Children who have asthma, usually develop it before they are 5 years old.  More than half of all children with asthma develop it before the age of 3.  How do you know if your infant or child has asthma?  Here are the most common symptoms:

 Wheezing-  Wheezing is the high-pitched whistling sound made when breathing.  Mild wheezing occurs at the end of the breath when breathing out.  Severe wheezing is characterized by whistling during the entire exhale of the breath.  With extreme wheezing, whistling will also occur with the intake or breathing in.  The most dangerous situation is actually when there is no wheezing because so little air is moving through the airway.   Wheezing by itself does not necessarily indicate asthma, but it is very common.

Coughing-  Sometimes a cough may be the only asthma indication, especially if the coughing occurs after physical activity or during the middle of the night.  The difference between asthma and colds or other viruses is that usually there is no congestion, mucus or phlegm.  Wheezing is also usually associated with asthma-related coughing.

Out-of-Breath-  A child with asthma may be significantly more out of breath than other children when participating in physical activities.  During asthma attacks, being out of breath can occur during normal activities, even laying down or resting.  When this happens, the child may only be able to talk in single words because complete sentences are too much for them.

Tightness of the Chest-  Most people with asthma describe some level of pain in the chest or tightness when breathing in.

History of Bronchitis or Pneumonia-  Most children who have a history of chronic lung infections or pneumonia probably have asthma, as well.

Difficulty Feeding/Eating-  Eating or feeding may be interrupted or stopped due to being breathless.

If your baby or child does have asthma, chiropractic care can help!  Dr. George sees children 12 and under free of charge, even if parents are not patients.