthma. In 2007, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP), under guidance from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), released its third revision of treatment guidelines for asthma, which focus on the patient maintain- ing control of the condition. As a spinoff of these guidelines, a task force identifi ed six components that may improve patient outcomes. Following treatment guidelines remains dif-
fi cult. One of the biggest barriers for parents is not knowing how to treat a child who has aller- gies and asthma. The following principles may help empower you and your family to improve your quality of life.
1. Manage Medication Inhaled corticosteroids — the most effective preventive medications for persistent asthma
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2. Have an Asthma Action Plan Generated after discussion with your provider, this written plan of care is used to help you self-manage your child’s asthma and allergies between provider visits. The plan should be reviewed at each visit, and with every caregiv- er. Copies should be with daycare providers, the school health clinic and any afterschool programs. Update the plan each new school year, especially if your child is changing schools. You can access many free self-help tools with a computer or cell phone, including: Sesame Street, an asthma-control workshop; Just for Kids, games, videos and puzzles about managing allergies/asthma; and Quest for the Code, a video game for learning how to manage asthma.
3. Assess Asthma Severity Severity assessment is used to determine your child’s treatment. Your provider will ask if you have had to go to the emergency room or urgent care, how often your child is absent from school, whether you missed any work, and the number of times your child took an oral steroid or rescue inhaler. Discuss allergy
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