Management of asthma in children
Asthma is a condition that affects the airways of children, young people and adults. Classic symptoms include cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing. The causes of asthma are not well understood and so, generally, the management of the condition is centred on control as opposed to cure. The optimum treatment aims for a person with asthma to be asymptomatic, and therefore able to lead an active, ‘normal’ life.
In the UK 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma-1.1million of these are children, which equates to approximately 1 in 11 (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013). Asthma remains responsible for 1000 deaths in the UK each year, 90% of which can be associated with preventable factors (Department of Health, 2011). The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD), a consortium of health professionals with a special interest in respiratory care that sought to understand the circumstances surrounding asthma deaths in the UK between 2012 and 2013, identified 28 deaths in children during that time (Levy et al, 2014). Its key recommendations following the investigation shone a spotlight on the lack of understanding in clinicians, patients and parents in regard to the seriousness of asthma and its ability to deteriorate rapidly.
Nurses working in general practice have traditionally earned themselves, one way or another, the title of ‘the asthma nurse’ within their clinic or surgery, but this title should not be taken on lightly. It is important that practice nurses seeing patients with asthma have undergone some form of formal training to ensure they are competent to assess, review and treat accurately and safely. One key point raised form NRAD was the concern that, as asthma is a common condition with clinicians and patients often perceiving their symptoms as having a low impact when not controlled, perhaps we have forgotten its seriousness and are running the risk of becoming complacent when confronted with it. General practice is often criticized for focusing too much on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) and the financial value this puts against particular areas of health, and many feel asthma reviews have become a tick-box process. As a large proportion of practice nurse are not paediatric trained, it begs the question as to whether they should be seeing children with asthma at all unless they have a recognized post-registration qualification in paediatric asthma
Diagnosis of asthma in children
The diagnosis of asthma in children, young people or even in adults needs a medium-to long-term view. In under 5s particularly, it requires a confident health professional to support parents with the uncertainty of cause until confirmation-or not-of an asthma diagnosis. Under 5s cannot generally give a concise history when questioned, or perform helpful investigations such as spirometry. The differential diagnoses in children are numerous and must be considered while establishing asthma as a cause of symptoms. It is wise to at least attempt spirometry form the age of 5 years upwards as many will be able to perform it, given time and instruction. For the under 5s it is prudent to work closely with their GP to rule out other possible causes of symptoms and to consider whether a referral to a specialist is required. Practice nurses who are responsible for making the diagnosis of asthma in children should refer to the British Thoracic Society (BTS)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guidelines (2014) and have a low threshold for seeking advice.
What do parents and children need to know?
About diagnosis?
The diagnosis and management of asthma can raise many issues with both parents and children, so it is important that practice nurses understand what the term means to them individually. Some parents initially can be shocked or frightened by the diagnosis as they may have preconceived ideas about asthma based on their own personal experiences. An open discussion with the parents of child with asthma can help dispel myths and alleviate concerns in regard to its cause, triggers and possible side effects from treatment, both short- and long- term. This improves the chances of successful treatment and good asthma control. Parents may have concerns relating to:
- Previous experiences of asthma
- Need for regular medications and their possible side effects
- Impact on ‘normal’ life, school, sport/exercise
- Avoidance of triggers.
It is the responsibility of the asthma nurse to ensure that children and parents of children with asthma are equipped with the right knowledge of what asthma is, how it presents, what the signs are that the condition is deteriorating, and what to do in such situations. Although symptoms tend to be more persistent in ‘adult onset’ asthma, in childhood asthma they tend to be intermittent and an increase in symptoms due to allergens many not occur at every exposure. This can cause problems with self-titration of medications, in particular preventer therapy, so it is important that parents are made aware of the nature of asthma as a disease process. Many children will experience a reduction in the severity of symptoms during puberty; around age 20 they may find that their asthma symptoms reappear for a short period before disappearing and reappearing symptoms may continue into a person’s 30s or 40s as a person maintains that ‘hypersensitivity’ to multifactorial triggers, dispelling the myth that children ‘grow out’ of asthma.
About treatment?
Treatment should follow a stepwise process as established by BTS/SIGN guidelines (2014) and parents should be reassured that asthma medications are generally safe when prescribed and administered correctly. Many parents will have concerns regarding medications, so time should be spent on this area ensuring that parents are given a good understanding of how each prescribed medication works to control symptoms. Careful explanation should be given about the use of bronchodilators and parents should be made aware that a need for bronchodilators more than three times a week should indicate a need for preventer therapy or an increase in the current inhaled corticosteroid dose as per the personalized asthma action plan (PAAP).
Concerns regarding the use of corticosteroids are common due to the term ‘steroid’, which is often portrayed in the media negatively. These concerns should be addressed and reassurance should be given the nature of corticosteroids and how they differ from ‘muscle building’ anabolic steroids. The prescribing of corticosteroids should be in accordance with national guidelines and the choice of inhaler device should not be underestimated, as poor inhaler technique is a primary cause of poor asthma control. Common side effects associated with the use of inhaled corticosteroids such as oral candidiasis can be reduced or avoided with the use of spacer devices. Spacers can help keep the dose of corticosteroids needed at a minimum, as they increase the deposition of the drug in the lungs and therefore improve efficacy. Parents and children will need to be taught how to use these pieces of equipment.
