Asthma is a condition where the airways become narrowed and makes it difficult to breath. Asthma has been around for some time but only recently did it receive more attention due to its prevalence. Apparently, it is now affecting one out of four urban children. Asthma can be genetic which would explain a lot of asthma cases in children. It can also be due to other factors. We always say that a child's body is fragile. This holds true for asthma as well. Asthma in children is caused by a lot more factors in children than in older folks.

One cause in children is respiratory infections. These are usually viral infections from bacteria, fungi, or even parasites. These factors can be due to mingling with other children, early but long-running exposure to hazardous fumes, or genetics.

Environmental allergens are also one of the most common causes of asthma. These include molds, pollen, dust, roach droppings, and dead skin flakes shed by house pets. Irritants are the most frequent triggers your child may come across with. These are smoke from cigarettes and vehicles, chemicals, odors, perfumes, hair sprays, insecticides, and others.

Children commonly throw tantrums. Emotional upsets have been shown to cause or made worse attacks in children. Nocturnal asthma is more common in children. It is caused by a few factors including body position during sleep that can affect breathing.

The most convenient treatment for children is inhaled medication. These are easier to use for children with an asthma attack. Sometimes puffers do not work as severe asthma attacks make it difficult for the child to inhale the medication. This results in rushing to the hospital or looking for the nearest nebulizer.

Asthma in children can generally be well-controlled. Learning about asthma is the hard part. One of the keys to this is identifying the triggers and start avoiding them. A child may have asthma attacks here and there while learning how to control it. But once it is under control, it is smooth sailing from there.