Advanced Ways to Treat Asthma in Children

More than 5 million children suffer from asthma in the United States. Unfortunately the majority some 65% are only being treated for their symptoms leaving these children vulnerable to permanent lung damage. Dr. Bob Lanier, medical director for The North Texas Institute for Clinical Trials, explains. "Everybody dealing with asthma would like for it to just go away. I mean the parents would like it, the children would like it, and the doctor would like it. But if you use the inhaler, twice a week during the day or twice a month at night, you've got mild, persistent asthma. And we know that mild asthma needs therapy. And here's why, recent studies have shown us that people who have mild persistent asthma, for a long period of time, have lung damage.

These are relatively new findings and we're concerned about it - and that's the reason why certain children need to be treated more aggressively." According to the national institutes of health, asthma related inflammation can be safely and easily prevented, with long term treatment utilizing inhaled, anti-inflammatory medicines. Yet only a small number of children receive this kind of preventative care.

"What we are trying to do now, what the new thinking is, is we are addressing the causes of asthma." Says Dr. Peyton Eggleston, Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. "…we understand now that the causes are inflammation. That is redness and swelling, and mucous that occurs in your lungs; it's sort of like having a continuous cold in your lungs. We're now addressing that, trying to control that process of inflammation, rather than just controlling symptoms, as we have done for many years." According to doctors, these next generation inhaled medicines may provide not only symptomatic relief, but also the long-term solution asthmatic children need.

"Steroids have been shown to make a huge difference in people especially when you have severe asthma". Says Dr. Lanier. "I mean a pill, or a liquid, can sometimes save a life. But if you think about it for routine asthma, for maintenance, you really only need it in the lungs. That's where these new inhaled steroids come in because they hit the particular receptors in the lung, and that is what makes all the difference. New inhaled steroids compared to the old ones, don't have any problems with growth, they really improve the quality of life, and they have made a major difference in asthma treatments."

In addition, these new methods of treatment were designed to help insure that children would experience few, if any lasting side effects from their therapy. Allison Maguire, mother of 9-year-old Kelsey, who has asthma says, "Well Kelsey has mild to moderate asthma, with occasional severe attacks. In the past we've used the typical nebulizer, which Kelsey absolutely hated, because for one reason it took 15-20 minutes to complete the treatment. Now we've gone to the inhaled corticosteroids, we use it twice a day, and the results are much quicker." Says Kelsey, "I'm having more fun than I was before"

When it comes to our children's health, nothing less than the best will do. Recent advances in treating respiratory illness are helping both children and their parents, breathe a little easier.