It is important that clinicians are aware of the differing potency and appropriate dosages of the different inhaled steroids and inhaler types when discussing and deciding on treatment. In children with difficult asthma or for those who do not respond to the upper limit of 400 ug a day beclometasone or equivalent-despite adherence, correct inhaler technique and the addition of a leukotriene receptor antagonist-referral to a respiratory paediatrician is advised.
Regular oral steroids should only be instigated by a specialist (BTS/SIGN,2014).
About school?
Parents must also be empowered to discuss their child’s condition with their child’s school and to feel comfortable that teachers and school staff are equipped to recognize any deterioration in the child’s condition and act promptly and appropriately. Children should have safe, supervised access to prescribed medication during school hours and it is help-ful for the school to hold a copy of a child’s PAAP. Schools have been advised to consider school-based asthma education programmes involving children with asthma, peers, teachers and parents. Such initiatives have been shown to improve knowledge, self-efficacy and self-management behaviours and improve markers of symptoms control-daytime and nighttime symptoms, rates of absence from school and self-reported quality of life indicators (Coffman et al, 2009; Asthma and Grimes, 2011). It can be helpful for general practices to link with school in their locality and that school are aware of their responsibility and are practicing under the latest to become more active in establishing this kind of networking. Children should be encouraged to partake in exercise and exertional play while at school because it enables an adequate level of fitness to be achieved, leads to a sense of involvement and acceptance among peers and helps to maintain a normal weight. Prophylactic treatment with a bronchodilator may be needed to prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms in children for whom exertion is a trigger factor.
What should an annual review look like?
A proactive clinical review of children with asthma improves clinical outcomes. Benefits include reduced school absence, reduced asthma attack rate, improved symptom control and reduced attendance at the emergency department (Hoskins et al, 1999; Guevara et al, 2003). Nurses conducting reviews should assess:
- Current symptom control-as reported by both child and parent/guardian
- Whether asthma is still the main cause of wheeze. With obesity in children on the rise this can be an additive factor in wheeze and breathlessness. Clinicians should perform spirometry if in doubt, especially if the child was too young for the test when first diagnosed
- Trigger awareness
- Number/frequency and relie
Management of asthma in childrenAsthma is a condition that affects the airways of children, young people and adults. Classic symptoms include cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing. The causes of asthma are not well understood and so, generally, the management of the condition is centred on control as opposed to cure. The optimum treatment aims for a person with asthma to be asymptomatic, and therefore able to lead an active, ‘normal’ life.In the UK 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma-1.1million of these are children, which equates to approximately 1 in 11 (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013). Asthma remains responsible for 1000 deaths in the UK each year, 90% of which can be associated with preventable factors (Department of Health, 2011). The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD), a consortium of health professionals with a special interest in respiratory care that sought to understand the circumstances surrounding asthma deaths in the UK between 2012 and 2013, identified 28 deaths in children during that time (Levy et al, 2014). Its key recommendations following the investigation shone a spotlight on the lack of understanding in clinicians, patients and parents in regard to the seriousness of asthma and its ability to deteriorate rapidly.Nurses working in general practice have traditionally earned themselves, one way or another, the title of ‘the asthma nurse’ within their clinic or surgery, but this title should not be taken on lightly. It is important that practice nurses seeing patients with asthma have undergone some form of formal training to ensure they are competent to assess, review and treat accurately and safely. One key point raised form NRAD was the concern that, as asthma is a common condition with clinicians and patients often perceiving their symptoms as having a low impact when not controlled, perhaps we have forgotten its seriousness and are running the risk of becoming complacent when confronted with it. General practice is often criticized for focusing too much on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) and the financial value this puts against particular areas of health, and many feel asthma reviews have become a tick-box process. As a large proportion of practice nurse are not paediatric trained, it begs the question as to whether they should be seeing children with asthma at all unless they have a recognized post-registration qualification in paediatric asthmaDiagnosis of asthma in children The diagnosis of asthma in children, young people or even in adults needs a medium-to long-term view. In under 5s particularly, it requires a confident health professional to support parents with the uncertainty of cause until confirmation-or not-of an asthma diagnosis. Under 5s cannot generally give a concise history when questioned, or perform helpful investigations such as spirometry. The differential diagnoses in children are numerous and must be considered while establishing asthma as a cause of symptoms. It is wise to at least attempt spirometry form the age of 5 years upwards as many will be able to perform it, given time and instruction. For the under 5s it is prudent to work closely with their GP to rule out other possible causes of symptoms and to consider whether a referral to a specialist is required. Practice nurses who are responsible for making the diagnosis of asthma in children should refer to the British Thoracic Society (BTS)/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guidelines (2014) and have a low threshold for seeking advice.What