Service

Asthma

Wheezing, shortness of breath, labored breathing, and cough can be signs that your child is suffering from asthma.

Asthma

At Kids 1st Urgent Care, we are dedicated to treating your child's asthma with compassion and expertise. We understand the challenges that asthma presents and approach each child with empathy. Our goal is to provide relief in a supportive and reassuring environment. We adhere to the latest clinical pathways and guidelines from leading pediatric institutions. This ensures that your child receives effective, evidence-based treatments tailored to their specific needs. At Kids 1st Urgent Care, our commitment is to provide high-quality, compassionate care, helping your child breathe easier and live a healthier, more active life.

Understanding Childhood Asthma

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a prevalent chronic lung condition characterized by intermittent symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms arise due to reversible narrowing of the airway tubes, which can fluctuate in frequency and intensity over time.

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children and is the leading cause of school absences, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions among the pediatric population. Approximately 5 million American children are estimated to have asthma.

How Asthma Affects the Airways

Asthma symptoms result from:

Bronchospasm (Bronchoconstriction): Tightening of the muscles surrounding the airways.
Inflammation: Swelling and extra mucus in the airway linings that contribute to narrowing.
Hyper-reactivity: Airways become excessively sensitive to triggers, leading to overreaction even to benign stimuli.

The combination of these factors results in intermittent "waves" of symptoms known as asthma flares or attacks. Inflammation makes the airways more sensitive, leading to frequent symptoms such as nighttime cough or exercise-induced shortness of breath.

Causes of Asthma in Children

Asthma can develop in anyone, but several genetic and environmental factors can increase a child’s risk:

Family History: Having parents or siblings with asthma or allergies.
Premature Birth: Lung issues related to being born early.
Early Exposures: Contact with viruses or allergens at a young age.
Environmental Factors: Exposure to cigarette smoke, pollution, or other irritants during pregnancy or early childhood.

Asthma triggers fall into three major categories:

Infections: Respiratory infections such as colds or sinus infections.
Allergies: Allergens like pollen, pet dander, mold, dust mites, and cockroaches.
Irritants: Tobacco smoke and chemical fumes.

Additional factors that can exacerbate asthma include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), exercise, weather changes, and strong emotions.

Asthma Symptoms in Children

Common symptoms include:

Cough: Often due to mucus or airway irritation.
Wheezing: A whistling sound during exhalation from narrowed airways.
Shortness of Breath: Difficulty breathing, especially during physical activity.
Chest Tightness: A sensation of pressure or pain in the chest.

Asthma attacks or flares can occur suddenly, with symptoms worsening rapidly. They may be particularly pronounced at night or in response to specific triggers. During an attack, you may notice:

Increased Mucus Production: Excessive coughing, which may be severe enough to induce vomiting.
Enhanced Airway Sensitivity: Symptoms may intensify with exercise, cold air, or strong emotions.
Severe Breathing Difficulty: In extreme cases, breathing can become very labored, making it difficult to inhale and exhale normally.

Treatments for Asthma

Anti-Inflammatory Medicines for Asthma

Anti-inflammatory medications are essential for managing asthma by addressing the underlying inflammation in the airways. These medications work to reduce bronchospasm, swelling, excess mucus, and airway hyper-reactivity. They are used as controller medications to maintain long- term asthma control and prevent symptoms.

Purpose

Prevent Frequent Symptoms: Helps reduce night coughs, the frequent need for quick-relief medication, and other symptoms between flare-ups.
Reduce Attacks: Decreases the number and severity of asthma attacks, and minimizes hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and the need for oral corticosteroids.
Examples:‍
- Inhaled Steroids: Such as Flovent®, Asmanex®, Qvar RediHaler, and Pulmicort®.
- Non-Steroid Drugs: Includes leukotriene modifiers like Singulair®.

These medications may take several weeks to show effects, and it's crucial not to stop taking them without consulting your asthma specialist, as doing so might lead to a return of inflammation and an increase in symptoms.

Bronchodilators for Asthma

Bronchodilators provide quick relief by relaxing the muscles surrounding the airways, making it easier to breathe. They are categorized into short-acting and long-acting types.

Short-Acting Bronchodilators (Rescue Medicines):

Purpose: Provide immediate relief from asthma symptoms, starting to work within 5 to 15 minutes and lasting about four hours.
Examples: Proventil®, Ventolin® (albuterol), and Xopenex®.

Long-Acting Bronchodilators:

Purpose: Control asthma symptoms over a longer period (8 to 12 hours) and are often used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids to improve long-term asthma control.
Examples: Available in combination inhalers that include both a long-acting beta agonist and an inhaled corticosteroid.

Outlook for Children with Asthma

Asthma cannot be cured, but with appropriate treatment, most children and adolescents can achieve good control over their condition. Our goal is to:

Minimize Symptoms: Aim for minimal to no asthma symptoms between flare-ups.
Reduce Frequency and Severity: Lower the frequency and intensity of asthma flares and ensure effective management with minimal disruption to daily life.

Kids 1^st Urgent Care commitment is to provide high-quality, responsive care, helping your child manage asthma effectively and improve their quality of life.

Child-Friendly Environment

Understanding that medical treatments can be stressful for children, all of our providers have been trained by our Child Life Specialists on how to approach your child in a friendly and compassionate manner. We strive to make the experience as stress-free as possible, with a child- centered environment and a caring staff that helps ease any anxiety.

Kids 1st Urgent Care sources its medical research from leading authorities in pediatric medicine, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Location

We bring MOBILE urgent pediatric medical care for your child to any location in Miami Dade and Broward County.

Hours

Kids 1st Urgent Care is available 7 days a week until midnight. We are open limited hours on holidays.

Support

Our dedicated team is available to address any questions or concerns before, during, and after your child's visit.

Kids 1st Urgent Care always puts the wellbeing of your child as our top priority.

If our providers determine that your child's illness or injury requires a higher level of care, we will assist you in finding the most suitable emergency department. We will notify a provider at that facility to ensure your child's arrival is anticipated. Kids 1st Urgent Care will inform your child's pediatrician of our evaluation and recommendations. We will be available to address any questions or concerns you may have throughout this process. At Kids 1st Urgent Care, we always provide exceptional, compassionate, and personalized care with a concierge touch, treating your child as if they were our own and ensuring their wellbeing.