Have you ever heard your friends, teachers or parents talk about “asthma?”
About 7 million children in the United States have asthma. That’s a lot of kids! Asthma affects a person’s breathing. You probably thought that breathing was easy for everyone, but for kids with asthma, breathing can be very hard.
Most of the time, kids with asthma breathe normally, but sometimes they have what’s called an asthma flare-up or asthma attack. A flare-up means a person’s airway is irritated and gets bigger. Imagine what it would be like if you had to breathe through a straw; that’s what an asthma attack feels like.
Asthma flare-ups can be caused by many different things like:
o Dust
o Mold
o Pollen
o Cigarette smoke (so no smoking!)
o Perfumes
o Furry pets
o Cold air
o Exercise
Everyone who has asthma should have an Asthma Action Plan, which is created by a doctor. The action plan will tell the person how often they should take medicine and what to do in case of asthma attack. With a doctor’s help, kids with asthma can breather easier!