Kids and Asthma

Tim Robbins

Hi,
Is it my imagination or is every second child on an asthma inhaler that their GP has told them to take when the child coughs.

From speaking to parents this seems the case. Our boy got one earlier in the week and every second parent I know tells a similar tale. Even the manageress in the creche seem to think oh another child with an inhaler...

Note: I have quite severe asthma myself so no need to be telling me how most children grow out of it.

All I am saying is if say 20 - 40% of toddlers are on inhalers should the government be able to confirm this and have some sort of big picture analysis?

Also I am very skeptical of the asthma society. Just putting my cards on table here.

Thanks.

Quackles

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Also I am very skeptical of the asthma society. Just putting my cards on table here.

Thanks.

I have no idea, other than to say that one of my two kids is supposedly asthmatic. I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't give him his preventative inhaler unless he has a cold coming on and he's never wheezy unless he has a cold. That said, his wheeziness has landed him in hospital and does get very bad, but I always assumed asthma means attacks, not just very wheezy colds. That could easily be ignorance on my part.

The asthma society bother me. They are constantly collecting in our very small town, at the very least once every 6 weeks. I don't give them a cent anymore, feels more like a business than a charity.

wmpdd3

A friend has very bad asthma, her 3 year old son a first attack a few weeks ago, she knew straight away he needed the doc and possibly the Nebuliser.

After the Nebuliser her was fine. The doc gave her a prescription got the preventive inhaler and the space attachment.

She asked would she have to attend the doctors again to get diagnosed? He said they no longer diagnose as such, they just treat the symptoms. Made no sense to her.

Like the OP, after that cold she hasn't used the preventive inhaler since.

In contrast she was given Ventilin syrup every day since her 1st attack when she was 3, then the brown and blue inhaler by the age of 5. She doesnt want him to be that Dependant.

Tim Robbins

Well I have had exteremly bad asthma my entire life. At the moment I am on some really storng preventative (becotide 250 isn't strong enough) that costs 100 euro per inhaler. I get a really bad attack (requiring nebuliser once a year and a dose of steroids) once a year.

If I don't have my inhaler with me it's a big problem. I'll tell you those inhalers unbelievably addictive things.

Also, many people who claim to have asthma don't have it. They are usually the people who tell you homeopathy cured it.

We should have some national stats on this problem. If so many of our kids are on inhalers at the age of one - this isn't normal and something needs to be investigated. Are GPs over subscribing? Or is there national problem that we are not addressing?

newmammy2011

I definitiely think it is a case of GP's overprescribing!
I was diagnosed with asthma at age 5 and have used all sorts of preventors over the years.
When I was diagnosed I attended an asthma clinic in Temple Street Hospital, once a month for monitoring. The frequency of these visits reduced over the years and when I reached about 14 I attended an asthma clinic in an adult hospital.

I babysat for a family with 5 children over the last 14 years. The 2nd eldest child(almost 13) had an asthma attack at age 1 and a hlf. him at He was in hospital for 3/4 days. He has been on inhalers since then without any sort of follow up care/monitoring.
His 3 younger sisters(aged 5,7 &10) are also on inhalers and have been since they were approx 1 year without any of them having any symptoms of asthma besides a common cold/ chest infection!

She Devil

What age group are you talking about Tim Robbins??!

My family are chronic asthmatics, and my brothers have passed it on to their kids!! They knew from a few weeks that their babies had asthma, they showed all the symptoms my parents saw and treated with my brothers but the doctor and hospital said that a child under the age of two (maybe three) can't be diagnosed as asthmatic, they have to say its broncihitis (as opposed to bronchitis!!

Its heartbreaking to watch and all three are regularly on nebulisers so it annoys the hell out of me when a friend whose son has a bad cough decides to tell me he has asthma!!!!! NO he doesn't!!!!

Its awful because my dad is on steriods every single day of the week and the neubliser three times a day, close to have to take oxygen full time, I know what I am talking about when it comes to Asthma, and you wouldn't dare wish it on anyone never mind claim your son/daughter has it when you know for a fact they don't!! (thats a dig at my friend and noway insulting to anyone here) :(:(

aknitter

Have to agree with Shedevil - was diagnosed at age 2 after numerous chest infections and being found in bed with blue lips and barely breathing, whipped to the doctors at the dead of night for treatment. Didn't get the MMR until I was 9, doctor would't give it to me until my chest was clear. Now every Tom Dick and Harry with cough has an inhaler and is "asthmatic", but who really pisses me off is smoker friend of mine who is "asthmatic" Hint its the fags.....
Treatment as well is shocking - the drugs are very expensive. But what really worries me is that I am 34 weeks pregnant and not once did the the GP or the midwife ask after my chest / breathing :mad: Am disappointed with that...Think I'll rant about that in the pregnacy forum!!

Tim Robbins

I'm talking about kids under the age of 2 - 3. There is no accepted scientific theory that asthma is genetic. The nature / nurture debate is still on AFAIK.

Unfortunately I think there are a lot of false positives and false negatives regarding asthma and right now I think we're in the former.

del_c

Yeah I would have to agree with the fact that there would seem to be overuse of inhalers in Ireland. When I was living at home, I remember in the dressing rooms before matches, there'd be maybe a fifth of the young lads sucking on an inhaler (including myself)....In all my time in Germany (10 years), I have met 1 person who uses an inhaler.


P.s. Since I practiced the Buteyko breathing technique, I've never needed my inhaler again (ca. 5 years ago). Absolutely life changing for me.

Truley

Looks like I'm not the only one who is skeptical about this. When I started working in creches I was shocked at the number of children and babies who have either asthma or eczema or both. In one place I worked I would say about 60% of the babies (under 1s) had some sort of inhaler. I'm wondering would (what seems to me!) a very high dairy diet be a contributer? Nearly all of these kids would be bottle fed and fed alot of yogurts, cheese, butter etc Just a thought, I don't know really.

I've also noticed the prevalence of asthma society campaigning around the country. I never give money because I know that their collectors are being paid a wage. Definately run more like a business than a charity.

wolfpawnat

My son was put on the inhaler the other day, cost me 40e just for his meds and I am not sure his problems are asthmatic ones.