Asthma: Overview
Asthma is a disease of the airways in the lungs. The airways of a child with asthma gets inflamed which makes them red, swollen, narrower and very sensitive to irritants. This leads to repeated episodes of coughing, difficulty in breathing, wheezing (a whistling sound in the chest) and sometimes chest tightness.

How common is asthma in children?
Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. The prevalence of asthma world-over in children is approximately 8-10%. In India the estimates suggests that 10-15 % children between 5-11 years have asthma.

What is the cause of Asthma in children?
The exact cause of asthma is not known. Most research suggests that the cause of asthma is multifactorial. Asthma is known to run in families hence genetics play an important role. But there are other factors known to increase the risk of developing asthma like exposure to tobacco smoke, recurrent respiratory infections and allergens in the environment.

What are the other common allergies associated with asthma in children?
Other common allergies are skin allergy or atopic eczema, nasal allergy or allergic rhinitis, eye allergy or allergic conjunctivitis and food allergy.

View this presentation for a detailed overview on asthma in children

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Source:‘Video Courtesy Breathefree Initiative | www.breathefree.com’

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