The Asthma Center at Connecticut Children’s focuses on advancing pediatric asthma care through its nationally recognized Easy Breathing© program.
Easy Breathing is a community-based asthma management program that translates the national asthma guidelines into a usable format for pediatricians and other health care providers. The Easy Breathing program ensures that children, families and physicians work together to manage asthma symptoms.
While asthma can be controlled, there is no cure. A child’s well-being and quality of life is dependent on the entire family’s understanding of an individualized treatment plan and immediate action when an asthma attack starts.
To keep airway inflammation to a minimum and to reduce symptoms, it is important to reduce and limit exposure to triggers that may bring on an asthma attack. Every child has different triggers, causing inflammation in the airways, which then leads to asthma symptoms.
Common asthma triggers include:
- Cold air
- Cold or illness
- Dust and dust mites
- Strong smells, sprays and perfumes
Treatments to help control asthma are determined based on the severity of the child’s condition and the child’s specific triggers. A variety of asthma medications and treatments exist, ranging from treatments that are appropriate for daily use, for use when sick or when emergency therapy is needed.
Follow up appointments are important for making sure a child’s asthma is under control. It gives children and families the chance to ask questions about treatment plans, and physicians can fix bad habits and make sure a child is using the asthma medications correctly. If a child is not well, then treatment plans are evaluated for changes.