Asthma symptoms in children

Symptoms in children are similar to that of adults. Your child may experience wheezing or breathlessness, especially when playing or running around with their friends. Persistent coughing is common at night or after exercise. A tight-chested feeling may be described as something heavy is sitting on their chest or as if a rubber band is stretched tightly around it.

Other commons symptoms which go hand in hand with asthma are: a long-term blocked or running nose; poor sleep patterns such as talking/walking/coughing while sleeping, wetting the bed, nightmares etc; chronic tiredness; unusual crankiness or irritability; lack of concentration or a very short attention span; using the upper chest to breath with when resting instead of the abdomen. (This can result in a condition known as “pigeon chest"); pale and clammy skin; frequent vomiting because of continuous coughing; production of large quantities of mucus; the “allergic salute” - rubbing the end of the nose which relieves itchiness and also makes it easier to breathe; dark shadows under the eyes; “glassy” eyes. Frequent courses of antibiotics and bouts of wheezy bronchitis are also common for the asthmatic child.

Other conditions may have similar symptoms to asthma. These include bronchitis (viral infection of the lungs), bronchiolitis (viral infection of the lungs to which babies are more likely to get), croup (infection of the larynx) and enlarged tonsils and adenoids. However, asthma is episodic which means that your child should have periods where they are symptom-free.

Misdiagnosis is particularly common in children as they have a greater tendency to wheeze because their airways are smaller and their immune response involves mucus as a major factor. Two thirds of infants under one year old who wheeze with respiratory infections do not develop asthma.

Parents play an important role when it comes to recognising asthma in a child. You know your child best, so you are in a position to help your doctor by communicating a list of symptoms along with any suspected triggers.