do parents and children need to know?About diagnosis? The diagnosis and management of asthma can raise many issues with both parents and children, so it is important that practice nurses understand what the term means to them individually. Some parents initially can be shocked or frightened by the diagnosis as they may have preconceived ideas about asthma based on their own personal experiences. An open discussion with the parents of child with asthma can help dispel myths and alleviate concerns in regard to its cause, triggers and possible side effects from treatment, both short- and long- term. This improves the chances of successful treatment and good asthma control. Parents may have concerns relating to:- Previous experiences of asthma- Need for regular medications and their possible side effects- Impact on ‘normal’ life, school, sport/exercise- Avoidance of triggers.It is the responsibility of the asthma nurse to ensure that children and parents of children with asthma are equipped with the right knowledge of what asthma is, how it presents, what the signs are that the condition is deteriorating, and what to do in such situations. Although symptoms tend to be more persistent in ‘adult onset’ asthma, in childhood asthma they tend to be intermittent and an increase in symptoms due to allergens many not occur at every exposure. This can cause problems with self-titration of medications, in particular preventer therapy, so it is important that parents are made aware of the nature of asthma as a disease process. Many children will experience a reduction in the severity of symptoms during puberty; around age 20 they may find that their asthma symptoms reappear for a short period before disappearing and reappearing symptoms may continue into a person’s 30s or 40s as a person maintains that ‘hypersensitivity’ to multifactorial triggers, dispelling the myth that children ‘grow out’ of asthma.About treatment? Treatment should follow a stepwise process as established by BTS/SIGN guidelines (2014) and parents should be reassured that asthma medications are generally safe when prescribed and administered correctly. Many parents will have concerns regarding medications, so time should be spent on this area ensuring that parents are given a good understanding of how each prescribed medication works to control symptoms. Careful explanation should be given about the use of bronchodilators and parents should be made aware that a need for bronchodilators more than three times a week should indicate a need for preventer therapy or an increase in the current inhaled corticosteroid dose as per the personalized asthma action plan (PAAP). Concerns regarding the use of corticosteroids are common due to the term ‘steroid’, which is often portrayed in the media negatively. These concerns should be addressed and reassurance should be given the nature of corticosteroids and how they differ from ‘muscle building’ anabolic steroids. The prescribing of corticosteroids should be in accordance with national guidelines and the choice of inhaler device should not be underestimated, as poor inhaler technique is a primary cause of poor asthma control. Common side effects associated with the use of inhaled corticosteroids such as oral candidiasis can be reduced or avoided with the use of spacer devices. Spacers can help keep the dose of corticosteroids needed at a minimum, as they increase the deposition of the drug in the lungs and therefore improve efficacy. Parents and children will need to be taught how to use these pieces of equipment.
It is important that clinicians are aware of the differing potency and appropriate dosages of the different inhaled steroids and inhaler types when discussing and deciding on treatment. In children with difficult asthma or for those who do not respond to the upper limit of 400 ug a day beclometasone or equivalent-despite adherence, correct inhaler technique and the addition of a leukotriene receptor antagonist-referral to a respiratory paediatrician is advised.
Regular oral steroids should only be instigated by a specialist (BTS/SIGN,2014).
About school?
Parents must also be empowered to discuss their child’s condition with their child’s school and to feel comfortable that teachers and school staff are equipped to recognize any deterioration in the child’s condition and act promptly and appropriately. Children should have safe, supervised access to prescribed medication during school hours and it is help-ful for the school to hold a copy of a child’s PAAP. Schools have been advised to consider school-based asthma education programmes involving children with asthma, peers, teachers and parents. Such initiatives have been shown to improve knowledge, self-efficacy and self-management behaviours and improve markers of symptoms control-daytime and nighttime symptoms, rates of absence from school and self-reported quality of life indicators (Coffman et al, 2009; Asthma and Grimes, 2011). It can be helpful for general practices to link with school in their locality and that school are aware of their responsibility and are practicing under the latest to become more active in establishing this kind of networking. Children should be encouraged to partake in exercise and exertional play while at school because it enables an adequate level of fitness to be achieved, leads to a sense of involvement and acceptance among peers and helps to maintain a normal weight. Prophylactic treatment with a bronchodilator may be needed to prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms in children for whom exertion is a trigger factor.
What should an annual review look like?
A proactive clinical review of children with asthma improves clinical outcomes. Benefits include reduced school absence, reduced asthma attack rate, improved symptom control and reduced attendance at the emergency department (Hoskins et al, 1999; Guevara et al, 2003). Nurses conducting reviews should assess:
- Current symptom control-as reported by both child and parent/guardian
- Whether asthma is still the main cause of wheeze. With obesity in children on the rise this can be an additive factor in wheeze and breathlessness. Clinicians should perform spirometry if in doubt, especially if the child was too young for the test when first diagnosed
- Trigger awareness
- Number/frequency and relie
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